Re: Language Syntax

[David Given <dg@...>]

On 21/06/14 20:34, Duncan Cross wrote:
[...]
> My understanding is that the blurred distinction between statement and
> expression that you find in C adds a level of complexity to the parser
> that (the Lua team have decided) is not justified. As a language that
> is usually parsed at run-time, Lua's syntax is designed, from the
> bottom up, to be parsed/compiled quickly. A strict separation between
> statement and expression is a part of this.

I've tried to implement this sort of thing myself. It's a pig, with
rough edges everywhere. Consider:

a, b, c = function_returning_multiple()

vs.

function_with_arguments(a, b, c = function_returning_multiple())

Making assignments expressions simplifies things no end.

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