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Lambda Syntax Survey

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The lambda syntax is under discussion again at lambda-dev mail list, but this time, they're actively courting opinions.

The “strawman” syntax provided a temporary means to discuss the aspects of the implementation and details of how lambda and type inference would work in the Java language, but it was never intended as a permanent syntax. Now, four separate syntax variations have been proposed:

  • Strawman: #(arglist)(expr) and #(arglist){statements}
  • BGGA: { args -> statements }
  • SotL: #{ args -> statements}
  • Redmond: (args) -> { statements }

The poll also provides what using real-life expressions might be like with the above syntaxes:

Example of Strawman:
   list.filter( #(Foo t)(t.length() > 3) )
       .map( #(Foo t)(t.barCount) )
       .max();

Example of BGGA:
   list.filter( { Foo t -> t.length() > 3 } )
       .map( { Foo t -> t.barCount } )
       .max();

Example of SotL:
   list.filter(#{ Foo t -> t.length() > 3 } )
       .map(#{ Foo t -> t.barCount } )
       .max();

Example of Redmond:
   list.filter((Foo t) -> { t.length() > 3 } )
       .map((Foo t) -> { t.barCount } )
       .max();

Please see the original post at the lambda-dev mail list for more details on the proposals, and for how to respond to the survey.

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