Re: Group newbie !

[Mike Paley <mike@paley.demon.co.uk>]

In article: <32C813AA.1F29@watson.ibm.com>  "Norman H. Cohen" 
<ncohen@watson.ibm.com> writes:
:) > > It really is worth investing the effort to learn the concepts
:) > > underlying the syntax.
:) > 
:) > Are you implying I can't do that from the syntax ?
:) 
:) I certainly am.  
:) 
:) Consider the example that started this thread, the need to specify an
:) index constraint for an uninitialized variable of type String.  The
:) syntax of a variable declaration tells you that a variable declaration
:) includes a subtype name (or, as the syntax rules call it, a "subtype
:) mark") optionally followed by a constraint, and the syntax tells you the
:) various forms that constraints may take.  But the syntax does not
:) explain which kinds of constraints are compatible with which kinds of
:) subtype marks, or which kinds of variable declarations REQUIRE a
:) constraint.  You have to read the "fluff" to understand that.
:) 

You only get the one concept from the one syntax. I can work out what's 
going on from one line, but can't work out alternatives.

I'd like to say more on this but I've "timed-out" :( ! :)

BTW, I was not pleased to find a semicolon was more than an end of statement 
marker and a character.

-- 
Comm again, Mike. 

If I have offended anyone, please accept my apologies. To prevent this 
re-occurring, next time you read one of my posts, wear a blindfold.

Ex Turnpike user.

If you want to see the rest of this sig. file or find out more about me, 
have a look at http://www.paley.demon.co.uk/ [1996:11:30]