Hacker News with Generative AI: Syntax

Comparison with Traditional Mathematics (aplwiki.com)
APL unifies the notations for certain mathematical constructs, while having a more consistent syntax.

Mathematics, Programming Languages, Syntax

10 points by todsacerdoti 8 days ago | 1 comments

Pike – a dynamic programming language with a syntax similar to Java and C (lysator.liu.se)
This is the official Pike language web site. If you are new to Pike you can start off by reading about what Pike really is. After that you might want to learn the language itself.

Programming Languages, Syntax, Dynamic Programming

74 points by gjvc 19 days ago | 64 comments

C++: terser (shorter) lambda == SHORTY (ab-use?) (github.com/hanickadot)
This library is intended to give terser syntax than C++'s lambdas, not replace C++ with lazy DSL.

C++, Programming, Libraries, Syntax, Code Optimization

67 points by signa11 29 days ago | 20 comments

Why does JSON have commas? (simonsafar.com)
As it happens, I already wrote a post on why Commas are Bad. We did not arrive at any specific conclusion apart from commas maybe being worth rethinking and replacing with some other things.

Programming, JSON, Syntax, Design, Opinions

33 points by Tomte 32 days ago | 62 comments

Zig's dot star syntax (value.*) (openmymind.net)
Maybe I'm the only one, but it always takes my little brain a split second to understand what's happening whenever I see, or have to write, something like value.* = .{...}.

Programming, Zig, Syntax

113 points by todsacerdoti 61 days ago | 124 comments

Change Python's syntax with the " coding:" trick (bitecode.dev)
You know how 93% of Paint Splatters are Valid Perl Programs?

Python, Programming, Syntax, Tricks

13 points by olooney 101 days ago | 0 comments

Parinfer: Simpler Lisp Editing (shaunlebron.github.io)
Lisp is often dismissed as an undesirable programming syntax due to excessive parentheses.

Programming Languages, Lisp, Editors, Syntax

168 points by harperlee 108 days ago | 32 comments

Show HN: Python with do..end in place of strict indentation (github.com/navxio)
An experimental Python preprocessor that enables do..end syntax in place of strict indentation

Python, Programming Languages, Syntax, Preprocessors

12 points by humility 117 days ago | 70 comments

C "clockwise/spiral" rule to understand declarations (c-faq.com)
There is a technique known as the ``Clockwise/Spiral Rule'' which enables any C programmer to parse in their head any C declaration!

C Programming, Syntax, Parsing

39 points by galkk 126 days ago | 75 comments

2D Racket Syntax (racket-lang.org)
The 2d language installs #2d reader support in the readtables, and then chains to the reader of another language that is specified immediately after 2d.

Programming Languages, Racket, Syntax

88 points by veqq 149 days ago | 15 comments

Show HN: Indentation-based syntax for Clojure (github.com/ilevd)
Indentation-based syntax for Clojure.

Clojure, Programming Languages, Syntax, Open Source, Show HN

75 points by ilevd 163 days ago | 50 comments

OCaml Syntax Sucks (2016) (xahlee.info)
OCaml's let … = … in … is very confusing. When nested, you can't tell how it's nested.

Programming Languages, OCaml, Syntax, Software Development

121 points by Qem 169 days ago | 135 comments

What does f(x) mean in C++? (biowpn.github.io)
It is universally agreed that C++ is a complex language. One reason is that its syntax is highly overloaded, meaning that the same code could mean many different things. Let’s do a simple mental exersice by considering the following code:

C++, Programming, Syntax, Code, Programming Languages

6 points by linkdd 176 days ago | 1 comments

Is `(expession, lvalue) = rvalue` a valid assignment in C or C++? (stackoverflow.com)
Some time ago I stumbled upon the idea of how a C construct, such as (expr0, expr1, expr2), evaluates (see "What does the comma operator , do?" for more context).

Programming, C, C++, Syntax, Language Features

37 points by susam 178 days ago | 13 comments

Zig's (.{}){} Syntax (openmymind.net)
One of the first pieces of Zig code that you're likely to see, and write, is this beginner-unfriendly line:

Zig, Programming Languages, Syntax

245 points by todsacerdoti 183 days ago | 164 comments

Rust's Most Subtle Syntax (zkrising.com)
Rust’s most subtle syntax is that constants, themselves, are patterns.

Rust, Programming Languages, Syntax

52 points by todsacerdoti 185 days ago | 14 comments

That's now valid syntax in Python 3.13 (reddit.com)
There are a few changes that didn't get much attention in the last releases, and one of them is that comprehensions and lambdas can now be used in annotations (the place where you put type hints).

Python, Programming Languages, Syntax, Type Hints

6 points by sametmax 194 days ago | 1 comments

The Ultimate Conditional Syntax (dl.acm.org)
Functional programming languages typically support expressive pattern-matching syntax allowing programmers to write concise and type-safe code, especially appropriate for manipulating algebraic data types.

Functional Programming, Programming Languages, Syntax

145 points by azhenley 199 days ago | 48 comments

Coding without braces: An alternate C Syntax (deusinmachina.net)
I recently stumbled upon an interesting piece of C language trivia that underscores how different computers were when C was first created. Specifically, C allows the use of digraphs (two letter combinations that represent a single letter) like <% and %> as alternatives of { and } and <: and :> as substitutes for [ and ]. The purpose of this was to provide an alternate syntax to support keyboards and character sets where braces and brackets were not available.

Programming Languages, C Language, History, Syntax, Trivia

6 points by todsacerdoti 209 days ago | 2 comments

Guile 3.0.10 now ships with support for parens-optional syntax (wisp) (draketo.de)
» I love the syntax of Python, but crave the simplicity and power of Lisp.«

Programming Languages, Lisp, Guile, Syntax, Python

37 points by Y_Y 237 days ago | 13 comments

Railroad Diagram Generator (from EBNF syntax) (red-dove.com)

Programming, Tools, Syntax

13 points by aargh_aargh 247 days ago | 2 comments

Rust's Ugly Syntax (2023) (matklad.github.io)

Rust, Programming Languages, Syntax

161 points by nequo 251 days ago | 165 comments

PEP 750: Tag Strings for Writing Domain-Specific Languages (python.org)