[Issue 6442] Allow for passing values with the 'ref' keyword

[d-bugmail at puremagic.com]

http://d.puremagic.com/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=6442



--- Comment #3 from bearophile_hugs at eml.cc 2011-08-06 11:05:05 PDT ---
(In reply to comment #2)
> "Proof"?
> 
> Idk, do you want me to find an example of something that actually broke because
> of this?
> 
> I don't know too many languages that allow this (like you said, C# 4.0 just
> allows this in COM) so asking "proof" is a little too much, IMHO... it's hard
> to find broken C# COM-interop code that got fixed _precisely_ because of this.
> 
> But I can certainly make an example for you, if you so desire...

In issue 5409 I have asked for another feature that helps to avoid bugs. This
feature request is backed by a large number of similar bugs found in already
written production code. This not a proof, but for me it's enough evidence to
forbid the (!x & y) pattern.

I'd like something that justifies to add this feature to D, something beyond
just "C# has it, kind of". I know that it's hard to find, but on the other hand
you are asking something to programmers (it's optional, but it's not hard to
see D shops with coding conventions that ask to always use the ref/out at the
calling point), so the feature must give something back.

This feature improves code readability, but in D you also have "const ref" that
semantically-wise for the caller is not that different from a pass by value.

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