Compile time range checking/asserts

[Borden Rhodes]

Good morning, list,

I know that D has support for ranges in for-each statements and in array 
bounds checking, but I'm curious if it also has a facility for compile-time 
range checking or assertions on individual variables.

For example, using the Java Tutorial's venerable Bicycle class, say I 
had a property <code>int gear;</code> which indicated the bicycle's current 
gear.  Let's say all bicycles of this class have 6 gears.  Typically, I would 
write a changeGear method as:

<code>
void changeGear(int newGear) {
        if ( 1 <= newGear && newGear <= 6)
                gear = newGear;
        else
                throw SomeKindOfException();
}
</code>

which would include the if statement to make sure that newGear would be passed 
a number in the correct range and a throw statement to deal with cheaters.

Does D allow - or would there be logic in creating - an ability to define the 
acceptable ranges when the variable is initialised?  So, say I wanted gear 
only to accept values between 1 and 6 inclusive.  Could I declare something to 
the effect of:

<code>int gear {1...6} = 1;</code>

Which could read, "create a new int, called gear, which only accepts values 
between 1 and 6, inclusive, and initialise it to 1."  Then, if I, or some 
coder who forgot how many gears my Bicycle has, tried to call:

</code>bicycle.changeGear( 12 );</code>

the compiler would catch that <code>gear = newGear;</code> is assigning a 
value out of range and throw a compile-time error.  Can D do this?  Should it 
do this?

With thanks,

Borden