D2.0 const this methods

[Chris Nicholson-Sauls]

Georg Wrede wrote:
> Walter Bright wrote:
>> Bill Baxter wrote:
>>
>>>  From the const page docs
>>> class Foo {
>>>    invariant int foo() {
>>>       ...
>>>    }
>>> }
>>>
>>> makes 'this' and the return value invariant.
>>
>> No. invariant as a storage class on a member function only makes the 
>> member function invariant, it does not affect the return type.
> 
> Am I the only one who thinks it is hard to remember that a word (here 
> 'invariant') somewhere applies on this and otherwise on that?
> 
> Should we have the keywords applying to the function be written after 
> the function signature, and those applying to the return type before it?
> 
> (I'd really hate D to become another language where one has to remember 
> a truckload of stuff by heart.)

As much as I hate to admit this... I would personally prefer the 
const|invariant occuring after the signature as well.  It shames me, 
truly it does!  But it /is/ less ambiguous than this, where it becomes 
difficult to quickly discern with the eyes whether the method is 
const|invariant, or whether the return type is.  (Yes, technically, 
there would be parentheses to disambiguate if it were the type... but 
then again, I'd bet forgetting those paren's would lead to interesting 
new bugs, and that's precisely the sort of thing these are supposed to 
help prevent!)

-- Chris Nicholson-Sauls