byKey and byValue: properties or methods?

[Andrei Alexandrescu]

On 1/20/12 7:31 PM, Michel Fortin wrote:
> On 2012-01-20 17:58:28 +0000, Andrei Alexandrescu
> <SeeWebsiteForEmail at erdani.org> said:
>
>> I tallied the votes.
>>
>> Function: Mail Mantis, bearophile, Jacob Carlborg, Olivier Pisano, Ary
>> Manzana, torhu.
>>
>> Property: Nick Sabalausky, Simen Kjaeraas.
>>
>> I wasn't able to discern a clear vote from the others. Please correct
>> the list.
>
> Votes ?!?
>
> I think byKey and byValue are oddly named, property or not.

Give them better names and convince others. Please don't choose "keys" 
and "values".

> Since you
> asked, I think they should be properties. But I don't care really. What
> I care about is consistency.

Mindless consistency would probably be unnerving too.

> Voting on a case by case basis is just nonsensical. What's needed are
> guidelines and rationales covering how to name things and by extension
> what should and shouldn't be a property. If something needs to be put to
> vote, it should be those guidelines.
>
> I attempted a while ago to write some guidelines on the wiki, feel free
> to use them if they make sense to you.
> <http://prowiki.org/wiki4d/wiki.cgi?DProgrammingGuidelines>

A good outcome of this vote might have been the distillation of some 
simple guidelines, as opposed to enforcing some arbitrary consistency. 
Apparently the participants in this thread are divided regarding general 
rules as well as their applicability to this particular case.


Andrei