Should I stop being interested in D language if I don't like to see template instantiation in my code?

[Steven Schveighoffer]

On 11/13/19 9:01 AM, BoQsc wrote:
> I don't like to see exclamation marks in my code in as weird syntax as 
> these ones:
>> to!ushort(args[1])
>> s.formattedRead!"%s!%s:%s"(a, b, c);
> 
> I'm not sure why, but template instantiation syntax is prevalent in the 
> documentation examples of d lang libraries. It almost seems like every 
> other example contains at least one or two  of them.
> 
> It look horrible, and I'm feeling like I'm being forced/coerced to learn 
> from examples that do not provide alternatives to the template 
> instantiation syntax. Even if the alternative examples were provided, 
> why would anyone want to have syntax as ugly and weird as current 
> template instantiation syntax with exclamation point in the middle of 
> the statement with all other things that come with it.
> 

I really encourage you to learn to like templates. They are awesome.

But D of course provides so many tools, you can almost get away with not 
seeing them instantiated.

struct To
{
    import std.conv : to;
    static opDispatch(string s, Args...)(Args args) {
       static if(s.startsWith("_")) // needed for keywords
          return opDispatch!(s[1 .. $])(args);
       else
          mixin("return to!" ~ s ~ "(args);");
    }
}

To._ushort(args[1]); -> translates to to!ushort(args[1]).

But that's a lot of work. Better to just use the library as is. People 
will understand it more.

Note that none other than Andrei himself once proposed changing template 
instantiation syntax (to . instead of !)

-Steve