Pretty please: Named arguments

[Bekenn]

On 2/28/11 1:38 PM, Don wrote:
> 1. It makes parameter names part of the API.

I wrote earlier that this would probably be the first time parameter 
names "leaked" into user code, but I was wrong.  Jacob Carlborg has 
pointed out his library implementation of this feature:

http://dsource.org/projects/orange/browser/orange/util/Reflection.d#L135

If you look through his implementation, you'll see that it uses the 
.stringof property to extract parameter names from the function 
definition.  In essence, parameter names are /already/ part of the API, 
because code can be written that depends on them.  And the fact that a 
library implementation exists specifically to facilitate the use of 
named arguments implies that code already /has/ been written that 
depends on parameter names.

Like it or not, parameter names are already part of the API.  Adding 
named arguments as a language feature doesn't change that.