byKey and byValue: properties or methods?

[torhu]

On 19.01.2012 18:19, torhu wrote:
> On 17.01.2012 07:48, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
>>  I hate I must ask this:
>>
>>  int[string] aa;
>>  foreach (k; aa.byKey) { ... }
>>
>>  or
>>
>>  int[string] aa;
>>  foreach (k; aa.byKey()) { ... }
>>
>
> For it to be a property, I think you should be able to simplify this
> example:
>
> ---
> auto k = aa.byKey;
> writeln(k.front);
> k.popFront();
> writeln(k.front);
> ---
>
> to this:
>
> ---
> writeln(k.byKey.front);
> k.byKey.popFront();
> writeln(k.byKey.front);
> ---
>
> and get the same result.  But my understanding is that you wouldn't, in
> which case byKey doesn't sense to me as a property.  It creates and
> returns a new range object each time you call it, right?

Sorry, I meant this for the second example:

---
writeln(aa.byKey.front);
aa.byKey.popFront();
writeln(aa.byKey.front);
---