[erlang-questions] [erlang-patches] add compiler checked atoms

[Richard Carlsson]

On 02/14/2012 09:44 AM, Kenneth Lundin wrote:
> Hi,
> I don't think this is a good way to introduce declared atoms.
> We already have the -type and -spec notation for definition of
> types and function signatures which are then used by Dialyzer for type
> checking.
> I don't think we should introduce yet another notation that is not
> harmonized with -type and -spec.
> It is already possible to declare atoms in -type and -spec. Why not use
> this already present notation and add
> optional checking of atoms against declared atoms inside -type and -spec
> instead.
> With the suggested -atom declaration we will probably get the same atoms
> declared 2 times with different notations and I think that
> will clutter down the code with redundant information to an
> unacceptable degree.

Yes, that is probably a better idea: that any atom occurring in a -type 
and/or -spec declaration is implicitly said to be known, and others are 
not. This would be an incentive for people to define types for things 
like the set of messages to a server or the set of atoms allowed as 
flags to a function (or error codes returned from a function).

The question is, should atoms occurring in -spec declarations be taken 
as implicit "exists"-declarations, or should it only be those in -type? 
If it's only -type that counts, you could get checking of the atoms in 
-spec declarations as well, so you don't spell an atom wrong in the spec 
for one of 3 versions of a function and suddenly that atom is also 
implicitly allowed. I think -type only is the right way.

I'll see if I can change my patch to do this instead.

    /Richard