[erlang-questions] Parameterized module initialization

[Ulf Wiger]

On 28 Jun 2012, at 13:17, Loïc Hoguin wrote:

> But I'm not talking about the result. I'm talking about how the same code can call different arities depending on the contents of a variable. Var:func() doesn't always call a function of arity 0, as you'd read it instinctively, you need to look elsewhere to be sure of what is really happening. The syntax Var:func() has two meanings instead of just the one we expect.

Sure, but with the gen_server, it's just a layer of indirection or two,
and then you have the same problem.

In the first step, it's easy enough:

I call an API function, which (normally) immediately maps to 
a call to gen_server:call(Server, Req).

How do I know which code Server will end up calling?

Well, by convention, we keep the corresponding handle_call()
in the same module. Otherwise, I'd have to try to resolve it, perhaps
at runtime, or through a wider code search, to figure out which 
callback Server actually uses.

Once I've found the right handle_call(), I still have to pattern-match
mentally on the arguments to find the right clause. *Then*, I know
which code actually gets called as a result of my initial operation.

The fact that you can't easily pair sends with receives in Erlang code
without resorting to convention is a problem, but convention is not
to be knocked, of course. That we *can* easily map function calls
is a feature, and a very good one. It isn't obvious that we should 
add language features that start eroding this feature.

(In that sense I agree with you, of course. I think this dialogue is 
mainly an exercise in drilling down to the core arguments.)

BR,
Ulf W

Ulf Wiger, Co-founder & Developer Advocate, Feuerlabs Inc.
http://feuerlabs.com