4 ms·

In my experience as someone whose been writing scala for a couple of years (which also uses val/var), it has 100% never been confusing or a problem.

Cyph0n 9y ago
I second this. Not to mention that you end up using val most of the time in practice, so there really is no confusion.
whateveracct 9y ago
scala-mode2 (which isn't close to an IDE) also highlights vars in red so it's extra hard to get mixed up :)
opportune 9y ago
Yep. I think the names themselves are quite unambiguous to boot. A variable is something that varies in value, meaning it can be changed. A value is always that same value; 5 is never 6. Pretty straightforward if you ask me.
- wapz 9y ago
  I'm guessing the parent is just complaining that if you are reading code very fast (particularly if you're browsing repositories on your phone) it is hard to distinguish between "val" and "var."
  - h1d 9y ago
    Let alone type them wrong on a tired night.
    - thomastjeffery 9y ago
      Thankfully that would be a simple compile-time error. The message might even be readable.
      - darklajid 9y ago
        If you type var and mean val - would there be any error? (I'm sure that this is just something you need to get used to, I'm merely trying to point out that this could be a silent typo/mistake)
        Larrikin 9y ago
        In actuality it will be extremely obvious in the IDE and the developer would not make this error.
        thomastjeffery 9y ago
        if "val" is a constant, and you try to mutate it later, the compiler will tell you, "That ain't gonna happen."
        jpliska 9y ago
        In many cases, you would get warnings when accessing a var that you don't get when accessing a val. Also, IntelliJ suggests converting to val if a var is never reassigned.
        dullgiulio 9y ago
        As others said, not a problem if you are using an IDE (and a specific one.) Considering who authored the language, I am not surprised at all.
    - dnautics 9y ago
      It's even worse when your primary keyboard is Dvorak!

Cyph0n 9y ago

I second this. Not to mention that you end up using val most of the time in practice, so there really is no confusion.

whateveracct 9y ago

scala-mode2 (which isn't close to an IDE) also highlights vars in red so it's extra hard to get mixed up :)

opportune 9y ago

Yep. I think the names themselves are quite unambiguous to boot. A variable is something that varies in value, meaning it can be changed. A value is always that same value; 5 is never 6. Pretty straightforward if you ask me.

wapz 9y ago
I'm guessing the parent is just complaining that if you are reading code very fast (particularly if you're browsing repositories on your phone) it is hard to distinguish between "val" and "var."
- h1d 9y ago
  Let alone type them wrong on a tired night.
  - thomastjeffery 9y ago
    Thankfully that would be a simple compile-time error. The message might even be readable.
    - darklajid 9y ago
      If you type var and mean val - would there be any error? (I'm sure that this is just something you need to get used to, I'm merely trying to point out that this could be a silent typo/mistake)
      - Larrikin 9y ago
        In actuality it will be extremely obvious in the IDE and the developer would not make this error.
      - thomastjeffery 9y ago
        if "val" is a constant, and you try to mutate it later, the compiler will tell you, "That ain't gonna happen."
      - jpliska 9y ago
        In many cases, you would get warnings when accessing a var that you don't get when accessing a val. Also, IntelliJ suggests converting to val if a var is never reassigned.
      - dullgiulio 9y ago
        As others said, not a problem if you are using an IDE (and a specific one.) Considering who authored the language, I am not surprised at all.
  - dnautics 9y ago
    It's even worse when your primary keyboard is Dvorak!