Re: [gwl-devel] variable interpolation in code snippets

[Ricardo Wurmus]

Hi simon,

> It improves the readibilty.
> However, does the keyword `list` is mandatory ?

Unfortunately it is mandatory.  Previously, I tried to give the record
field a “smart constructor” that takes either one value (a list or a let
binding resulting in a list) or — for convenience – multiple values that
are then turned into a list.

With the Guix-style records this does not seem to be possible.  If we
want to make this work we’d have to use our own extended records or
maybe switch to GOOPS.  GOOPS offers virtual slots that can have
slot-ref and slot-set! procedures, which would handle the conversion
transparently.  I think this would be a good way forward — and it would
decouple the GWL from the Guix version in use, because those extended
record are really made for Guix and may not forever match the needs of
the GWL.

> With the renaming scheme that I proposed:
>  - inputs -becomes-> packages
>  - data-inputs -becomes-> inputs
>  - outputs -becomes-> outputs

I still agree with these changes.  We’d only need to find a way to
support the old syntax for a while to allow for migrating existing
workflows (AFAIK that’s really just Roel’s workflows, but it better to
gradually deprecate the previous syntax).

--
Ricardo