Re: Flags for getFile/getDirectory (Re: New draft of FileSystem API posted)

On Tue, 7 Sep 2010, Adam Barth wrote:
> 
> I think the bitfield approach is better.  The current approach doesn't 
> work very well in strongly typed languages.  Although we might think 
> that these APIs will be used most-often from JavaScript, these APIs are 
> language neutral and should work in a variety of settings (e.g., as part 
> of the NPAPI).  Baking in assumptions that APIs are used by dynamically 
> typed language isn't good for the web platform in the long term.

The APIs don't have to be identical in each language. For example, I would 
expect a C++ port of ValidityState:

   http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/complete.html#validitystate

...to be implemented as a bitfield with constants, rather than as an 
object with fields. Should anyone want to implement that interface in such 
a language, then would be a time to provide suitable IDL for that case.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Wednesday, 8 September 2010 03:41:55 UTC