Re: Issues recommended for closure

> #112: allow $map?function() in place of map:function($map)
>
>Rationale: the original proposal introduced an ambiguity, and subsequent
discussion on the issue did not converge on a proposal that might achieve
consensus

I am against closing #112. Just re-read it and I do not agree with the
provided argumentation for closing the issue. This issue is as actual and
existing as at the time it was raised.

Let's discuss at a meeting.

> #260: array:index-of
>
> Rationale: the proposed function is essentially indistinguishable from
array:index-where

Which is why we shouldn't use any high level programming languages when
there is the assembler language.

Here is the last comment (by Michael Kay) on this issue:

> While I think it's nice to have symmetry between functions on sequences
and functions on arrays wherever possible, fn:index-of() relies on an
equality operator for

> items that is "eq using a supplied or default collation". That operator
doesn't extend naturally to comparison of sequences; we would need to use a
different equality operator.

> (a) it's not obvious what equality operator should be used by default
> (b) if we allowed a user-specified equality test then we would be
replicating array:index-where()
> (c) whatever we chose as a default, it would be different from the
fn:index-of() semantics, which would mean that the apparent similarity of
fn:index-of and array:index-of is misleading and spurious.

Here are my answers to (a), (b), and (c) above:

> (a) it's not obvious what equality operator should be used by default

This would be fn:deep-equal()   (with its "false-on-error" option
correctly  defined as true() by default ). As with any default, the users
have the option to override it. Does this option mean that we should not
have defaults in the first place?

> (b) if we allowed a user-specified equality test then we would be
replicating array:index-where()

Not replicating, just giving the developer a convenient shorthand for an
important and frequent use-case. We have more than one example of providing
such convenience for the developer, so this is in line with this correct
strategy.


> (c) whatever we chose as a default, it would be different from the
fn:index-of() semantics, which would mean that the apparent similarity of
fn:index-of and array:index-of is misleading and spurious.

The standard function fn:index-of() also needs to be expanded with a
comparer argument (as shown many times by users such as Martin Honnen, as
we often need to deal with different kinds of equality, such as value-based
and identity-based equality). And if both  fn:index-of() and
array:index-of() have a comparer() parameter, then it is natural that this
argument can have different defaults in the case of index of a value in a
sequence as compared to the case of index of a member in an array. The fact
that the semantics of a sequence vs. array is different is well-known and
we shouldn't try to hide it or artificially eliminate it.


Thanks,

Dimitre

On Mon, Feb 20, 2023 at 8:17 AM Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com> wrote:

> Could I ask for an agenda item to close the following issues with no
> action, for the reasons stated:
>
> #45 - second parameter of fn:sum must be neutral element
>
> Rationale: this cannot be done while preserving compatibility, and the
> requirement is not strong enough to justify a new function.
>
> #60 - namespace-uri-for-prefix() no longer allows passing a string
>
> Rationale: the new coercion rules mean that a supplied string will be
> down-cast, so there is no compatibility issue - except possibly for the
> error code
>
> #112: allow $map?function() in place of map:function($map)
>
> Rationale: the original proposal introduced an ambiguity, and subsequent
> discussion on the issue did not converge on a proposal that might achieve
> consensus
>
> #147: terse syntax for map entries
>
> Rationale: the discussion showed no signs of converging on a proposal that
> might achieve consensus
>
> #260: array:index-of
>
> Rationale: the proposed function is essentially indistinguishable from
> array:index-where
>
>
> Michael Kay
> Saxonica
>
>
>
>
>
>

-- 
Cheers,
Dimitre Novatchev
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