Change the example on rust-lang.org

[brson]

The current example is too cute - the times method is not well loved. Let's come up with another one. Maybe something that shows more of the language.

[eholk]

Something showing off pattern matching would be cool.

[bstrie]

Here's what I proposed on IRC that met with a favorable response:

/* Rust example blurb, with annotated concepts as each is introduced. */
fn main() {
    // basic for loop, optional parentheses, optional argument list
    for 10.times {
        // do notation, module access, task creation
        do task::spawn {
            // type inference, method access, vector literals
            let items = rand::Rng().shuffle([1, 2, 3]);
            // slightly more advanced for loop, macros, format strings, optional semicolons
            for items.each |e| { io::print(fmt!("%d ", e)) }
        }
    }
}

You should probably take out the comments though (especially without syntax highlighting). And of course you can replace 10.times with iter::repeat(10) if you'd like (though I still prefer the look of .times).

[graydon]

Thanks @bstrie, that's pretty good! With a small tweak to the kind rules to admit static region pointers and slices to the Send kind (as they should be), we can even do this:

fn main() {
    for ["Alice", "Bob", "Carol"].each |n| {
        do task::spawn {
            let v = rand::Rng().shuffle([1, 2, 3]);
            for v.each |e| {
                io::print(fmt!("%s says: '%d'\n", n, e))
            }
        }
    }
}

I think that reads pretty well, flexes a fair number of interesting features.

[bstrie]

Looks good, but how about changing:

io::print(fmt!("%s says: '%d'\n", n, e))

to:

io::println(fmt!("%s says: '%d'", n, e))

[kud1ing]

Nice. I suggest to rename "Rng", though.
Maybe Haskell's "RandomGen" or simply "Generator"?

[bstrie]

@Lenny222 Generator is a bit vague (especially if someone just imports Generator rather than rand::Generator). RandomGen could work, but personally I don't think that Rng is at all ambiguous.

[graydon]

io::println(fmt!("%s says: '%d'", n, e)) interleaves the string and the following \n when writing. Wind up with some non-spaced and some double-spaced lines as the threads race on stdout.

[bstrie]

This is done.

[bstrie]

Actually no, Niko's pointed out that the new code example won't be valid post-demoding. See rust-lang/prev.rust-lang.org#1

[luser]

This code sample doesn't compile for me with a rustc built from master. I get:

$ rustc sample.rs
sample.rs:6:43: 6:47 error: not a sendable value
sample.rs:6          io::print(fmt!("%s says: '%d'\n", name, num))
                                                       ^~~~
note: in expansion of #fmt
sample.rs:6:19: 6:54 note: expansion site
error: aborting due to previous error

[graydon]

Yeah, the changes to enable it are still trickling into master from incoming. I'll bump master.

[graydon]

Still doesn't compile, requires more work on kinds and * on the name, num arguments. Or changing again.

[bstrie]

Because of #3586, I think it makes sense to think of an example that forgoes vec::each entirely. I'd still really like to show off for loops, though.

[brson]

I updated the example to make it build, but agree we should get the let name = *name; line out of there.