[fpc-devel] if-then-else expression

[Michael Van Canneyt]

On Tue, 2 Sep 2025, Sven Barth via fpc-devel wrote:

> Hairy Pixels via fpc-devel <fpc-devel at lists.freepascal.org> schrieb am Di.,
> 2. Sep. 2025, 09:50:
>
>> On Sep 1, 2025 at 3:44:17 PM, Nikolay Nikolov via fpc-devel <
>> fpc-devel at lists.freepascal.org> wrote:
>>
>>> You're more likely to see things like:
>>>
>>> a := if x > 10 then 1 else -1;
>>>
>>> instead of
>>>
>>> if x > 10 then
>>>   a := 1
>>> else
>>>
>>>   a := -1;
>>>
>>>
>> Yes I agree but in C-like languages I do use it in function parameters
>> just as often. Still feeling like IfThen if made a real intrinsic would be
>> most readable and Pascal-like. Since this new expression exists now making
>> the intrinsic would be extremely trivial.
>>
>
> It doesn't matter whether it's trivial or not. An IfThen() intrinsic would
> have a different behavior from *any* other function-like element and thus
> would be a bad idea. Thus there will be *no* auch intrinsic.

I don't think this is a good argument:

Write(), Writeln, WriteStr and Str() are also intrinsics with "different
behaviour" from all other function, intrinsic or not:

The : formatting for one, and some arbitrarily limited varargs-like
behaviour for another.

Yet these are firmly entrenched in pascal.

So at least on these grounds, the IfThen() has as much reason for existence as these
"real pascal" functions, in my opinion.

There can be other reasons pro or con, of course.

Michael.