Functions and procedures

Until Skila I didn’t spot any language that controls whether you read the function result or not. This omission bites me usually twice a year causing a headache — I look and look at the code and everything seems peachy, yet I don’t see expected results. Consider such code:

using (var db = DataContextCreator.Instance.Create())
{
  IQueryable<Offer> offers = db.Offers
                               .Where(offer => offer.Feed.website_Id == (int)website);

  if (ProgramDebug.OfferId.HasValue)
    offers.Where(it => it.offer_Id == ProgramDebug.OfferId.Value);
  else
  {
    if (canBeMarkedAsCompleted)
      offers = offers.Where(offer => offer.offer_DirtyPage == null || !offer.offer_IsDayCompleted);
    else
      offers = offers.Where(offer => offer.offer_DirtyPage == null);
    ...

This code gets the offers and according to some conditions filters them again and again. Do you see a bug? Since you are primed you should have no problems with it, but if you are unaware, tired, this can be a waste of time and nerves.

Thus Skila have procedures, which work like method/function in Java, C#, C++ and so on. It also have functions — the procedures which outcomes have to be read. Having LINQ in Skila, and defining Where as function this bug couldn’t occur.

Note: a function in Skila cannot return void, only procedure can.

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