Re: [Caml-list] Stdlib

[Jacques Garrigue <garrigue@math.nagoya-u.ac.jp>]

From: Jonathan Bryant <jtbryant@valdosta.edu>

> On another note, I would love to do this other project in OCaml, but it
> is OpenGL intensive (read: based) and LablGL drives me nuts.  The named
> argument thing drives me up the wall because it's more information that
> I don't want to have to learn and internalize.  If the author of that
> package reads this list, then I apologize.  You've done a fantastic job
> of mapping the API, but I really do not like the OCaml syntax for both
> Labeled and Optional arguments in general.  Does anyone know of an
> OpenGL package that is /complete/ and /not/ labeled? 

Well, you're entitled to your own opinion.
A few years ago we had a few discussions on this list that were worse
than that.
Yet, a result of these discussions is that labeled arguments are much
less intrusive than before.
The explanation is in the tutorial part of the manual. Namely:

   As an exception to the above parameter matching rules, if an
   application is total, labels may be omitted. In practice, most
   applications are total, so that labels can be omitted in
   applications.

That is, you don't have to write labels in your code.
At least not for non-optional arguments.
Optional arguments still require a label.

The examples going with lablGL are heavily labelled, but you are not
forced to write it that way. As another example, GlDraw.vertex takes
labeled and optional arguments, but you can also use
GlDraw.vertex[234] which take tuples.

So I'd suggest you try to use it without labels.
And maybe later you will realize that, when reading your code later
on, your prefer to have labels. Or maybe your opinion won't change
anyway...

On the other hand, I don't know whether lablGL qualifies as complete,
as it only implements openGL 1.2, without extensions.

Jacques Garrigue