Re: Long Constant Names

[Barbara Morris <bmorris@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Kurt Anderson wrote:
> 
> What about using Const on a variable for the purpose of exporting a
> variable that cannot be changed by other programs.  That way when you
> define the field for importing, you don't have to type in the value, so
> the field really is a constant, but it's use is to minimize duplication
> of (hard)coding between modules.
> 
> Though it doesn't seem that this functionality (and the coding style
> that goes with it) is all that popular.  But it seems to me like a small
> step toward creating something that could potentially be comparable to a
> class in an OO language.
> 

Good example.  Having an application-global variable that cannot be
modified by importers would be an ok use of export/import.

If the field really is a constant that will never change even in the
exporter, I don't see the benefit of export/import-const over a copy
file with named constants.