[ANSI-Smalltalk] Re: A list of interesting methods, ifNotNil:

[Paolo Bonzini]

>> It is also ironic that I find these names
>>
>>> 1)  >>isNil: a0block    (^self isNil ifTrue: [a0block value] ifFalse: [self])
>>> 2)  >>notNil: a0block   (^self isNil ifTrue: [nil] ifFalse: [a0block value])
>>> 3)  >>nonNil: a1block   (^self isNil ifTrue: [nil] ifFalse: [a1block value: self])
>>> 4)  >>orIfNil: a0block  (^self isNil ifTrue: [a0block value] ifFalse: [self])
>> to be totally non-intention revealing except the fourth -- the only one
>> which includes "If" in its name.
> 
> ( Curiousity strikes.  Is it a collision
>   of multiples, or no discernable meaning
>   at all, when you read those (my) selectors?
> )

#orIfNil: is clear: return this object or, if it is nil, the block.
(See the English compared with the keyword?  That's the number-1 feature
of the Smalltalk grammar for me.  As a non-native speaker, it is a
perfect balance between human and machine parsability).

The others seem either grammatically incorrect (#isNil: because the
sentence is terminated after "X is Y") or indistinguishable
(#notNil:/nonNil: which is another point in favor of variable-arity
blocks...).

Actually are #isNil: and #orIfNil: meant to be exactly the same?

Thanks for the interesting answer (though I snipped most of it).

Paolo