[cgiapp] Re: Q: CGI::Application::Dispatch V 2.00_03 (why _p?)

[Mark Stosberg <suppressed>]

On 2006-02-16, Michael Peters <suppressed> wrote:
> 
>> I added a default param to the dispatcher of
>> 
>>     using_dispatcher_p => 1,
>> 
>> ( _p denotes a boolean ). 
>
> Why 'p' for boolean, just out of curiosity?

I wanted a standard suffix for boolean names, and I found one through
the Arsdigita Community System, who got the convention from LISP. When I
just Googled it today, I found out what it really stands for:
"predicate".

Here's one mention of it:
 
 "Of course, no romance is one sunny Perl-filled day after another. When she
 delivered the code, I complained about the lack of data abstraction and told
 her that she needed to reread Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
 (Abelson and Sussman; MIT Press 1997), the textbook for freshman computer
 science at MIT. I also asked her to rename helper procedures that returned
 Boolean values with "_p" ("predicate") suffixes. She replied "People will laugh
 at you for being an old Lisp programmer clinging pathetically to the 1960s" and
 then dumped me."

 From:
 http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/images

I've really appreciated being able identify booleans at a glance and
recommend the practice.

However, I didn't not to use the technique in published CPAN work
because its unconventional.

    Mark


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