Add a short discussion of string concatenation to the FAQ. #24487
Conversation
Rationale: even though JuliaLang#11030 was closed, there is discussion of the issue from time to time on Github and the forum; so if any question is frequently asked, this is.
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See also #19643, perhaps link to that discussion also? |
doc/src/manual/faq.md
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| ### Why does Julia use "*" for string concatenation? Why not "+" or something else? | |||
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| The [main argument](@ref man-concatenation) against `+` is that string concatenation is not commutative, while `+` is generally used as a commutative operator. While the Julia community recognizes that other languages use different operators and `*` may be unfamiliar for some users, syntax choices always have a subjective element and further discussions about this operator have not turned out to be productive, so it is not likely to change in the short run. | |||
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The nature of the discussion around the operator is not really relevant here. This reads a bit passive-aggressive to me.
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Sorry about that, English is not my first language. The intent was to convey the idea that the question has been given due consideration.
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I wish something like this had been merged into the docs - my colleague and I were wondering why such an awkward operator was being used for string concatenation, and at least this provides the rationale. I mean, it still doesn't really make sense to me since * is generally used for multiplication which is also a commutative operation (between scalars).
In any case, I think the first sentence of that explanation is great and would make a valuable addition to the docs i.e.
Why does Julia use "*" for string concatenation? Why not "+" or something else?
The [main argument](@ref man-concatenation) against
+is that string concatenation is not commutative, while+is generally used as a commutative operator.
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Maybe I can reword this. In the past year or so, this issue/discussion came up surprisingly rarely, so the FAQ may not need to address that part.
kshyatt
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doc/src/manual/faq.md
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| ``` | |||
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| ### Why does Julia use "*" for string concatenation? Why not "+" or something else? | |||
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You can use code formatting in headings, so maybe update "*" -> `*` and likewise for +?
doc/src/manual/faq.md
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| The [main argument](@ref man-concatenation) against `+` is that string concatenation is not commutative, while `+` is generally used as a commutative operator. While the Julia community recognizes that other languages use different operators and `*` may be unfamiliar for some users, it communicates certain algebraic properties. | ||
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| Note that you can also use `string(...)` to concatenate strings (and other values converted to strings); similarly, `repeat` can be used instead of `^` to repeat strings. The [interpolation syntax](@ref string-interpolation) is also useful for constructing strings. |
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Split up these two lines into multiple ones at around ~92 chars?
Rationale: even though #11030 was closed, there is discussion of the issue from time to time on Github and the forum; so if any question is frequently asked, this is.