[racket-dev] Feature request - contract form that splits provide/contract into two parts

It is critical to inform clients of the services that a module
provides. In the absence of types, contracts are the closest
information we have. Reading the implementation is against 
all good SE ideas. 

IF we could assume that people always programmed in DrRacket, 
we could compromise and add a tool that synthesizes the interface
of a module in some way. Since some contributors break this guideline
all the time anyway, we should have such a tool available anyway. 

BUT there are also people who use Emacs and the other editor. 

So, if you want to be good, put provide contract-out at the top
of your module. 





On Dec 14, 2012, at 1:02 AM, Harry Spier wrote:

> If you place provide/contract at the beginning of a module it makes
> the interface clear but it is separated from its function.  If you
> place it right before its function and not at the top of the module,
> it makes the function clearer but the module interface is not so
> clear.
> 
> Is it possible (would it be a good idea?) to provide a new form that
> splits the provide/contract form into two parts.  One part the
> contract definition which you could place immediately before the
> function definition and the second part a provide spec for inclusion
> in a provide statement that included the function name but not the
> contract spec.) .  That way the contract definition can be by the
> function definition and the function name can be in a provide
> statement at the beginning of the module.
> 
> Harry Spier
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