Re: Syntax: lyric_mode_music might be a MUSIC_FUNCTION (issue 343820043 by address@hidden)

[dak]

On 2018/04/25 08:36:05, dak wrote:

> We don't state "please don't use that syntax in the following way or
LilyPond
> will be silently confused into producing nonsense" in other respects
so it is
> irrelevant that LilyPond can parse _some_ input correctly with that
change and
> will "only" get confused about other input.

To wit: to do this correctly, one would need to define a production for
a special kind of music function call that ends in a manner not
requiring lookahead, like a braced music list and/or \default.
Extending that set further would yield diminishing returns since it
would become increasingly harder to document what may and may not work.

It would still mean that one would need to document why music functions
in this location only accept specific kinds of arguments.  So it would
be quite more work than you imagine to cover only reliably recognizable
constructs in the parser, and it would be a puzzler to document as well,
for a comparatively small actual gain.

That's the reason for the decision to draw the line here for me and
document the restriction in the comment.

Feel free to draw the line differently, but then you also need to do all
the work necessary for redrawing the line.  It's a whole lot more than
you appear to think, and your unwillingness to believe me in regard to
statements about the parser I make does not bode particularly well for
the prospect of acquiring the necessary expertise for implementing such
a change.

It's certainly a good idea to question authority, but considering that
significantly more than half of the parser code is now attributed to me
and basically all of the music function handling, it stands to reason
that there might be a point to statements I make either in comments or
on the mailing list and you might want to double-check before dismissing
them.

https://codereview.appspot.com/343820043/