3 Features of F# Which Lead to Better Code with Paulmichael Blasucci

Clarity of Intent: Three Features of F# Which Lead to Better Code

Source code tends to be read (by humans and machines alike) more often than it is written. So, it makes sense that code should be as clear and direct as possible. In this talk, suitable for all skill levels, we will review three simple features of F# (two of them uncommon in most languages) which can lead to more focused, precise, and readable code. Specifically, we will see how the combination of pattern decomposition, active recognizers, and unit-of-measure annotations dramatically increase the clarity of an author's intentions. In particular, we will see how doing so actually reduces code footprint while increasing maintainability.

About Paulmichael

Paulmichael has been a passionate F# developer since early 2007. He is, in particular, fond of the language's tendency to be pragmatic rather than dogmatic. Professionally, he uses F# as the core of bespoke polyglot solutions to complex business problems. Over the past six years, a “functional-first” methodology has been an important part of his work such diverse industries as high-end electronics, automated stock trading, and entity resolution research. When not working, he may be found answering F# questions on Stack Overflow, hacking on various open-source F# projects (check out http://github.com/pblasucci/), or taking part in discussions on Microsoft's “F# Insiders” mailing list. Over the past two years he has begun blogging and given presentations about his experiences with the language. He is also a co-organizer of the New York City F# Users Group.