Idea: #define usage for functions

[Jofairden]

Currently #define annotations are quite limited, being only applicable at the contract level.
It would be nice to be able to use a #define, rather than supplying a function, simply replacing the code inside other annotations.

Example:

        #define voterId uint256 = voterList[_wallet]; // _wallet is a function parameter
        #define voter Voter = listOfVoters[voterId];

        #if_succeeds "registered the update"
            voter.isActive == _isActive;

Would be translated into

        #if_succeeds "registered the update"
            listOfVoters[voterList[_wallet]].isActive == _isActive;

This would give #define a second purpose for functions and help clean up annotations.

[cd1m0]

Thank you for the suggestion. This is a neat idea. We currently have a #let var := some expression; annotation that can be used inside of a function like a normal local variable. Would you be ok if instead of the #define keyword, we re-used the #let keyword at the function level as well? Honestly I am not sure which is the better option. Just wondering.

[Jofairden]

@cd1m0 I am not up to speed on the interface design of this library, but my thought is that a 'definition' (define) is more clear because it indicates that the user would define X to be Y. In the case of let, it might initially appear to be or behave as a variable.