Rules

Declarations order

In a file, the declarations are ordered, from top to bottom. → Declaration comes before the usages.

In a .fsproj, the files are ordered too. → We can import only something previously declared.

Type inference works by proximity: the closest match will be used.

Balance:

• Pros:

  • no cyclic dependencies

  • faster and more predictable compilation

  • code easier to reason about

• Cons:

  • need more coding discipline

Example: we try to use the fn before its declaration:

let result = fn 2
//           ~~ 💥 Error FS0039: The value or constructor 'fn' is not defined.

let fn i = i + 1

Indentation

• In general, indentation is very important for code readability: → It creates visual structures that match the logical structure, the hierarchy.

• The indentation is optional in C♯ because it's the combination of curly braces { } and semi-colons ; that defines the logical blocks. → These characters don't help the readability by themselves. It's the indentation that matters, then the curly braces can help to improve the block visual separation. → More importantly, a code not properly indented can be misinterpreted, that can lead to bugs!

• Indentation in F♯ is required:

  • It's the only way to define code blocks

  • Compiler ensures that the indentation is correct so the reader can really trust the indentation to understand the code structure.

👉 Conclusion: F♯ forces us to do what matters the most for the code readability 👍

Vertical line of indentation

It's a concept a little more tricky, related to how F♯ understands the indentation.

• In general, a block starts in a new line, at a greater indentation level.

• But sometimes a block can start in a middle of a line. In this case, this position defines the expected vertical indentation line.

let f =
   let x=1
   x+1
// ^ Vertical line here

let f = let x=1
        x+1
//      ^ Vertical line here!

There are some exceptions to this rule, for instance with operators. 🔗 F♯ syntax: indentation and verbosity, by Scott Wlaschin | F♯ for fun and profit.

☝️ Indentation rules have been relaxed in F♯ 6.

Recommendations

• In temporary fsx, speed to write code is usually more important than code readability. F♯ allows us some inconsistency and that's fine.

• In fsproj, proper and consistent formatting is important for maintainability. → Use consistently only spaces (no tabulations) → Use the same number of spaces for all indentation level, 4 spaces being idiomatic. The number spaces can vary only to fit the vertical indentation line (see details below). → Avoid naming-sensible indentation a.k.a Vanity Alignment (*) : • They can break compilation after a renaming. • Blocks too far at the right is less readable for a left-to-right language reader. → Use a code formatter like Fantomas to ensure this consistency.

(*) Vanity alignment example:

// 👌 OK
let myLongValueName =
    someExpression
    |> anotherExpression

// ⚠️ To avoid
let myLongValueName = someExpression
                      |> anotherExpression  // 👈 Depend on the length of `myLongValueName`

Attributes

Attributes works like in C# to decorate a class, a method... with little character differences:

Lang	Separated attributes	Merged attributes
C#	[AttributeOne] [SecondAttribute]	[AttributeOne, SecondAttribute
F♯	[<AttributeOne>] [<SecondAttribute>]	[<AttributeOne>; <SecondAttribute>]

Addendum

🔗 F♯ Cheatsheet

🔗 Troubleshooting F♯ - Why won't my code compile?