On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 10:42:58 +0000, Graham Klyne
I hadn't thought about that specifically, but I did think about other similar functions on Map values, and it raises questions of both utility and consistency.
My suggestion comes from a specific and real requirement in some software I'm writing. Because the actual type is abstract (hidden), I can't do it externally to the module, other than by using several function calls to extract, merge, delete and re-insert elements, which doesn't seem desirable.
In this case, I decided to push for the particular function that I knew I wanted, and to not expend energy on other functions whose actual utility was uncertain.
That is sensible, yet you should consider my point of view as maintainer. ;) I'd certainly welcome extension proposals, yet DData has gone through a stabilization process in order to include it into the standard hierachy. Therefore I find it unwise to make modifications to it right before it gets "into production". Cheers, JP.