Parameter reflection: parameters with "" as their name

[Eric McCorkle]

On 01/24/13 14:40, Jonathan Gibbons wrote:
> On 01/24/2013 11:33 AM, Eric McCorkle wrote:
>> The current version of the spec for parameter reflection, found here:
>>
>> http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~abuckley/8misc.pdf
>>
>> states that if a parameter has no name, then the reflection API should
>> synthesize a name of the form "argN", where N is the index of the
>> parameter.  It also states that if a MethodParameters attribute has a
>> name index of 0, then it indicates a parameter with no name.
>>
>> The question I have is, what if a MethodParameters attribute indicates a
>> name of "" (meaning, the empty string)?  Does this count as a valid
>> name, or should it be treated as a parameter with no name?
>>
>>
>> It is probably also worth thinking about invalid parameter names, for
>> example "10", "_", "+", " ", other whitespace characters, and so on.
> 
> What about name clashes, such as if I choose to name my args "arg3,
> arg2, arg1, arg0"
> 
> Are valid parameter names JVMS identifiers or JLS identifiers?
> 

It bears mention that Java may not be the only language using this
feature.  Lisp (clojure) comes to mind, where names frequently have "-"
in them.  There might also be languages out there where "0" is a valid
identifier.

Also, one could imagine a language with nameless parameters in the style
of C++, or _ in the style of SML.  But I really can't see a compelling
case why "" would be distinct from being unnamed.