One more pass on flatMap/mapMulti

[Brian Goetz]

The idea behind "Downstream" is that it represents sending results 
downstream.  Multifunction and mapMulti conjures up the image that I'm 
mapping a single element to an aggregate, which makes people expect 
Function<T,Collection<T>> (or to Stream<T>).  But that's not what's 
going on here.  Instead, you get an element, and you get to send zero or 
more results downstream.  I think "explode" conjures up more an image of 
"send fragments in this direction", which is more like what's going on 
here.



On 1/10/2013 10:45 AM, Tim Peierls wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 10:10 AM, Brian Goetz <brian.goetz at oracle.com
> <mailto:brian.goetz at oracle.com>> wrote:
>
>     One more simplification: we don't really need a custom type SAM for
>     Multifunction.  We can rewrite mapMulti as:
>
>        mapMulti(BiBlock<Downstream<T>__, T>))
>
>     and move the Downstream class declaration to Stream, and
>     XxxMultifunction go away.
>
>     mapMulti is still not a great name.  How about "explode" ?
>
>
> Um, the not-greatness is in the names BiBlock and Downstream. I have the
> vague idea that BiBlock is a void procedure taking 2 arguments, and I
> know you renamed something to Downstream, but the combination of these
> two into the signature above is impenetrable.
>
> mapMulti itself isn't so bad. I can guess at what that might be.
>
> --tim
>