[PW-dev] parameter names (dash, underscore, none)

[Stephen A. <ste...@of...>]

Hi,

I continue to work on the next mini-release of the 
Perl Widget Library.  I have incorporated a number
of parameters from style sheets such as "border-style", etc.

Usage looks like this.

$last_name  = $wc->widget(
      -name  => "last_name",
      -widget_class => "Widget::HTML::TextField",
      -size  => 8,                 # from HTML spec
      -maxlength => 18,            # from HTML spec
      -color => "#6666CC",         # from CSS spec
      -font_size => "10px",        # from CSS spec
      -border_style => "solid",    # from CSS spec
      -border_width => "1px",      # from CSS spec
      -border_color => "#6666CC",  # from CSS spec
      -padding => "2px",           # from CSS spec
      -background_color => "#ccffcc",           # from CSS spec
      -font_family => "Verdana, Geneva, Arial", # from CSS spec
      -override => 1,              # increase precedence of options to
"override" from "default"
      -validate => "date",         # "date", "time", "datetime", "enum",
"number", "integer", ":regexp"
   )->html();

However, this presents a stylistic dilemma with parameter names.
If I use "border-style", the syntax would be

$last_name = $wc->widget(
      -border-style => "solid",
)->html();

However, this fails because "-border-style" cannot be a bareword.
I have so far opted to changed dashes in attribute names to underscores.
This is the first option.

Alternatively, the second option is to remove the dash like so.

$last_name = $wc->widget(
      -borderstyle => "solid",
)->html();

Alternatively, the third (and least attractive option to me) is to 
require the programmer to quote the named parameter like so.

$last_name = $wc->widget(
      "-border-style" => "solid",
)->html();

I have chosen option #1.
How do you all feel?

Stephen