Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: CONVENTION: PROVISIONAL: The infix operator for calling ADT-Methods on ADT "objects" is the CircleDot (⊙ in Notebooks). ISSUE: \[CircleDot] is NOT GOOD FOR USE IN IDEs!

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The use of CircleDot as infix for "calling" ADT-Methods on Webel ADT "objects" is provisional:

CircleDot[adt_, fAdt_Symbol] := fAdt[adt];
Example:

i: map1 = ADT$Map[<|"a" -> 1, "b" -> 2|>];

i: map1⊙keys
o: {a,b}

It works okay (not brilliantly) in Notebooks using the slightly inconvenient sequence:

ESC  c . ESC

The ⊙ looks good, and is easy to distinguish from any non-ADT coding. It makes it clear one is working within a particular custom system.

But:

Typing \[CircleDot] in IDEs is completely impractical!
In IDEs you have to then use the regular sequence:

i: keys[map1]
o: {a,b}
The coding style can then get out of sync between the Notebook and the IDE

In a way this is not too bad, as it means you can tell what was coded in the IDE, as opposed to developed temporarily in a Notebook then transferred to the IDE.

Part of the reason that CircleDot was chosen is that it distinguishes the use for Webel ADTs from the user-contributed MTools OO, which uses a regular '.' period. The regular '.' period, while easy to type - and it works well in IDEs - is a dangerous can of worms (and there are some subtle side-effects of its use by MTools).

Dr Darren says:

In case you are wondering why IDE-friendliness matters, developing Wolfram Code libraries on a big complex project in the Wolfram Plug for IntelliJ IDEA is massively better than trying in the built-in .wl or .m file editor.
The Notebooks have some advantages in terms of Expression awareness, and I use them in parallel to test my IDE developed code as I go. They complement each other. I sometimes develop quick test versions of new functions using a prefix 'tmp$' in the Notebook, then transfer it to the IDE once it is basically running, then polish it off in the IDE.
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