Implement simpler print syntax: `print("Hello World!")`

[certik]

Proposal: the syntax print("Hello World!") would be equivalent to print *, "Hello World!".

Advantages:

• Easier to type and remember, as well as to explain to newcomers
• Equivalent to Python's syntax
• Possibly with j3-fortran/fortran_proposals#336 one could use f-strings for formatting, thus rarely need the more general Fortran formatting capability

Disadvantages:

• Main problem: ambiguous with current syntax (https://github.com/j3-fortran/fortran_proposals/issues/335#issuecomment-2245615184)
• It's just syntactic sugar (this is an advantage to some)
• Must be weighed against the implicit costs of adding any new feature: https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/cost-of-adding-any-new-feature-to-the-fortran-language/1479

Discussed at:

• https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/why-are-parens-required-around-format-strings/8323/14

[certik]

With j3-fortran/fortran_proposals#336, one could write:

character(:), allocatable :: s, text
integer :: i
real :: a
i=1
a=1.123456789
text="this"
s = f"{i} is an integer, {a:1.2f} is a rounded real and '{text}' is text"
print(s)

Or just:

character(:), allocatable :: text
integer :: i
real :: a
i=1
a=1.123456789
text="this"
print(f"{i} is an integer, {a:1.2f} is a rounded real and '{text}' is text")

[klausler]

This would obviously be ambiguous with current conforming and universally portable syntax.

character(20)::a='("hello")'
print(a)
end

[certik]

@klausler you are right, I forgot. I put a link to your example as the main disadvantage.

[klausler]

F'2023 notwithstanding, I think that it is a horrible thing to try to change the meanings of existing conforming portable programs. Please find another syntax or just stick with print *, ....

[certik]

@klausler I agree, I wasn't trying to change meaning to existing programs. I forgot that you can put parentheses after print, so I thought the parentheses would be enough to disambiguate it. Since this is conflicting with existing syntax, it seems it's not workable.

[oxcrow]

I find print *, "hello world" significantly easier to use (due to using Fortran for few years)

Although, I agree a simpler syntax maybe helpful to some newcomers.

So, yes, it could be a good addition to Fortran.

[mjklemm]

The part about having '{}' as format placeholder could be achieved by this: print '(Some value {}, another value {})', a, b. Still not Python syntax, but close.