Deconvolute Macro Definition and Macro Usage #23
Description
Discussed in the MEDFORD meeting on 02/07/2025.
The issue is as follows:
During the discussion about whether leading whitespaces should be allowed, we encountered the following MEDFORD block:
`@Macro1 ping
`@Macro2 pong
`@Macro1 pong
According to existing tests, this was meant to resolve into:
pong ping pong
However, since leading whitespaces were being stripped, the second line of Macro2 became a novel macro definition line of its own instead and re-defined Macro1. (Which, also, is invalid and should result in an error.) After a discussion about the whitespace requirement, we decided that macro usage and macro definition must have different syntax. This issue should be updated with propositions for novel syntax, and we will provide this syntax to potential users (or persons representative of potential users) to see which are the most popular and most understandable.