get key from dict with default

[stdweird]

related to discussion in #167

it would be nice if function get (or other function name) could support dicts, eg get(adict['key'], "somedefault") e.g.

"/path" = if (exists(adict['key']) && is_defined(adict['key'])) {
    adict["key"];
} else {
    2;
};

would be replaced by

"/path" = get(adict["key"], 2);

[ned21]

Can't you write this using long path assignment?

'/path/to/akey/key' ?= 'somedefault';

Maybe the enhancement is to allow use of ?= to local variables?

[jouvin]

I am not sure if ?= for local variables (if implementable) really makes sense. As the variable if local, if's generally easy to manage the "default value" for the local variable. It is really different for global variables where many templates can participate in the value definition, without the ability to predict which ones, in which order.

I guess that @stdweird RFE is more for global variables anyway... I agree that it would simplify some templates....

[stdweird]

i propose to rename it to get, if_value is too close to value

[jrha]

I like the idea and I like the name get

[stdweird]

@ned21 any objections?

[jouvin]

As mentioned at LAL workshop, should check if it makes sense to implement it as an extension of value() which does something similar for configuration paths since 10.6 (or .7)?

[ned21]

No objections. The default would only apply if the first arg evaluates to undef.

get(undef, "default"); --> "default"
get(null, "default"); --> null