F# for Fun and Profit
Expressions and syntax: Introduction
NOTE: Before reading this series, I suggest that you read the “thinking functionally” series as a prerequisite.
In this series we’ll look at how functions and values are combined into expressions, and the different kinds of expressions that are available in F#.
We’ll also look at some other basic topics, such as let bindings, F# syntax, pattern matching, and outputting text with printf.
This series is not meant to be exhaustive or definitive. Much of the syntax and usage of F# should be obvious from the examples, and the MSDN documentation has all the details if you need them. Rather we will just focus on explaining some of the essential areas that might be confusing.
So, we’ll start with some general tips, talk about how let bindings work, and explain the indentation rules.
After that, the next few posts will cover match..with expressions, the imperative control flow expressions, and exception expressions. Computation expressions and object-oriented expressions will be left to later series.
Finally, we’ll finish with some worked examples that use pattern matching as an integral part of their design.
The "Expressions and syntax" series
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Expressions and syntax: Introduction
How to code in F# -
Expressions vs. statements
Why expressions are safer and make better building blocks -
Overview of F# expressions
Control flows, lets, dos, and more -
Binding with let, use, and do
How to use them -
F# syntax: indentation and verbosity
Understanding the offside rule -
Parameter and value naming conventions
a, f, x and friends -
Control flow expressions
And how to avoid using them -
Exceptions
Syntax for throwing and catching -
Match expressions
The workhorse of F# -
Formatted text using printf
Tips and techniques for printing and logging -
Worked example: Parsing command line arguments
Pattern matching in practice -
Worked example: Roman numerals
More pattern matching in practice
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