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by gruez 899 days ago
How do you feel about java/c++ compiler that give hints like "missing semicolon"? Clearly it knows what's wrong. Why not automagically fix that for you[1]?

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Refe...

2 comments

JavaScript automatic semicolon insertion does a great job most of the time, but still leads to bafflement when code like

    const b = 1
    [1, 2, 3].forEach(console.log)
(from your linked page) does the wrong thing, because both forms (with and without a semicolon) are syntactically valid. I would much rather just always use semicolons (or, like Python, never use them) than have to memorise the 5% of oddball cases where I need to add them manually to resolve ambiguity.
I'd actually love that feature!

We have AI now that can write the entire code for you. Surely it's not much to ask that a compiler, as it parses your code and likely already has high confidence you need a semicolon in a certain spot, can just correct it for you and move on. Maybe have a --fix-errors option to the compiler command line or something.