I tend to use the following idioms:
- 'beSomething' idiom for cases modifying the receiver.��
- 'asSomething' can or cannot return a new object
- 'newWithSomething' or 'copyWithXx' for cases when I want to make it clear that you would get a new instance

On Sat, Apr 27, 2019, 14:27 ducasse <stepharo@netcourrier.com> wrote:
Hi

I was looking at the API of Color and it is really confusing to me and wrong
For example beOpaque

beOpaque
�� �� �� �� "Set the transparency of the receiver to opaque, i.e. alpha to 1.0."

�� �� �� �� ^ self alpha: 1.0

But

alpha: aFloat
�� �� �� �� "Answer a new Color with the given amount of opacity ('alpha')."

�� �� �� �� ^ self class r: self red g: self green b: self blue alpha: aFloat

Or

adjustBrightness: brightness
�� �� �� �� "Adjust the relative brightness of this color. (lowest value is 0.005 so that hue information is not lost)���

�� �� �� �� but this creates a new color.

I would really like to see how we can improve the fact that reading the method selector should
let us understand whether a message is modifying or not the receiver.

Since many methods such as darker, duller,���. do not show that they return a new instance but actually do it.
May be we can make sure that modifying receiver methods are much better identified as doing so.

beOpaque -> asOpaque
adjustBrightness: -> colorWithBrigthness:

Do you have any better ideas?

Stef