> >>>>> "mk" == Marcin 'Qrczak' Kowalczyk <qrczak@knm.org.pl> writes:
> 
>     mk> The only consistent syntax would be "!x <-
>     mk> new_contents_of_x". Note that the revised syntax uses "x.val
>     mk> <- new_contents_of_x", with x.val being equivalent to old !x
>     mk> on both sides of <- and without the need of any magic syntax
>     mk> for references in addition to what is available anyway for
>     mk> mutable fields.
> 
> Of course, in the standard syntax you can write "x.contents <- 1" in
> the same way.  Though that's quite a bit more verbose.
> 
> John.

This is already possible in the current version of Objective Caml.

        Objective Caml version 3.00

# let x = ref 2;;
val x : int ref = {contents=2}
# x.contents;;
- : int = 2
# x.contents <- 1;;
- : unit = ()

If you don't like operators ! and :=, just don't use them, and use the
regular filed acces instead!

Merry Christmas,

Pierre Weis

INRIA, Projet Cristal, Pierre.Weis@inria.fr, http://pauillac.inria.fr/~weis/