Regular Nix user here, I agree with your points regarding the language's peculiarities, and adding on a few points:
> 1. Where does the semicolon go? Reading code makes it feel arbitrary, but really the only time a semicolon is used is to terminate an assignment (=). If there are no equal signs, then you don't need any semicolons.
The semicolon is also required when using with expressions (i.e. augments the environment of an expression like let, but confusingly doesn't shadow let bindings)
nix-repl> with { a = 3; }; a
3
nix-repl> let a = 5; in with { a = 3; }; a
5 # ??????
> it it doesn't quickly jump out at you that ${VAR} are being templated in by nix
One situation I've run into is how to quote ${ in a multiline string, and the solution is to write ''${ :
nix-repl> '' ''${ ''
"${ "
> The documentation is fairly decent, but when trying to figure out how do something, you are basically hunting in that code base.
This is very much true, essentially Nix and its ecosystem is a big instance of Hyrum's Law[0] whereby people go with what they actually observe rather than what should be according to the spec (if it exists).
Well, you recognized the gotcha, but there are people who don't, they inserted a bug into nixpkgs, then someone else fixed it not realizing its genesis. There is a lot of spaghetti code in nixpkgs caused by misunderstanding of `with`
> 1. Where does the semicolon go? Reading code makes it feel arbitrary, but really the only time a semicolon is used is to terminate an assignment (=). If there are no equal signs, then you don't need any semicolons.
The semicolon is also required when using with expressions (i.e. augments the environment of an expression like let, but confusingly doesn't shadow let bindings)
> it it doesn't quickly jump out at you that ${VAR} are being templated in by nixOne situation I've run into is how to quote ${ in a multiline string, and the solution is to write ''${ :
> The documentation is fairly decent, but when trying to figure out how do something, you are basically hunting in that code base.This is very much true, essentially Nix and its ecosystem is a big instance of Hyrum's Law[0] whereby people go with what they actually observe rather than what should be according to the spec (if it exists).
[0] https://www.hyrumslaw.com/