CoffeeScript function parentheses

Question

I'm just learning CoffeeScript and I'm trying to do something I would normally do in plain 'ol JavaScript.

Here's what I tried to do:

initializeWebGL = (canvas) ->
    gl = canvas.getContext "webgl" or canvas.getContext "experimental-webgl"

Which compiles to what I kind of expect:

var initializeWebGL;

initializeWebGL = function(canvas) {
  var gl;
  return gl = canvas.getContext("webgl" || canvas.getContext("experimental-webgl"));
};

In order to get what I really want, I have to wrap the getContext arguments with parentheses:

initializeWebGL = (canvas) ->
    gl = canvas.getContext("webgl") or canvas.getContext("experimental-webgl")

Which produces what I want:

var initializeWebGL;

initializeWebGL = function(canvas) {
  var gl;
  return gl = canvas.getContext("webgl") || canvas.getContext("experimental-webgl");
};

Is there a better way to do what I'm trying to achieve than to just add parentheses around the function calls like in the second example?

Answer 1

Is there a better way to do what I'm trying to achieve than to just add parentheses around the function calls like in the second example?

No, I don't think so. My rule of thumb is it's OK to omit parentheses when the function call and its arguments are the last thing on a line, otherwise include them.

OK

someFunction 1, 2, 3

Not OK

someFunction 1, someOtherFunction 2, 3

In general I try to avoid overly-concise, terse statements. They are harder to work with both mentally as well as stepping through in a debugger is trickier.