So I want to have a block with simple optional parameters
PLEASE IGNORE THE ACTUAL BLOCK CODING 
It is just a contrived example to show that one parameter is required but the others are optional
I've come up with a few ways of signalling that the empty slots are optional
What do people think looks the best?
Have you got other ideas on the styling?
Here is my feedback. I like the most the one with , then with { }, then with "options", then with ( ), and I liked the least the one without any clue.
Maybe make the options an input that can be extended with an arrow, and have "options" before the multiple input.
See here about variadic options - this thread is all about just using plain ones and which one looks the best
With four optional inputs, people will forget which is which. So I think labelling them is more important than bracketing them:
make sprite move () [ direction: () turn: () dummy1: () dummy2: () ]
Alternatively, consider a keyword input design, in which the user indicates which input they are supplying:
make sprite move (100) options (list (turn) (45) (dummy2) (87))
Someday we'll have variadic input groups (real soon nowâ„¢) and then you can do the really right thing, which is to have a pulldown menu with the option names followed by a slot for the value.
I can't tell if that's an exaggeration.
I suspect anything that has a trademark sign (â„¢) is exaggerated ;~)
Without deviating into "I wouldn't do it that way I'd do it this way instead - I'd really appreciate feedback on the best (or least objectionable) of the offerings
Thanks in advance
Parentheses look too much like a function call, and brackets too much like an array. So I'd go with braces or "option," leaning toward the latter.
I can't resist one more deviation: If you don't like any of the other ideas, make the option names be the default values for the optional inputs, then instead of checking if (foo ≠()) you could check if (foo ≠(foo)).
P.S. IIRC they use braces for optional inputs in Unix man pages.
So here are the most "popular" options and I've added some variations on those
Also, shown the help screen that goes with them to explain the empty slots to Snappers
Is dropping the options to 2nd line a good idea?
What about the slight greying out of the { } or options label?
@bh - see previous thread over using variable slots and issues with using them
This thread is all about not using them
you forgot these:
I've come up with this as well but even if I could get the slots to line up - I don't think its very good
Maybe kids at certain age, that are the target audience for this kind of block, won't mind as much that this block is an unusually tall one as they would mind not being able to tell which slot is for which purpose in a normally tall one.
I like it. Maybe you can even bracket each line individually.
I didn't explain myself well. This is what I mean:
Users would replace the default input to use an option:
The ... ones aren't bad, but I find the arrowhead ones problematic. The third one is extra bad because it suggests to me that the first input is variadic (I know, that would have arrows both ways, but if I'm a user looking at the block I might not figure that out). The fourth one avoids that trap, but it makes me feel that if I click the arrowhead I'll get more information, like the arrowhead on comments.
ooh - I like that idea (yes I didn't understand the 1st time) - off to have a play with it
@dardoro
I'm with Brian I think.
The 1st ... one looks nice and simple
Just don't like the visual look of the 2nd
And 3rd/4th too confusing as being variadic
but these look OK me (can't really tell that bottom one is greyed so maybe waste of time)
