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Message-ID:  <jpqrt2$vk7$1@dough.gmane.org>
Date:         Sat, 26 May 2012 17:12:34 +0200
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              <LATEX-L@listserv.uni-heidelberg.de>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@listserv.uni-heidelberg.de>
From: Marco Daniel <marco.daniel@MADA-NADA.DE>
Subject: Should l3keys provide a key .initial:n?
To: LATEX-L@listserv.uni-heidelberg.de
Precedence: list
Status: R

Hello,

Today I noticed that there is no key .initial:n. This question popped up 
during writing a small package. Whatever at the moment you have the 
following possibilities to set a key-value-syntax with an initial value:
=======================================================================
%First approach:

\keys_define:nn { module }
  {
   myoption .int_set:N  = \l_modul_myoption_int
  }
\keys_set:nn  { module }
  {
   myoption = 2
  }
\ProcessKeysOptions { module }

=======================================================================
Second approach

\keys_define:nn { module }
  {
   myoption .int_set:N  = \l_modul_myoption_int ,
   myoption .default:n  = 2
  }
\keys_set:nn  { module } { myoption }
\ProcessKeysOptions { module }

=======================================================================

I suggest to define a new key .initial:n so that we have a third approach:

Second approach

\keys_define:nn { module }
  {
   myoption .int_set:N  = \l_modul_myoption_int ,
   myoption .initial:n  = 2
  }
\ProcessKeysOptions { module }

=======================================================================

I hope my question is clear.

Of course the current methods are separating the definition and setting 
of keys. In this way it's clear. However I'd prefer the third approach
to set an initial value immediately after their definition.

What do you think about such a key?

regards
Marco