Episode 51: Nextflow strict syntax

In Episode 51 of the Nextflow podcast, Phil Ewels and Ben Sherman discuss Nextflow's upcoming strict syntax - a significant evolution bringing clearer error messages and a more consistent language framework. They explore key changes including the separation of code from declarations, removal of for/while loops in favour of operators, and changes to type annotations. Learn how these improvements lay the groundwork for better developer experiences with features like static type checking and auto-formatting. The episode covers migration timelines, practical steps to prepare, and how these changes will ultimately lead to more robust, maintainable pipeline code. Check out the Nextflow docs for the "Updating Nextflow Syntax" guide to start preparing today.00:00 Podcast Ep51: Strict Syntax00:07 Welcome and introduction01:20 Language server background04:18 Syntax sugar is just empty calories06:50 Bespoke language syntax08:20 To DSL3 or not 2 DSL10:59 Nextflow versioning15:13 Diving into specifics16:08 Mixing statements with script declarations19:19 Better inspect command21:08 Custom Classes23:32 For loops, while and switch26:02 Standard library26:56 Type annotations28:49 addParams32:26 Process script section34:20 Moving into lib/36:36 Configuration syntax41:14 Relieving pressure from the config43:38 Timelines44:55 The gain for the pain47:54 Next steps48:43 Conclusion