F# under the covers XI -- Literal expressions that aren't; attributes that don't

The problem with being unable to attribute just the getter or setter of a property is resolved at the 1.9.9.9 release (February 2010 CTP).

Consider the following simple C# property

	public static FileShare get_Options()
	{
	return (FileShare.Delete | FileShare.Write);
	}

view raw gistfile1.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

This compiles in debug mode to

	.method public hidebysig specialname static valuetype [mscorlib]System.IO.FileShare get_Options() cil managed
	{
	.maxstack 1
	.locals init (
	[0] valuetype [mscorlib]System.IO.FileShare CS$1$0000)
	L_0000: nop
	L_0001: ldc.i4.6
	L_0002: stloc.0
	L_0003: br.s L_0005
	L_0005: ldloc.0
	L_0006: ret
	}

view raw gistfile1.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

which assigns the literal result -- 6 -- of the expression to the temporary that is then returned. The analogous F# method

	static member Options with get() = System.IO.FileShare.Delete ||| System.IO.FileShare.Write
	// or equivalently
	static member Options = System.IO.FileShare.Write ||| System.IO.FileShare.Delete

view raw gistfile1.fs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

compiles to IL which preserves the expression to execute only at run time:

	.method public specialname static valuetype [mscorlib]System.IO.FileShare get_Options() cil managed
	{
	.maxstack 4
	L_0000: nop
	L_0001: ldc.i4.2
	L_0002: ldc.i4.4
	L_0003: or
	L_0004: ret
	}

view raw gistfile1.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

which makes static analysis of the code in the more usually analysed state a rather more complicated business.

Another complicating factor is that while this syntax

	[<...>]
	static member Options = System.IO.FileShare.Write ||| System.IO.FileShare.Delete

view raw gistfile1.fs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

builds, it attaches the attribute (with Method and Constructor usage only) to the property as a whole; and not the generated get_Options method, as in

	[...]
	public static FileShare Options
	{
	get
	{
	return (FileShare.Write | FileShare.Delete);
	}
	}

view raw gistfile1.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

What I'd like to express, and what I've not found a way to express, is

	public static FileShare Options
	{
	[...]
	get
	{
	return (FileShare.Write | FileShare.Delete);
	}
	}

view raw gistfile1.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

and MSDN remains opaque on the subject as well.

This is something I could code around, but I can't yet see a clean way of doing to allow separate attributes on the getters and the setters.

Later: The intended syntax for this option is, much as you might expect, this:

	static member Options
	with [<...>] get() =
	System.IO.FileShare.Write ||| System.IO.FileShare.Delete

view raw gistfile1.fs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

with the necessary insets as shown (to avoid error FS0010: Incomplete structured construct at or before this point in pattern), however on filing a bug report I got confirmation that it is a known issue with the Beta 2 release (aka October 2009 CTP), that this still decorates the property and not just the getter.