1. Elegant solution
Ive now read all post about this subject, knowing I too was pushing upto the
table of final discussion.
However, what do I notice ? New datatypes, New operators, etc. all really
creative though. But not really relevant.
You all had lots of fun with dots, namespace, recursing, etc. sequence
clients of addreses, etc., etc.
I aksed to add structures to Euphoria. Thats all. I didnt mean to add
everything from C/C++ or Pascal so that structures are (accidently 
possible. Almost all ideas given looked like non-euphoria code. And I
wonder...
(this is a very very short summery of this ideas presented in this mail)
- structures
- are like sequence: however initialized from the beginning, and
provided as types
- constants local to a type
- free to manipulate in any way you want
- arrays
- fixed number of dimensions and optionally a fixed length in each
dimension.
- free to manipulate in any way you want
(arguments and possible issues will be handled as well as the advantages and
disadvantages)
Here's the solution I mentioned before. That introduces merely a new syntax
to define the structure of a sequence and the associating type check
function. So.. what features *do* I add ?
* constants local to a datatype for slicing *
That it. Next to the new way to define the structure of a sequence (with
thus the type check function) this is all we need. They are still recursive.
Its still a sequence.
==>> Its still a sequence. (repeatance) <<==
You can slice it if you want. Use normal indexes on it, if you want, etc.
All normal sequence tricks are available. Except for one new fancy
something.
Slicing this sequence (only when declared as the right structure!) <== it
says structure not type
*can* (however, no obligation) be done using a constant *local* to the
associated structure.
Example:
structure client do
sequence name = ""
integer age = -1
end structure
-- this already issues one problem: by initializing we prevent it from
having to be a sequence containing no initial values (which I would desire,
would steal break you code, rather than quitly set it to some value)
client record1
record1[name] = "Jan" -- a typical dutch name
record1[age] = 18
? client (record1) -- Prints out a 1: 'record1' matches the
type 'client'
? record1[1]
record1 = revers (record1) -- crash! type check failure: age is
declared as an integer, not a sequence --
In other words I can slice and manipulate the sequence as I want, however I
am only allowed to store a legal, matching sequence in 'client'
About the recursiveness of structures vs sequences:
Sequences may contain structures, however those structures are not
type-checked.
Structures may contain sequences, that may contain structures. Such deeply
nested structures are *not* type-checked.
Structures may contain structures, that may contain structures. All of them
are type-checked.
In one line, the soon as something is declared as sequence rather than
structure, the type-check mechanism of structures stops. This is logical. An
exception would be where the sequence had its own type check function that
had some element checked against the type-check function of the structure.
This means we still have all freedom regaring to the data and sequence
manipulators.
* We just have an alternative way to set up a type check and to initialize
the sequence.
* There can now be constants local to a type (a structure works like a type)
However, now I jump over to another point of me:
For an array, using or not using structures, is irrelevant.
For structures, using arrays may be very handy. Example:
client records[20]
Rather than having to do this:
type specific_for_records (object s)
if not (sequence(s) and length(s) = 20) then
return 0
end if
for index = 1 to 20 do
if not client (s[index]) then
return 0
end if
end for
return true
end type
This however shows the only problem I can find with implementing both
structures and arrays like this.
Look at this example code:
integer picture[100][100] = 0
Notice I immidiately initialize it. The reason is obvious. Arrays are a pain
to initialize. Just as structures.
The above would be read like:
[skip type-check function: its as big as the one above]
specific_integer_array_of_100x100 picture
picture = repeat (repeat(0, 100),100)
Like structures, arrays only add an alternative way of declaring the
structure of a sequence.
Its still a sequence. And esspecially for arrays, no changes are needed for
the actual code that uses it.
(for structures neither, but with them you have the choice of using friendly
and logical names)
What are the advantages ?
You just prevented to having to write a long type check function.
A lookup in a predefined array, such as:
my5dpicture[100][100][100][100][100]
Would be as fast as using an atom. Since no clipping checks have to be made.
It can thus insert (preproccess) direct memory addreses to the value into
your code, rather than the memory addres of the variable, and the memory
addreses of the variables containing the slicing index. (in this case 6
lookups could be made into 1)
Normally this is possible as well, if *only* the interpreter could be sure
of the structure of the sequence. (if you are allowed to change it, its
dynamic memory tricks might move parts of the data around)
This 'only' issue I found (which I have mentioned a little while earlier)
is, that with arrays defined of structures, you need not to initialize them.
This might be confusing for some.
Example:
integer my5dpicture[100][100][100] = 0
client records[100] -- structures are self-initialized
For Robert, structures and arrays add more complexicity than this. A
sequence and a structure can 'share' data. (such as sometimes happens now).
However, when the data is changed, the new copy should always be made for
the sequence rather than the structure. (to maintain the same enormous speed
benefit). Other than this (and the changes in the preproccesor), I dont see
much conflicts and consider this to be a reasonably elegant solution, that
does it claims: add structures. But does not add: new syntaxes in variable
addresing, etc.
The last note I want to make, are for the 'variable-length-arrays' (you
would say: thats a sequence!). Its not a sequence in the normal sence. It
still has a *fixed* number of dimensions. Example:
procedure print_debug (integer txt[])
object junk
if platform () = DOS32 then
puts (1, txt)
elsif platform () = WIN32 THEN
junk = message_box (1, "Message", txt) -- might be wrong
end if
end procedure
The point is, this procedure will never fail due to bad arguments. This is
the type check function you would normally need. (but not now, since I
declared: "integer txt[]" )
type flat_integer_sequence (object x)
if not sequence (x) then
return 0
end if
for index = 1 to length(x) do
if not integer(x[index[) then
return 0
end if
end for
return 1
end type
Notice that its longer that the procedure that is suppose to use it ?
So, no type check function maybe ?
What about simply declaring it as a sequence ?
Well, the 'sequence found inside character string' error would occur on both
platforms with misuse of the routine.
This ends up my mail. A short summery:
- structures
- are like sequence: however initialized from the beginning, and
provided as types
- constants local to a type
- free to manipulate in any way you want
- arrays
- fixed number of dimensions and optionally a fixed length in each
dimension.
- free to manipulate in any way you want
Thats it. Now.. can any one find any reason not to add the above features ?
Any reason that is relevant to *this* implementation of structures, rather
than to *other* implementations used in other languages ?
Ralf Nieuwenhuijsen
nieuwen at xs4all.nl
ralf_n at email.com
UIN:// 9389920
2. Re: Elegant solution
Hmmmm..... a nice solution I must say.
BUT, I still want the "dot" syntax. That is, writing "person.name"
instead of "person[name]". This is because the first syntax would make
it totally clear that were dealing with a structure and that were not
meaning something like:
sequence name
const name=1
person[name]....and so on
This makes the code easier to understand and modify later on. At least
that's what I think...
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