Re: Functions with optional parameters
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg51937] Re: [mg51886] Functions with optional parameters
- From: Yasvir Tesiram <yat at omrf.ouhsc.edu>
- Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2004 02:18:01 -0500 (EST)
- References: <200411040649.BAA18109@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
G'day,
I hope the following gets you started. Play around with different
patterns and types of patterns in expressions and have a look in the
Mathematica Book in Section 2.1.1 and also in A.5.1. Also look at the
syntax for Sum. Your expression below will not work in Mathematica for
what you want to do.
Clear[f]
f[x_List] := Apply[Plus, x]
f[1, 2, 3, 4]
doesn't do what you want it to do. But,
f[{1, 2, 3, 4}]
f[{{1, 2, 3, 4}, {a, b, c, d}}]
do.
And
Clear[f1]
f1[x_] := Apply[Plus, List[x]]
f1[1, a, 3]
also doesn't do what you want it to do. But,
Clear[f1]
f1[x__] := Apply[Plus, List[x]]
f1[1, a, 3]
f1[{1, 2, 3, 4}, {a, b, c, d}]
does what you expect. There are probably another umpteen ways of
writing this in Mathematica.
Cheers
Yas
On Nov 4, 2004, at 12:49 AM, Gregory Lypny wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> How can I create functions with optional parameters? For example, a
> simple function to add two or three numbers:
>
> addThem[a_,b_,c_]:=If[c is not empty, Sum[a,b,c],Sum[a,b]]
>
> I'm not sure of the proper syntax to test whether c is null or empty.
>
> Greg
- References:
- Functions with optional parameters
- From: Gregory Lypny <gregory.lypny@videotron.ca>
- Functions with optional parameters