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Re: Can't assign value to symbols

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg58444] Re: [mg58409] Can't assign value to symbols
• From: Lee Newman <leenewm at umich.edu>
• Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 04:07:05 -0400 (EDT)
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Thanks for the solutions.  I'm running with David Park's solution, but 
now realize there is one additional problem.  Once I've executed the 
statement  MapThread[(#1 = #2) & , {parameters[[1]], parameters[[3]]}] , 
because I've specified the first row of "parameters" as symbols, this 
row now loses the symbol names and takes on the assigned values, such 
that my attempt to execute the MapThread Statement again for a different 
set of values, e.g. parameters[[2]], fails.

in: MapThread[(#1 = #2) & , {parameters[[1]], parameters[[3]]}] ;
in: {a,b,c}
Out: {4,5,6}
in: MapThread[(#1 = #2) & , {parameters[[1]], parameters[[2]]}] ;
out:  Set:: setraw : Cannot assign to raw object 4 ...  etc

I want to preserve the first row of "parameters" as the symbol names, so 
one solution is to use strings, and modify David Park's solution to turn 
the strings into symbol names when assigned, This works the first time 
it is run, and parameters[[1]] still contains the strings, but ut still 
fails the second time.  but why?
in:  parameters = {{"a", "b", "c"}, {1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}, {7, 8, 9}};
in:  MapThread[(#1 = #2) & , {ToExpression /@ parameters[[1]], 
parameters[[3]]}] ;
in:  {a,b,c}
out {4,5,6}
in:  MapThread[(#1 = #2) & , {ToExpression /@ parameters[[1]], 
parameters[[3]]}] ;
out:   Set:: setraw : Cannot assign to raw object 4 ...  etc

why does the MapThread statement fail the second time?  It seems 
ToExpression/@parameters[[1]] converts the strings "a", "b", "c" to 
symbols but then evaluates them prior to returning them, so the attempt 
to assign to them in MapThread fails.

How can I modify the MapThread statement so I can call it multiple 
times, each time assigning values to the symbols identified by the 
strings in the first row??

Lee



David Park wrote:
> Lee,
> 
> Set (=) has a higher precedence Than Function (&). So all you have to do is
> add parentheses.
> 
> parameters = {{a, b, c}, {1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}, {7, 8, 9}};
> 
> MapThread[(#1 = #2) & , {parameters[[1]], parameters[[3]]}]
> {4, 5, 6}
> 
> David Park
> djmp at earthlink.net
> http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/
> 
> From: Lee Newman [mailto:leenewm at umich.edu]
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
> 
> 
> Hello,
> 
> Situation:  I have a table that contains parameters and sets of values
> that I want to assign to the parameters for the purposes of running a
> simulation.
> - parameters = {{a,b,c},{1,2,3},{4,5,6},{7,8,9}}
> - want to assign values in a given row to the symbols listed in the
> first row.
> - tried using:  MapThread[  #1 = #2 &, {parameters[[1]], parameters[[3]]} ]
> - fails with error  "Tag Slot in #1 is Protected"
> - tried adding Unprotect[#1] and a variety of other attemps, but can't
> get it to work.
> 
> Anyone know how might accomplish this?
> 
> Thanks,
> Lee
> 
> 

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: Re: Can't assign value to symbols
    • From: Andrzej Kozlowski <akozlowski@gmail.com>