Re: Programming
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg2830] Re: [mg2819] Programming
- From: Preston Nichols <nichols at godel.math.cmu.edu>
- Date: Sat, 23 Dec 1995 03:18:13 -0500
Jack Goldberg writes: "When BuiltIn fails I want to try MyOperation[expr_], but ONLY if BuiltIn fails!" Jack, This sounds like a job for If: ?If If[condition, t, f] gives t if condition evaluates to True, and f if it evaluates to False. If[condition, t, f, u] gives u if condition evaluates to neither True nor False. Something like the following should do the job: ExtendedBuiltIn[args___] := If[ Head[ resultOfBuiltIn=BuiltIn[args] ] =!= BuiltIn, resultOfBuiltIn, MyOperation[args] ] This detects whether BuiltIn fails by having it execute and return its result to the test in the first argument of If. "Failure of BuiltIn" is defined to be when BuiltIn[args] returns an expression with BuiltIn as its head. (Is this criterion for "failure" (equivalent to) the one you need?) Placing the assignment to resultOfBuiltIn inside the test makes it possible for Mathematica to evaluate BuiltIn[args] only once. If you want your extension of BuiltIn to be more invisible, Unprotect[BuiltIn]; BuiltIn[args___] := If[ Head[ resultOfBuiltIn=BuiltIn[args] ] =!= BuiltIn, resultOfBuiltIn, MyOperation[args] ] Protect[BuiltIn]; Modifying built-in commands is generally rather risky, but I think something like this should be pretty safe. Preston Nichols Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics Carnegie Mellon University (Seeking employment for Fall, 1996) ------------------------------------------------------------- >From: Jack Goldberg <jackgold at umich.edu> >To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net >Subject: [mg2819] Programming >Organization: University of Michigan - College of Literature, >Science, and TheArts Hi Group; Here is my problem: Suppose BuiltIn[expr_] is an operation either native to Mma or an operation appearing in some complicated, lengthly package. Suppose that BuiltIn does not always work. (An example might be Integrate which fails to find the anti-derivative Integrate[1/(1+Log[x]),x].) When BuiltIn fails I want to try MyOperation[expr_], but ONLY if BuiltIn fails! Interactively, this is trivial. Whenever BuiltIn fails, I recognize the failure because Mma echos the Input in the Output. (The output of Integrate[1/(1+Log[x]),x] is itself.) I then apply MyOperation[expr_]. But how does one code this so that Mma will do MyOperation automatically? That is, I want a snippet of code that determines the failure of BuiltIn and then applies MyOperation. (In my illustrative example, suppose I have written a general change of variable routine. I want this routine to go in effect whenever Integrate returns unsimplified. For the example given u = Log[x] converts the integral into one recognizable by Mma. So my code will recognize the fail and call "change of variable" without my intervention. Let me make clear that the integration example is only an illustration of the problem, not the reason for this posting.) Jack Goldberg University of Michigan