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Re: A simple swap function

  • Subject: [mg2151] Re: [mg2132] A simple swap function
  • From: richard at seuss.math.wright.edu (Richard Mercer)
  • Date: Tue, 10 Oct 1995 06:36:40 GMT
  • Approved: usenet@wri.com
  • Distribution: local
  • Newsgroups: wri.mathgroup
  • Organization: Wolfram Research, Inc.
  • Sender: daemon at wri.com ( )

 >   I think I must be missing something straightforward.
>  I want a function to swap the values of 2 lists.  I
>  defined ab={a,b}, and ba={b,a}, and
>  swap[v1_,v2_]:=Module[{temp=v1},v1=v2;v2=temp;], and I
>  get an Iteration limit exceeded error.  When I look at
>  ab, it looks like {Hold[a],Hold[b]} (or maybe
>  {Hold[b],Hold[a], I don't remember), and ba looks
>  opposite.  When I tried to use the same function on
>  numbers, it didn't work either.  What's wrong with what
>  I'm doing, and how can I do what I want to do?

All of this is unnecessary.
Assuming the variables a and b have been assigned values, 

the assignment

{a,b} = {b,a}

works. Try it! I do NOT recommend this if a and b have not been  
assigned values!

If you want to be ultracareful, you could use

swap[v1_Symbol,v2_Symbol]:= 

  If[ValueQ[v1] & ValueQ[v2], {v1,v2} = {v2,v1}];

Richard Mercer


Richard Mercer


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