Re: Need a new type of Hold
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg7538] Re: Need a new type of Hold
- From: "David B. Wagner" <dbwagner at princon.com>
- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 03:08:53 -0400 (EDT)
- Organization: Principia Consulting
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Ersek_Ted%PAX1A at mr.nawcad.navy.mil wrote: > > I could use a new type of Hold that is similar to HoldForm. > The difference is I don't want the new Hold to show up in > the FullForm. > > Lets call this new feature HoldTemporary. > The following shows the way I want it to work. > > (*-----------------------------------------*) > > In[1]:= foo=HoldTemporary[z+2+d+a+3] > Out[1]= z+2+d+a+3 > > In[2]:= foo-d+4 > Out[2]= 9+a+z > At first I thought that what you really want to do is define your own addition operator, but then I decided thathat you are trying to do is fundamentally inconsistent with the way Mathematica works (I won't say "impossible", since everytime I say that some smart-aleck figures out a way to do it.) Here's why: in your first output, the 2 and the 3 don't combine. Yet, in the second output, they have combined with the 9. What should happen if I type "foo + b"? Should the result be "z+2+d+a+3+b" or should it be "5+a+d+a+b". Or should it be something else? The fact is, if you want the 2 and 3 to combine, then they should have combined in the first output; if you want the order of the terms to be strictly maintained, then the second output should have been "z+2+d+a+7" (let's assume that it's okay to combine adjacent terms). One or the other, you can't have it both ways. By the way, if it's a non-associative addition operator that you're after, I don't recommend removing the Orderless attribute from Plus, or you'll break a lot of other things. -- Dave Wagner Principia Consulting http://www.princon.com/princon/ Voice: (500) PRN-CPIA or (303) 258-9178 Fax: (303) 258-3859