RE: Passing arguments and pattern matching
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg33826] RE: [mg33792] Passing arguments and pattern matching
- From: "David Park" <djmp at earthlink.net>
- Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 02:27:52 -0400 (EDT)
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Mark,
The first list doesn't contain a list, so the "pattern" does not match. What
you really want is a pattern that consists of all the alternatives in the
second list. So, rewrite your definition this way:
myPattern[lista_List, listb_List] := Position[lista, Alternatives @@ listb]
a = {x, Log[x], y, x y, Log[y] };
b = {x};
myPattern[a, b]
{{1}, {2, 1}, {4, 1}}
myPattern[a, {Log[x]}]
{{2}}
b = {x, Log[x]};
myPattern[a, b]
{{1}, {2, 1}, {2}, {4, 1}}
David Park
djmp at earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/
> From: Coleman, Mark [mailto:mark.coleman at dri-wefa.com]
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
>
> Greetings,
>
> I have a question on pattern matching that I have been struggling
> with. First I'll describe the issue broadly, and then attempt to
> illustrate it with a specific example. My intution is that is a
> relatively simple answer, but I have been unable to find it.
>
> I would like to write a general function that accepts these two
> lists as arguments, i.e., myPattern[a_List,b_List]. The function
> would act something like the built-in Mathematica Postion[]
> pattern function and return the positions of any elements of b
> that occur in List a. This function will be called by other
> functions, so the user will not know in advance the values of
> lists a or b. In my attempts to build this function I have used
> the Position[] function. The difficulty is that Position treats
> the arguments I pass it as 'literal', and not as references to
> what the arguement represents.
>
> For instance, let's say I define two lists as follows:
>
> a = {x, Log[x], y, x y, Log[y] };
> b = {x};
>
> Now say I wish to compute the position of x or various functions
> of x in a, then of course
>
>
> In[24]:= Position[a,x]
>
> Out[24]= {{1},{2,1},{4,1}}
>
> In[26]:= Position[a,Log[x]]
>
> Out[26]= {{2}}
>
> and so on. But now assume I wish to define a function
>
> myPattern[lista_List,listb_List] := Position[lista,listsb]
>
> If I call myPatten[a,b], this is the same as executing
>
>
> In[27]:=Position[a,b]
>
> Out[27]= {}
>
> My question is, how do I have Mathematica treat the second
> argument not as a literal ("b"), but as representing a the value
> of the underlying argument? For instance
>
> myPattern[a,{Log[x]}] would return {{2}}
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>