Re: Returning a local array
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg84226] Re: Returning a local array
- From: Art <grenander at gmail.com>
- Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:04:07 -0500 (EST)
- References: <fjqj9l$6l9$1@smc.vnet.net> <fjr2ra$53j$1@smc.vnet.net>
Hello, thanks for your reply,
On Dec 13, 2:51 am, Albert Retey <a... at arcor.net> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> > I would like to return a local array. The below seems like the wrong
> > way to do it:
>
> > f[] := Module[{h}, h["a"] = 1; h["b"] = 2; h];
> > g = f[];
>
> > I would like g not to be associated with the local variable h, but
> > equivalent to defining it as follows:
>
> > g["a"] = 1; g["b"] = 2;
>
> What is wrong with this approach? While the actual rules are defined as
> Downvalues for h (or, since it is local something like h$456)
> setting g to this h makes things like:
>
> g["a"]
>
> work as (probably) expected. What is your specific problem with this
> approach? The only thing you would probably need is an explicit delete
> to remove the local symbol when not needed anymore, but this is only
> necessary if you really need to avoid "memory leaks"...
For the purely practical reason that ?g display all values for the
array. If g is a reference to the local variable, these values are not
displayed.
I would be surprised if the local variable is not garbage collected
when dereferenced. Is there really a 'memory leak' in this case?
>
> Another thing you could do is to supply the symbol as an argument like:
>
> f[v_]:=(v["a"]=1;v["b"]=2;v)
>
> and then use:
>
> f[g]
>
> If you don't like the syntax, you can make that approach look like the
> other by using UpValues:
>
> f/:(v_=f[]):=(v["a"]=1;v["b"]=2;v)
>
Thanks, I used your first suggestion in addition to SetAttributed[f,
HoldFirst] as Jens-Peer suggested. I am assuming this is how functions
such as AppendTo work.
> > Is it better to work with rules instead? It can become awkward and I
> > would like to avoid it.
>
> > f[] := Module[{h}, h={"a" -> 1, "b" -> 2}; h];
> > g = f[];
> > "a" /. g
>
> This is probably a way which is more often seen in Mathematica code.
> Anyway there are counterexamples and your above strategy for "misusing"
> the pattern matcher to construct data structures is used elsewhere, too,
> and I think I have seen it used even within parts of Mathematica's own
> standard libraries...
>
> Note that you could also define a supporting function which makes the
> access look more familiar:
>
> get[rules_,attr_]:=attr/.rules;
>
> get[g,"a"]
I looked at Maeder's Classes.m which is a more elaborate illustration
of how to do what you suggested. I don't see this kind of code used
very much.
>
> > The specific problem is I am reading the header for a binary file that
> > has 20 or so parameters describing the binary file. I thought this
> > would be the analog of a structure in other languages and a good way
> > to put these parameters in a variable.
>
> actually I think of this as a lookup table, dictionary, hashtable or
> whatever it is called in other languages and use constructs like that
> all the time.
>
> hth,
>
> albert
Thanks,
Art.