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Localize Pattern variables

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg107167] Localize Pattern variables
  • From: István <replicatorzed at gmail.com>
  • Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 06:29:08 -0500 (EST)

Dear Group,

I often write small replacement codes inside (packaged) functions. One
toy model is like this:

In[78]:= func[x_List] := ReplaceAll[x, r_Integer -> r + 100]; r =.;
func@{1, 2, 3, 4}

Out[80]= {101, 102, 103, 104}

In[81]:= r = -100; func@{1, 2, 3, 4}

Out[82]= {0, 0, 0, 0}

What is the best way to localize r in func? Obviously modularizing it
won't solve the matter:

func[x_List] := Module[{r}, ReplaceAll[x, r_Integer -> r + 100]];

produces the very same output. I can also use Block, instead of
Module, which seemingly works, but then consider this version, where r
interferes with an in-Block variable of the same name:

func[x_List] := Block[{r}, r = 12; ReplaceAll[x, r_Integer -> r +
100]];

Of course I can always use RuleDelayed, but what if I don't want to.
The embarrassing thing is that I'm pretty sure that before code
colouring (v6), I missed this intereference quite a few times,
assuming that lhs pattern variables are automatically bound with rhs
ones, with a higher priority than assigning the value of existing
variables of the same name to rhs pattern variables.

How can I restrict (i.e. localize) non-delayed pattern variables to
rules? Why RuleDelayed makes r local but not Rule? Am I missing
something? Is there a general way to deal with this matter?
Thanks

Istvan


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