On Friday, December 13, 2002, at 04:34 PM, Scott Raney wrote:
Yeah, arrays seem to have something to do with variables in most programming languages. Some languages, though, allow arrays to be full values and not special kinds of variables. Examples are LabView, some dialects of lisp and almost C++ (vectors). I was wishing for and encouraging that kind of thing.This is because you can only pass arrays using *variables*, not as the return value of a function call. In C/C++/Java, trying to do the above where "someFunction" takes a reference would generate a syntax error. MC/RR, being an untyped language, just silently takes the scalar value (which in this case will be empty) if it can't find a variable when it gets to the called function.
I don't think MC/RR is far from that. It seems to be almost there. Maybe it can work like this: The scalar value can be "taken" only when a string is absolutely required. I'm thinking of expressions like 'x & empty' or commands like 'put x into field "A"'. When conversion is not required, then the array--as value--is passed around. This means especially as parameters and as returned values. Just as an internal number can get about and converted to a string as needed, so should an array. This allows folks like me to use a functional programming style without it getting in the way of those who prefer to think of arrays as something to do with variables.
Dar Scott
(causing confusion in the back row)
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