On Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 9:38 AM, Brent Laabs <bsla...@gmail.com> wrote: > I thought: > $ is Scalar > @ is Array > % is Hash > & is a function >
Reading this https://docs.perl6.org/language/containers I just found out that a @-variable can also contain a List, not just an array: > my @z = () [] > @z.^name Array > my @z := () () > @z.^name List Gabor >> my $x; say $x.VAR.WHAT; > (Scalar) > > A dollar variable is a scalar. The Scalar type is the the container for the > dollar-variables, just like Array is the container for @array and Hash is > the container for %hash. Of course we also have this... >> my &x; &x.VAR.WHAT > (Scalar) > > It turns out functions are stored in Scalar containers as well. In my view > it's a form of syntactic sugar to be able to to use function names without a > sigil in Perl 6. A declared function is just an object; `sub foo {}` is > saved in the current lexical scope as &foo. These function calls are all > equivalent: >> my &x = sub { say "called" }; > sub () { #`(Sub|140204743370112) ... } >> x() > called >> &x() > called >> my $y = &x; $y(); > called > > (Though multi subs would be much more complex to declare this way.) > > > On Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 9:51 PM, Gabor Szabo <szab...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Brad, thanks for your reply. >> I accept your point on not calling $-variables "generic variables", >> but then how do you call them? >> >> The same with the other 3. You described what they do in the same way >> as the documentation does, but >> when you casually speak about them, you know, with friends in bar :-), >> what do you call them then? e.g.: >> >> @a = 23, 14, 49; >> >> Do you say: >> "I assign the list on the right hand side to a variable that does the >> Positional role." ? >> or >> "I assign the list on the right hand side to an array." ? >> or >> "I assign the list on the right hand side to an at-variable." ? >> or >> Something completely different. >> >> Gabor >> >> >> >> On Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 7:21 AM, Brad Gilbert <b2gi...@gmail.com> wrote: >> > @ does the Positional role >> > % does Associative >> > & does Callable >> > $ causes its value to be an item (its values do not flatten into an >> > outer list when you use `flat`) >> > >> > my %hash is SetHash; >> > >> > Array does Positional, and all of its values are itemized >> > >> > We are unlikely to call $ variables "generic" because the word >> > "generic" is too generic. >> > For example Java has generics, and they are not variables. >> > Why muddy the waters by using a word that has many different meanings >> > in different programming languages? >> > >> > On Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 1:21 AM, Richard Hainsworth >> > <rnhainswo...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> It also seems to me that 'scalar' gives the wrong impression compared >> >> to >> >> arrays. A scalar in a vector is a component of a vector. >> >> >> >> I was thinking of "generic". >> >> >> >> Hence "$variable" is a generic variable because it can hold any type of >> >> content. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Friday, June 09, 2017 02:10 PM, Gabor Szabo wrote: >> >>> >> >>> Looking at https://docs.perl6.org/language/variables there are 4 >> >>> variable types with sigil: $, @, %, &. >> >>> In Perl 5 I used to call them scalar, array, hash, and function >> >>> respectively, even if the scalar variable had a reference to an array >> >>> in it. >> >>> >> >>> How do you call them in Perl 6? >> >>> >> >>> As I understand @ always holds an array (@.^name is always Array or >> >>> some Array[type]). Similarly % always holds a hash and & is always a >> >>> function or a method. >> >>> So calling them array, hash, and function sounds good. >> >>> >> >>> However I am not sure what to call the variables with a $ sigil? >> >>> Should they be called "scalars"? Wouldn't that case confusion as there >> >>> is also a container-type called Scalar. >> >>> >> >>> The word "scalar" appears twice in the document describing the >> >>> variables: https://docs.perl6.org/language/variables and a total of >> >>> 135 in the whole doc including the 5to6 documents and the document >> >>> describing the Scalar type. >> >>> The document describing the Scalar type: >> >>> https://docs.perl6.org/type/Scalar the term "$-sigiled variable" is >> >>> used which seems to be a bit long for general use. >> >>> >> >>> So I wonder how do *you* call them? >> >>> >> >>> Gabor > >
