Richard Donovan wrote: > Given that (for example) > > 10 (6 , *)/ 20 30 > 6 200 300 > > ...looks completely counter-intuitive to me, what advantage is there > of using this methodology over the more obvious (to me, anyway!) > > 6, 10*/20 30 > 6 200 300
As Raul indicated, this question moves the topic to a stylistic, rather than mechanical, aspect of phrasing. "Style" here does not mean mere fashion, however. A typical situation where the phrasing Nx (Ny Vs Vt)Ad Nz could be preferred to the other form is where Ny will be identified independently, perhaps during coding, whereas the other nouns will be received at runtime. Insofar as Ny is akin to a constant this allows it to be embedded in functions, especially named verbs. In my slight experience I've regularly found it useful to have one of the outer tines of a fork be a verbalized noun. What is special about the N V V feature is that it removes the need to explicitly convert the noun to a verb. There is no advantage other than the omission of a character or two. That advantage, while merely visual, is noteworthy. J is such a deeply notational language that simplifying a whole class of phrases is a genuine benefit. -- Tracy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
