Hmm, maybe a trailing "." is to a primitive whatever a leading "_" is to a number. A number can exist without a leading _, but if one is prefixed, the number takes on a different but related value.
Note also that _ like . can stand alone, and have meaning. Does the role of "-" as a inseparable part of a number have a name in mathematics, or is it always considered a plain old unary operator (albeit with a unusually high precedence)? -Dan Please excuse typos; composed on a handheld device. -----Original Message----- From: Oleg Kobchenko <[email protected]> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:13:24 To: Programming forum<[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Jprogramming] The role of the . in J words I concur, a *trailing* combination of "." and ":" are part of the Token: &. &: &.: for. for_varname. etc In the leading position they play a role of a regular symbol (such as + - etc). > From: Markus Schmidt-Gröttrup <[email protected]> > > The dictionary shows how the fullstop character (.) is used under > Spelling. So B is the answer. > > Markus > > > > Sherlock, Ric schrieb: > > I am working with the maintainer of GeSHi (syntax highlighter used on > > Rosetta > Code) to improve support for J. > > > > As part of that process I'm seeking clarification of the role of the > > fullstop > character (.) as it appears in J words, eg: (do.) (for.) (p.) (p..) (*.) (.) > (.:) (..) > > > > Is the fullstop > > A) a symbol to control language flow, > > B) an integral part of the word, > > C) some other better description? > > > > Or slightly differently: > > Is the fullstop > > A) syntax/punctuation, > > B) spelling, > > C) sometimes one, sometimes the other? > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > > > > > > -- > > Prof. Dr. M. Schmidt-Gröttrup > Hochschule Ulm, > Fakultät Grundlagen > Prittwitzstr. 10, 89075 Ulm > E-Mail: [email protected] > Tel: +49 (0) 731 50 28036 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
