#17958: implement declare_var, deprecate (None)var
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Reporter: rws | Owner:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: sage-6.6
Component: symbolics | Resolution:
Keywords: | Merged in:
Authors: | Reviewers:
Report Upstream: N/A | Work issues:
Branch: | Commit:
Dependencies: | Stopgaps:
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Comment (by nbruin):
Replying to [comment:24 nbruin]:
> Replying to [comment:23 mmezzarobba]:
> > I doubt you can use sage (and not shoot yourself in the foot on every
possible occasion) without understanding this kind of things at least a
little.
>
> You can do some very simple examples, such as differentiating a
function, plotting one, trying to compute an antiderivative without
understanding the way python names (really, python has "names" in its
namespaces. Variables have other connotations) and SR symbols interact;
sort of the level of "wolfram alpha". We have to give people at that level
at least a way into sage, otherwise they don't even get to shoot
themselves in the foot, experience that as unpleasant and then gain the
motivation to learn how to avoid that in the future.
>
> There's a reason why maple, mathematica, maxima went with their
approach. We can't quite do that, but we have to make the hurdle as low as
possible. I think
> {{{
> var('x')
> }}}
> or
> {{{
> declare_var('x')
> }}}
> are about the best we can do. I think it's a problem they return
something in addition to injecting a binding. If we need to produce
feedback on the action taken, I think printing something would be
preferable (it's a routine that's only meant to be used interactively
anyway), so perhaps:
> {{{
> sage: declare_var('x,y')
> Declaring x, y as symbolic variables
> sage: A=declare_var('z')
> Declaring z as a symbolic variable
> sage: A
> None
> sage: declare_var('w',quiet=True)
> sage:
> }}}
> (where the `quiet` would be the gateway to getting people to use other
ways--perhaps we shouldn't provide that)
>
> I'd be completely OK with `declare_var` being spelled as `var` too. The
main thing is that I think it has been shown that injecting ''as well as''
returning something is harmful, so I hope we can change our interface to
not do that.
--
Ticket URL: <http://trac.sagemath.org/ticket/17958#comment:25>
Sage <http://www.sagemath.org>
Sage: Creating a Viable Open Source Alternative to Magma, Maple, Mathematica,
and MATLAB
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