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diff --git a/docs/spec/evaluate.html b/docs/spec/evaluate.html index 1df68613..bfe9cbef 100644 --- a/docs/spec/evaluate.html +++ b/docs/spec/evaluate.html @@ -9,11 +9,11 @@ <p>Here we assume that the referent of each identifier, or equivalently the connections between identifiers, have been identified according to the <a href="scope.html">scoping rules</a>.</p> <h3 id="programs-and-blocks">Programs and blocks</h3> <p>The result of parsing a valid BQN program is a <code><span class='Function'>PROGRAM</span></code>, and the program is run by evaluating this term.</p> -<p>A <code><span class='Function'>PROGRAM</span></code> or <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> is a list of <code><span class='Function'>STMT</span></code>s (for <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code>, the last must be an <code><span class='Function'>EXPR</span></code>, a particular kind of <code><span class='Function'>STMT</span></code>), which are evaluated in program order. The statement <code><span class='Value'>nothing</span></code> does nothing when evaluated, while <code><span class='Function'>EXPR</span></code> evaluates some APL code and possibly assigns the results, as described below.</p> +<p>A <code><span class='Function'>PROGRAM</span></code> or <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> is a list of <code><span class='Function'>STMT</span></code>s (for <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code>, the last must be an <code><span class='Function'>EXPR</span></code>, a particular kind of <code><span class='Function'>STMT</span></code>), which are evaluated in program order. The statement <code><span class='Function'>EXPR</span></code> evaluates some APL code and possibly assigns the results, while <code><span class='Value'>nothing</span></code> evaluates any <code><span class='Value'>subject</span></code> or <code><span class='Function'>Derv</span></code> terms it contains but discards the results.</p> <p>A block consists of several <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> terms, some of which may have an accompanying header describing accepted inputs and how they are processed. An immediate block <code><span class='Value'>brImm</span></code> can only have one <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code>, and is evaluated by evaluating the code in it. Other types of blocks do not evaluate any <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> immediately, but instead return a function or modifier that obtains its result by evaluating a particular <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code>. The <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> is identified and evaluated once the block has received enough inputs (operands or arguments), which for modifiers can take one or two calls: if two calls are required, then on the first call the operands are simply stored and no code is evaluated yet. Two calls are required if there is more than one <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> term, if the <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> contains the special names <code><span class='Value'>๐จ๐ฉ๐ค</span><span class='Function'>๐๐๐</span></code>, or if its header specifies arguments (the header-body combination is a <code><span class='Modifier'>_mCase</span></code> or <code><span class='Modifier2'>_cCase_</span></code>). Otherwise only one is required.</p> <p>To evaluate a block when enough inputs have been received, first the correct case must be identified. To do this, first each special case (<code><span class='Function'>FCase</span></code>, <code><span class='Modifier'>_mCase</span></code>, or <code><span class='Modifier2'>_cCase_</span></code>) is checked in order to see if its arguments are strucurally compatible with the given arguments. That is, is <code><span class='Value'>headW</span></code> is a <code><span class='Value'>subject</span></code>, there must be a left argument matching that structure, and if <code><span class='Value'>headX</span></code> is a <code><span class='Value'>subject</span></code>, the right argument must match that structure. This means that <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> not only matches any left argument but also no argument. The test for compatibility is the same as for multiple assignment described below, except that the header may contain constants, which must match the corresponding part of the given argument.If no special case matches, then an appropriate general case (<code><span class='Function'>FMain</span></code>, <code><span class='Modifier'>_mMain</span></code>, or <code><span class='Modifier2'>_cMain_</span></code>) is used: if there are two, the first is used with no left argument and the second with a left argument; if there are one, it is always used, and if there are none, an error results.</p> <p>The only remaining step before evaluating the <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> is to bind the inputs and other names. Special names are always bound when applicable: <code><span class='Value'>๐จ๐ฉ๐ค</span></code> if arguments are used, <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> if there is a left argument, <code><span class='Value'>๐๐</span></code> if operands are used, and <code><span class='Modifier'>_๐ฃ</span></code> and <code><span class='Modifier2'>_๐ฃ_</span></code> for modifiers and combinators, respectively. Any names in the header are also bound, allowing multiple assignment for arguments.</p> -<p>If there is no left argument, but the <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> contains <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> at the top level, then it is conceptually re-parsed with <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> replaced by <code><span class='Nothing'>ยท</span></code> to give a monadic version before application. As the only effect when this re-parsed form is valid is to change some instances of <code><span class='Value'>arg</span></code> to <code><span class='Value'>nothing</span></code>, this can be achieved efficiently by annotating parts of the AST that depend on <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> as conditionally-nothing. However, it also causes an error if <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> is used as an operand or list element, where <code><span class='Value'>nothing</span></code> is not allowed by the grammar.</p> +<p>If there is no left argument, but the <code><span class='Function'>BODY</span></code> contains <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> at the top level, then it is conceptually re-parsed with <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> replaced by <code><span class='Nothing'>ยท</span></code> to give a monadic version before application; this modifies the syntax tree by replacing some instances of <code><span class='Value'>arg</span></code> with <code><span class='Value'>nothing</span></code>. However, it also causes an error if, in a function that is called with no left argument, <code><span class='Value'>๐จ</span></code> is used as an operand or list element, where <code><span class='Value'>nothing</span></code> is not allowed by the grammar. The same effect can also be achieved dynamically by treating <code><span class='Nothing'>ยท</span></code> as a value and checking for it during execution. If it is used as a left argument, then the function should instead be called with no left argument (and similarly in trains); it it is used as a right argument, then the function and its left argument are evaluated but rather than calling the function <code><span class='Nothing'>ยท</span></code> is "returned" immediately; and if it is used in another context then it causes an error.</p> <h3 id="assignment">Assignment</h3> <p>An <em>assignment</em> is one of the four rules containing <code><span class='Function'>ASGN</span></code>. It is evaluated by first evaluating the right-hand-side <code><span class='Value'>subExpr</span></code>, <code><span class='Function'>FuncExpr</span></code>, <code><span class='Modifier'>_m1Expr</span></code>, or <code><span class='Modifier2'>_m2Exp_</span></code> expression, and then storing the result in the left-hand-side identifier or identifiers. The result of the assignment expression is the result of its right-hand side. Except for subjects, only a lone identifier is allowed on the left-hand side and storage sets it equal to the result. For subjects, <em>multiple assignment</em> with a list left-hand side is also allowed. Multiple assignment is performed recursively by assigning right-hand-side values to the left-hand-side targets, with single-identifier (<code><span class='Value'>s</span></code>) assignment as the base case. When matching the right-hand side to a list left-hand side, the left hand side is treated as a list of <code><span class='Value'>lhs</span></code> targets. The evaluated right-hand side must be a list (rank-1 array) of the same length, and is matched to these targets element-wise.</p> <p><em>Modified assignment</em> is the subject assignment rule <code><span class='Value'>lhs</span> <span class='Function'>Derv</span> <span class='String'>"โฉ"</span> <span class='Value'>subExpr</span></code>. In this case, <code><span class='Value'>lhs</span></code> should be evaluated as if it were a <code><span class='Value'>subExpr</span></code> (the syntax is a subset of <code><span class='Value'>subExpr</span></code>), and the result of the function application <code><span class='Value'>lhs</span> <span class='Function'>Derv</span> <span class='Value'>subExpr</span></code> should be assigned to <code><span class='Value'>lhs</span></code>, and is also the result of the modified assignment expression.</p> |
