*View this file with results and syntax highlighting [here](https://mlochbaum.github.io/BQN/doc/take.html).* # Take and Drop The basic idea of Take (`↑`) is to get the first few elements of a list, while Drop (`↓`) removes those and returns the rest. Then they are extended in like a billion ways. - `𝕩` can be an atom, or array of any rank (the result will be an array). - `𝕨` can be negative to take or drop from the end instead of the beginning. - For Take, if `𝕨` is larger than the length of `𝕩`, then [fills](fill.md) are added. - `𝕨` can have multiple numbers corresponding to leading axes of `𝕩`. - `𝕨` is allowed to be longer than the rank of `𝕩`; `𝕩` will be extended to fit. These extensions can be combined as well, so there are a lot of possibilities. A good picture to have in mind is cutting out a corner of the array `𝕩`. This is because the result `𝕨↑𝕩` or `𝕨↓𝕩` always aligns with one side of `𝕩` along each axis, so it aligns with the corner where those sides meet. The result `d↓𝕩` is always the same as `t↑𝕩` for some other argument `t`, but computing `t` wouldn't be too convenient. The reverse isn't true: only Take can insert fills, so results that include them can't come from Drop. ## One axis Let's start with a natural number `𝕨`. Take gives the first `𝕨` major cells of `𝕩` (or elements of a list), while Drop gives all but the first `𝕨`. 4 ↑ "take and drop" 4 ↓ "take and drop" 1 ↓ >"maj"‿"orc"‿"ell" If `𝕨` is too large it's usually not a problem. For Take, [fill elements](fill.md) are added to the end to bring `𝕩` up to the required length—although this *will* fail if `𝕩` has no fill element. For Drop, the result is an empty array. ↕6 10 ↑ ↕6 10 ↓ ↕6 ≢ 5 ↓ ↕3‿9‿2 If `𝕩` is an atom or unit array, it's converted to a list first. For Take this is useful to make an array of mostly fills; for Drop it's pretty much useless. 10 ↑ 9 3 ↓ <"element" ### Negative argument If `𝕨` is negative then wraps around the other side to take or drop from the end of `𝕩`. It's a lot like negative indices in [Select](select.md) (`⊏`), but while negative indices are asymmetric—`0` is the first entry but `¯1` is the last—this case is symmetric. It's because the place to cut is always *before* the index `𝕨`, cancelling out the negative index asymmetry. 3 ↑ "abcdeEDCBA" ¯3 ↑ "abcdeEDCBA" # Last three ¯3 ↓ "abcdeEDCBA" # All but the last three What about `0`? It behaves like it's both positive *and* negative. For Take, the first 0 and last 0 cells are indistinguishable, because they're both empty. For Drop, if you remove 0 cells it doesn't matter whether you start at the front or the back, because you're not going to do anything either way. 0 ↑ 4‿3‿2 # Nothing 0 ↓ 4‿3‿2 # Everything If `|𝕨` is too large, then Take will insert fills at the beginning to keep the result aligned with `𝕩` at the end. Drop returns an empty array as in the positive case. So unlike [Rotate](reverse.md) (`⌽`), which is completely cyclical, Take and Drop work cyclically only around 0. ¯6 ↑ "xy" ## Multiple axes In the general case `𝕨` is a list of integers. They're matched with the leading axes of `𝕩`, so that each affects one axis independently from the others. ⊢ m ← (10×↕5) +⌜ ↕7 ¯4‿2 ↑ m # Last four rows; first two columns ¯4‿2 ↓ m Now Take and Drop taken together don't include the whole array. Take includes the elements that are selected on *every* axis, while Drop excludes the ones selected on *any* axis. They are opposite corners that meet at some point in the middle of the array (here, at the spot between `2` and `11`). Any integer values at all can be used, in any combination. Here one axis is shortened and the other's padded with fills. The result of Take has shape `|𝕨`, maybe plus some trailing axes from `𝕩`. Of course, if that's too big for your available memory, your BQN implementation probably can't compute it for you! 3‿¯12 ↑ m ≢ 9‿¯4 ↑ ↕7‿6‿5 # Trailing shape example If the rank of `𝕩` is *smaller* than the length of `𝕨`, then length-1 axes are added to the beginning until it's equal. Mostly this will be used with Take when `𝕩` is a unit, producing an array that contains `𝕩` and a lot of fills. 3‿4 ↑ <1‿1 This property also enables a nice little trick with Drop. If `𝕨` is a list of zeros, Drop won't do anything—except extend the rank of `𝕩`. So `(r⥊0)↓a`, or `r ⥊⟜0⊸↓ a`, ensures `a` is an array with rank at least `r` but doesn't change any of the elements. As a special case, `⟨⟩↓v` [Encloses](enclose.md) an atom argument but otherwise has no effect. ≢ (3⥊0) ↓ 3 ≢ (3⥊0) ↓ ↕3 ≢ (3⥊0) ↓ ↕5‿4‿3‿2