Ambient-Oriented Programming

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at:tutorial:basic [2007/04/05 12:01] – elisagat:tutorial:basic [2007/04/05 15:11] – elisag
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 <note> <note>
-**UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!**+**IN PROGRESS!!** 
 +- TODO: Talk about methods instead of functions? Check iat chapter.
 </note> </note>
 ====== Functional and Imperative Programming ====== ====== Functional and Imperative Programming ======
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 >>6 >>6
 </code> </code>
- 
  
 ===== Closures ===== ===== Closures =====
  
-The function name can also be used just to refer the function but without calling it. TODO!+As you have probably noticed in the previous examples,  the value returned by a function definition is a closure. Actually in AmbientTalk functions are implemented as named closures.  
 + 
 +The function name can be thus used to refer the function (without calling it). This will also return a closure to that function. 
  
 ===== Blocks ===== ===== Blocks =====
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 In AmbientTalk, blocks are merely syntactic sugar for anonymous closures (aka lambdas).  Blocks are creating using the {} braces in the form of: In AmbientTalk, blocks are merely syntactic sugar for anonymous closures (aka lambdas).  Blocks are creating using the {} braces in the form of:
 <code> <code>
-{ | <parlist> | <body>}+{ |<parlist>| <body> }
 </code> </code>
 If the block do not require any parameter, the |<parlist>| can be omitted.  Consider a basic block to sum two numbers: If the block do not require any parameter, the |<parlist>| can be omitted.  Consider a basic block to sum two numbers:
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 Note that the argument list passed to the block can define the different types of arguments previously explained. Note that the argument list passed to the block can define the different types of arguments previously explained.
 <code> <code>
->{|a, b, @rest| def total := a + b; foreach: { |el| total := total + el} in: rest; total }(1,2,3)+>{|a, b, @rest|  
 +   def total := a + b;  
 +   foreach: { |el| total := total + el} in: rest; total  
 + }(1,2,3)
 >>6 >>6
 </code> </code>
 +
 +This example also illustrates that blocks are also used to iterate over enumerations, such as in //foreach: {} in: table//.
 +
 AmbientTalk doesn’t support function assigment. However, one can assign blocks to variables. In order to call the block the name of the variable must be used. If the block defined parameters, these are required to the call as argument list. What follows is an example of such manipulation: AmbientTalk doesn’t support function assigment. However, one can assign blocks to variables. In order to call the block the name of the variable must be used. If the block defined parameters, these are required to the call as argument list. What follows is an example of such manipulation:
 <code> <code>
->def square := { |x| x * x}+>def square := { |x| x * x }
 >><closure:lambda> >><closure:lambda>
 >square(1,2) >square(1,2)
 >>3 >>3
 </code> </code>
at/tutorial/basic.txt · Last modified: 2020/02/09 22:05 by elisag