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Truth and lies (but no statistics) [was Re: WYSIWYG programming]

 [1/2] from: joel::neely::fedex::com at: 30-Oct-2000 13:42


Hello, yet again... [jeff--rebol--net] wrote:
> > > > > > EITHER places the TRUE block first, the ELSE/FALSE
<<quoted lines omitted: 4>>
> Okay, so you would like the following: > pick ...
Let's separate these two (semi-siamese-twin) issues: 1) Current order-comparison operators refuse to compare logic! values. 2) Pick some-block some-logic identifies TRUE <-> 1 and FALSE <-> 2. ON ORDERING LOGIC! VALUES (#1) Given the facts that 0 < 1 0 < 1 to-decimal to-decimal to-char to-char 0.0 < 1.0 #"^@" < #"^A" to-integer to-integer to-integer to-integer 0 < 1 0 < 1 it seems inconsistent that 0 < 1 to-logic to-logic false *NOT ORDERABLE* true to-integer to-integer 0 < 1 especially since REBOL really does have some idea of the order of logic! values (false < true), since sort treats them consistently
>> sort [1 0 0 1] == [0 0 1 1] >> sort [1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0] == [0 0 1 1] >> sort reduce [true false false true] == [false false true true]
However, sorting breaks down when we use the /compare refinement simply to ask for greater-to-lesser ordering.
>> sort/compare [1 0 0 1] func [a b] [a > b]
== [1 1 0 0]
>> sort/compare [1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0] func [a b] [a > b]
== [1 1 0 0]
>> sort/compare reduce [true false false true] func [a b] [a > b]
** Script Error: Cannot use greater? on logic! value. ** Where: a > b This would all be fixed if we could simply compare logic! values with the ordering (consistently implied from all of the above) false < true. ON PICK #2 Well, there's clearly a conflict with having FALSE correspond to 0 and having it serve as a legal "index" for PICK at all! This arises from the design choice to have position numbers start at 1. Under the legacy of that decision, I would suggest as a "lesser of the evils" compromise (assuming > and < are defined for evil! types ;-) of allowing relational operators < <= > and >= to compare logic! values and changing nothing else. Those who don't care about comparisons of logic! values will be un- affected by this solution, and it will not break any existing code. ON NONE I am deferring the separate (although related) discussion of none to another email (in the interest of brevity, etc.) Suffice it to say that none! and logic! are distinct types, and I never asked to have comparison between different types. -jn- -- ; Joel Neely [joel--neely--fedex--com] 901-263-4460 38017/HKA/9677 REBOL [] do [ do func [s] [ foreach [a b] s [prin b] ] sort/skip do function [s] [t] [ t: "" foreach [a b] s [repend t [b a]] t ] { | e s m!zauafBpcvekexEohthjJakwLrngohOqrlryRnsctdtiub} 2 ]

 [2/2] from: lmecir:geocities at: 30-Oct-2000 22:12


Hi Joel, you inspired me (like you did many times before) to write: le?: function [ {an as general as possible comparison function} a [any-type!] b [any-type!] ] [block1 block2] [ block1: make block! 2 insert/only block1 get/any 'a insert/only tail block1 get/any 'b block2: make block! 2 insert/only block2 get/any 'a insert/only tail block2 get/any 'b block1 = sort block2 ] the results:
>> le? 1 2
== true
>> le? 2 1
== false
>> le? true false
== false
>> le? false true
== true
>> le? true none
== false
>> le? none true
== true
>> le? none ()
== false
>> le? () none
== true
>> le? does [a] does [b]
== true
>> le? does [b] does [a]
== true
>> le? make object! [a: 0] make object! [a: 1]
== false
>> le? make object! [a: 1] make object! [a: 0]
== true
>> le? make object! [a: 0] make object! [a: 0]
== false Regards Ladislav ----- Original Message ----- From: Joel Neely <[joel--neely--fedex--com]> To: <[rebol-list--rebol--com]> Sent: Monday, October 30, 2000 8:42 PM Subject: [REBOL] Truth and lies (but no statistics) [was Re: WYSIWYG programming]

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