[Caml-list] syntax for variable arity?

[Caml-list] syntax for variable arity?

[Michael Leary]

I want to write a function to abstract a series of functions with different
numbers of args like these two:

let debug message = printf "Debug %s\n" message; fso
let debug_line start_angle start_radius end_angle end_radius =
  printf "DebugLine %f %f %f %f\n" start_angle start_radius end_angle end_radius;
  fso


I was thinking of:

type command =
  Debug
  | Debug_line
  | ...

let com command _ =
  match command with
  | Debug ->
      doit "some special format string" _
  | Debug_line ->
      doit "other format string" _

let doit _ = printf _ ; fso (* fso defined elsewhere *)


let () = com Debug "debug message"
...
let () = com Debug_line start_angle start_radius end_angle end_radius


I know _ matches any value(s??), but I'm not clear on how to use the
match elsewhere...  am I close?  Is there a better way to structure this?  

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Re: [Caml-list] syntax for variable arity?

[Remi VANICAT]

Michael Leary <leary@nwlink.com> writes:

> I want to write a function to abstract a series of functions with different
> numbers of args like these two:
> 
> let debug message = printf "Debug %s\n" message; fso
> let debug_line start_angle start_radius end_angle end_radius =
>   printf "DebugLine %f %f %f %f\n" start_angle start_radius end_angle end_radius;
>   fso
> 
> 
> I was thinking of:
> 
> type command =
>   Debug
>   | Debug_line
>   | ...

won't work : ocaml can't make a so easily function with different
numbers of args.


> 
> let com command _ =
>   match command with
>   | Debug ->
>       doit "some special format string" _
>   | Debug_line ->
>       doit "other format string" _
> 
> let doit _ = printf _ ; fso (* fso defined elsewhere *)
> 
> 
> let () = com Debug "debug message"
> ...
> let () = com Debug_line start_angle start_radius end_angle end_radius
> 
> 
> I know _ matches any value(s??), but I'm not clear on how to use the
> match elsewhere...  am I close?  Is there a better way to structure
> this?  

_ match only one value, it's the same to do

let f _ = something

and

let f x = sommething where x is not used


the solution for your problem is something as :

type command
  | Debug of string
  | Debugline of float * float * float * float

let com command =
  begin
    match command with
      | Debug st -> printf "Debug %s\n" st
      | Debugline (start_angle, start_radius, end_angle, end_radius) -> 
          printf "DebugLine %f %f %f %f\n" start_angle start_radius
            end_angle end_radius
  end; fso

-- 
Rémi Vanicat
vanicat@labri.u-bordeaux.fr
http://dept-info.labri.u-bordeaux.fr/~vanicat
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