Re: Problems with map(function, array)

[LanX]

in reply to Problems with map(function, array)

works for me:

  DB<121> sub add { $_ + $_[0] }
 
  DB<122> map add(2), 1..3
 => (3, 4, 5)

> Surprisingly, my new function sometimes works, and sometimes not. Here's the output from that second code fragment:

No surprise, you're deleting @a in the process, please repeat your experiments always with freshly reinitialized input.

[Redei]

My problem is what happens when I don't use $_:

sub twice { 2 * $_[0] }

@a = map twice, 1..3;

print "@a\n";

==> 0 0 0

[LanX]

the LIST elements are ALWAYS passed via $_ per iteration.

you call twice w/o parameters so $_[0] is undef and undef*2 == 0!

take again a look at my "add"-example to distiguish between parameters and iteration value

[eyepopslikeamosquito]

Your original code with strict and warnings:

use strict;
use warnings;
sub twice { 2 * $_[0] }
my @a = map twice, 1..3;
print "@a\n";

gives the warning "Use of uninitialized value $_[0] in multiplication (*) at map1.pl line 3".

This is how it should be written:

use strict;
use warnings;
sub twice { 2 * $_[0] }
my @a = map twice($_), 1..3;
print "@a\n";

which produces 2 4 6 as expected.

BTW, Conway, in Perl Best Practices, chapter 8, recommends always using the block form of map, not the expression form that you are using. The expression form might be faster than the block form though (if that matters, you should benchmark it).

[Redei]

Thank you for the suggestions. I should have been using strict and warnings, of course. Maybe then I would have seen more easily where my problem was.

I don't have Conway's book, so I can't see in what context he recommends using the block (rather than the expression) form of map. But I do have reasons for wanting the expression form:

• It's legal syntax, so it should be useable. (And it is, of course, if you don't make the kind of mistake I did.)
• It's more elegant for a single-parameter function. At least I think so.

[Redei]

You're right when you say I should have used freshly reinitialised input. But where does map destroy the input array?

EDIT: Okay, I've got it now. Thanks for your help.

[LanX]

The array is not exactly deleted, but the elements are reduced to empty strings:

  DB<139> sub my_uc {
               my $c = shift;
               return uc($c);
           }
 
  DB<140> my_uc()
 
  DB<141> @a = map my_uc, a..c
 => ("", "", "")

keep in mind no argument means $c is undef!