Article View: comp.lang.modula2
Article #824Re: Why are the loops so awkward?
From: WOLNIEWICZ RICHARD HANSON
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 1990 15:54
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 1990 15:54
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2044 bytes
In article <26032@netnews.upenn.edu>
touch@dsl.cis.upenn.edu (Joe Touch) writes:
>I'd prefer
>
> WHILE (index <= stringLength) AND (String1[index] = String2[index] DO
> INC(index);
> END; (* WHILE *)
>
>Unless my book is wrong, M2 is defined as having short-circuit evaluation
>of conjunctions and disjunctions. So if the index is out of bounds,
>the string element comparison never occurs, and the AND is safe.
This is something I had never known before. I assumed short-circuit
evaluation was in use, but I also (apparently incorrectly) assumed that the
compiler could evaluate the expressions in whatever order it found to be
optimal. Could someone find the reference for this? If this is true, I look
forward to taking advantage of it.
>This omits the use of a redundant boolean (logical) variable,
>and not only is ir correct, but it will run faster (you don't
>really need to store the value of the comparison, do you?)
I think you do need that comparison result (remember my example was based upon
another netter's previous example). Why compare two strings if you aren't
going to use the comparison result?
. . ______ Laboratory for Atmpospheric and Space Physics
| / \ (__ ._) University of Colorado, Boulder
|__/ \____) | Richard Wolniewicz (wolniewi@tramp.colorado.edu)
Disclaimer: Only the opinions of a grad student (me)
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!ncar!boulder!wolniewi From: wolniewi@boulder.Colorado.EDU (WOLNIEWICZ RICHARD HANSON) Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2 Subject: Re: Why are the loops so awkward? Message-ID: <22282@boulder.Colorado.EDU> Date: 15 Jun 90 15:54:36 GMT References: <5377.26731960@puddle.fidonet.org> <728.26767558@waikato.ac.nz> <22213@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <747.2677cd57@waikato.ac.nz> <22259@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <26032@netnews.upenn.edu> Sender: news@boulder.Colorado.EDU Reply-To: wolniewi@tramp.Colorado.EDU (WOLNIEWICZ RICHARD H.) Organization: University of Colorado, boulder Lines: 30