* What is the name of the | symbol?
@ 2022-03-25 19:04 Matt Jaffe
2022-03-25 19:23 ` Ben Bacarisse
2022-03-25 22:21 ` Jeffrey R.Carter
0 siblings, 2 replies; 12+ messages in thread
From: Matt Jaffe @ 2022-03-25 19:04 UTC (permalink / raw)
In using it in a named association array aggregate, its semantic are "and" --- e.g., some_1D_array := (1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10) sets elements 1 and 3 and 7 to the value 5. In a case statement, its semantics are "or" --- e.g. when 1 | 3 | 7 => ... any of the values 1, 3, or 7 for the case expression will select the ... code for execution. Is there a single name for that symbol (the | ) that seems to have different semantics depending on context?
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-25 19:04 What is the name of the | symbol? Matt Jaffe
@ 2022-03-25 19:23 ` Ben Bacarisse
2022-03-25 22:21 ` Jeffrey R.Carter
1 sibling, 0 replies; 12+ messages in thread
From: Ben Bacarisse @ 2022-03-25 19:23 UTC (permalink / raw)
Matt Jaffe <matt.jaffe@gmail.com> writes:
> In using it in a named association array aggregate, its semantic are
> "and" --- e.g., some_1D_array := (1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10) sets
> elements 1 and 3 and 7 to the value 5. In a case statement, its
> semantics are "or" --- e.g. when 1 | 3 | 7 => ... any of the values
> 1, 3, or 7 for the case expression will select the ... code for
> execution. Is there a single name for that symbol (the | ) that seems
> to have different semantics depending on context?
How about reading it like this (read with a fixed-width font):
a := ( 1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10 )
if the index is one or three or seven then five else ten fi
Similar syntax appeared in Algol 68. | is frequently used for
"alternatives" -- it's just a question of what's being referred to.
Here, it's all the alternative indexes that map to a specific value.
--
Ben.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-25 19:04 What is the name of the | symbol? Matt Jaffe
2022-03-25 19:23 ` Ben Bacarisse
@ 2022-03-25 22:21 ` Jeffrey R.Carter
2022-03-25 23:24 ` Chris Townley
1 sibling, 1 reply; 12+ messages in thread
From: Jeffrey R.Carter @ 2022-03-25 22:21 UTC (permalink / raw)
On 2022-03-25 20:04, Matt Jaffe wrote:
> In using it in a named association array aggregate, its semantic are "and" --- e.g., some_1D_array := (1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10) sets elements 1 and 3 and 7 to the value 5. In a case statement, its semantics are "or" --- e.g. when 1 | 3 | 7 => ... any of the values 1, 3, or 7 for the case expression will select the ... code for execution. Is there a single name for that symbol (the | ) that seems to have different semantics depending on context?
ARM 2.1(15/3)
(http://www.ada-auth.org/standards/aarm12_w_tc1/html/AA-2-1.html#I1201) says its
name in Ada is "vertical line".
--
Jeff Carter
"Alms for an ex-leper!"
Monty Python's Life of Brian
75
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-25 22:21 ` Jeffrey R.Carter
@ 2022-03-25 23:24 ` Chris Townley
2022-03-26 0:58 ` Luke A. Guest
2022-03-27 18:57 ` Matt Jaffe
0 siblings, 2 replies; 12+ messages in thread
From: Chris Townley @ 2022-03-25 23:24 UTC (permalink / raw)
On 25/03/2022 22:21, Jeffrey R.Carter wrote:
> On 2022-03-25 20:04, Matt Jaffe wrote:
>> In using it in a named association array aggregate, its semantic are
>> "and" --- e.g., some_1D_array := (1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10) sets
>> elements 1 and 3 and 7 to the value 5. In a case statement, its
>> semantics are "or" --- e.g. when 1 | 3 | 7 => ... any of the values
>> 1, 3, or 7 for the case expression will select the ... code for
>> execution. Is there a single name for that symbol (the | ) that
>> seems to have different semantics depending on context?
>
> ARM 2.1(15/3)
> (http://www.ada-auth.org/standards/aarm12_w_tc1/html/AA-2-1.html#I1201)
> says its name in Ada is "vertical line".
>
Probably wrong, but for a Unix user since the last century, I call it 'pipe'
--
Chris
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-25 23:24 ` Chris Townley
@ 2022-03-26 0:58 ` Luke A. Guest
2022-03-26 2:01 ` Chris Townley
2022-03-27 0:38 ` Stephen Leake
2022-03-27 18:57 ` Matt Jaffe
1 sibling, 2 replies; 12+ messages in thread
From: Luke A. Guest @ 2022-03-26 0:58 UTC (permalink / raw)
On 25/03/2022 23:24, Chris Townley wrote:
> Probably wrong, but for a Unix user since the last century, I call it
> 'pipe'
Or bar.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-26 0:58 ` Luke A. Guest
@ 2022-03-26 2:01 ` Chris Townley
2022-03-27 0:38 ` Stephen Leake
1 sibling, 0 replies; 12+ messages in thread
From: Chris Townley @ 2022-03-26 2:01 UTC (permalink / raw)
On 26/03/2022 00:58, Luke A. Guest wrote:
> On 25/03/2022 23:24, Chris Townley wrote:
>
>> Probably wrong, but for a Unix user since the last century, I call it
>> 'pipe'
>
> Or bar.
>
No that is for after work ;)
--
Chris
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-26 0:58 ` Luke A. Guest
2022-03-26 2:01 ` Chris Townley
@ 2022-03-27 0:38 ` Stephen Leake
2022-03-27 19:01 ` Matt Jaffe
1 sibling, 1 reply; 12+ messages in thread
From: Stephen Leake @ 2022-03-27 0:38 UTC (permalink / raw)
"Luke A. Guest" <laguest@archeia.com> writes:
> On 25/03/2022 23:24, Chris Townley wrote:
>
>> Probably wrong, but for a Unix user since the last century, I call
>> it 'pipe'
>
> Or bar.
Emacs ada-mode grammar calls it BAR.
--
-- Stephe
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-27 0:38 ` Stephen Leake
@ 2022-03-27 19:01 ` Matt Jaffe
0 siblings, 0 replies; 12+ messages in thread
From: Matt Jaffe @ 2022-03-27 19:01 UTC (permalink / raw)
On Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 5:39:07 PM UTC-7, Stephen Leake wrote:
> "Luke A. Guest" <lag...@archeia.com> writes:
>
> > On 25/03/2022 23:24, Chris Townley wrote:
> >
> >> Probably wrong, but for a Unix user since the last century, I call
> >> it 'pipe'
> >
> > Or bar.
> Emacs ada-mode grammar calls it BAR.
>
> --
> -- Stephe
"Bar" sounds like the best alternative so far; I think that's what I'll use when talking to my students.
Thanks.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-25 23:24 ` Chris Townley
2022-03-26 0:58 ` Luke A. Guest
@ 2022-03-27 18:57 ` Matt Jaffe
1 sibling, 0 replies; 12+ messages in thread
From: Matt Jaffe @ 2022-03-27 18:57 UTC (permalink / raw)
On Friday, March 25, 2022 at 4:24:49 PM UTC-7, Chris Townley wrote:
> On 25/03/2022 22:21, Jeffrey R.Carter wrote:
> > On 2022-03-25 20:04, Matt Jaffe wrote:
> >> In using it in a named association array aggregate, its semantic are
> >> "and" --- e.g., some_1D_array := (1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10) sets
> >> elements 1 and 3 and 7 to the value 5. In a case statement, its
> >> semantics are "or" --- e.g. when 1 | 3 | 7 => ... any of the values
> >> 1, 3, or 7 for the case expression will select the ... code for
> >> execution. Is there a single name for that symbol (the | ) that
> >> seems to have different semantics depending on context?
> >
> > ARM 2.1(15/3)
> > (http://www.ada-auth.org/standards/aarm12_w_tc1/html/AA-2-1.html#I1201)
> > says its name in Ada is "vertical line".
> >
> Probably wrong, but for a Unix user since the last century, I call it 'pipe'
>
>
> --
> Chris
Well, non-judgmental type that I am, I'm not going to say you're "wrong", but pipe is the name and usage for that symbol when programming a Unix shell. It's semantics in Ada are quite different, so I don't think calling it pipe quite fits. (So I guess I'm not a pipe-fitter either ;-)
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* What is the name of the | symbol?
@ 2022-03-25 19:16 Matt Jaffe
2022-03-25 20:03 ` Niklas Holsti
0 siblings, 1 reply; 12+ messages in thread
From: Matt Jaffe @ 2022-03-25 19:16 UTC (permalink / raw)
In using it in a named association array aggregate, its semantics are "and" --- e.g., some_1D_array := (1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10) sets elements 1 and 3 and 7 to the value 5. In a case statement, its semantics are "or" --- e.g. when 1 | 3 | 7 => ... any of the values 1or 3, or 7 for the case expression will select the ... code for execution. Is there a single name for that symbol (the | ) that seems to have different semantics depending on context?
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
* Re: What is the name of the | symbol?
2022-03-25 19:16 Matt Jaffe
@ 2022-03-25 20:03 ` Niklas Holsti
2022-03-26 4:24 ` Paul Rubin
0 siblings, 1 reply; 12+ messages in thread
From: Niklas Holsti @ 2022-03-25 20:03 UTC (permalink / raw)
On 2022-03-25 21:16, Matt Jaffe wrote:
> In using it in a named association array aggregate, its semantics are
> "and" --- e.g., some_1D_array := (1 | 3 | 7 => 5, others => 10) sets
> elements 1 and 3 and 7 to the value 5. In a case statement, its
> semantics are "or" --- e.g. when 1 | 3 | 7 => ... any of the values
> 1or 3, or 7 for the case expression will select the ... code for
> execution.
That is a quirk of natural language, where "and" and "or" are used in
non-mathematical ways. You could as well describe the aggregate as
saying "if the index is 1 or 3 or 7, the element is 5", and you could
describe the case statement as saying "this when-branch is executed when
the case selector is 1 and 3 and 7".
As '|' is used in some logical formalisms for disjunction ("or"), and in
syntactical notation (BNF) to separate alternatives, I tend to read it
as "or".
> Is there a single name for that symbol (the | ) that seems
> to have different semantics depending on context?
For the name, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_bar, where
indeed "vertical bar" seems favoured. However, I'm pretty sure that I
have seen "solidus" used, too, but Wikipedia says that is a synonym for
"slash" (/). Wiktionary does not recognize "solidus" as a term for any
punctuation mark.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 12+ messages in thread
end of thread, other threads:[~2022-03-27 19:01 UTC | newest]
Thread overview: 12+ messages (download: mbox.gz / follow: Atom feed)
-- links below jump to the message on this page --
2022-03-25 19:04 What is the name of the | symbol? Matt Jaffe
2022-03-25 19:23 ` Ben Bacarisse
2022-03-25 22:21 ` Jeffrey R.Carter
2022-03-25 23:24 ` Chris Townley
2022-03-26 0:58 ` Luke A. Guest
2022-03-26 2:01 ` Chris Townley
2022-03-27 0:38 ` Stephen Leake
2022-03-27 19:01 ` Matt Jaffe
2022-03-27 18:57 ` Matt Jaffe
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2022-03-25 19:16 Matt Jaffe
2022-03-25 20:03 ` Niklas Holsti
2022-03-26 4:24 ` Paul Rubin
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox