Difference between revisions of "Functions not data structures"
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+ | Sometimes the best way to represent data is using a function. |
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− | http://haskell.org/wikisnapshot/FunctionsNotDataStructures.html |
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+ | [[Church encoding]] can be used to represent any [[algebraic data type]] using only functions. |
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+ | Another example is the following, not very efficient, implementation of a FiniteMap: |
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+ | <haskell> |
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+ | type FiniteMap key elt = key -> Maybe elt |
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+ | emptyFM :: FiniteMap key elt |
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+ | emptyFM = \k' -> Nothing |
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+ | |||
+ | addToFM :: (Eq key) => FiniteMap key elt -> key -> elt -> FiniteMap key elt |
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+ | addToFM m k v = \k' -> if (k == k') then Just v else m k' |
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+ | |||
+ | delFromFM :: (Eq k) => FiniteMap key elt -> key -> FiniteMap key elt |
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+ | delFromFM m k = \k' -> if (k == k') then Nothing else m k' |
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+ | |||
+ | lookupFM :: (Eq k) => FiniteMap key elt -> key -> Maybe elt |
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+ | lookupFM m k = m k |
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+ | </haskell> |
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+ | |||
+ | [[Runtime compilation]] uses functions not data structures to implement an interpretation layer. |
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+ | [[Category:Idioms]] |
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+ | [[Category:FAQ]] |
Latest revision as of 22:47, 1 November 2010
Sometimes the best way to represent data is using a function.
Church encoding can be used to represent any algebraic data type using only functions.
Another example is the following, not very efficient, implementation of a FiniteMap:
type FiniteMap key elt = key -> Maybe elt
emptyFM :: FiniteMap key elt
emptyFM = \k' -> Nothing
addToFM :: (Eq key) => FiniteMap key elt -> key -> elt -> FiniteMap key elt
addToFM m k v = \k' -> if (k == k') then Just v else m k'
delFromFM :: (Eq k) => FiniteMap key elt -> key -> FiniteMap key elt
delFromFM m k = \k' -> if (k == k') then Nothing else m k'
lookupFM :: (Eq k) => FiniteMap key elt -> key -> Maybe elt
lookupFM m k = m k
Runtime compilation uses functions not data structures to implement an interpretation layer.