# Command: def

NEST HelpDesk | Command Index | NEST Quick Reference

Name:

    def - define a variable or function

Synopsis:

    /name obj def ->	-
      /name [/type1 .. /typen] any def ->	-

Examples:

      SLI ] /a 1 def
      SLI ] a =
      1

      SLI ] /f [/integertype /integertype] {add_ii} def
      SLI ] 1 2 f
      SLI [1] =
      3
      SLI ] 1 2.0 f
      TypeTrie::lookup error at parameter level 0
      Operand	 : 2
      Operand type : doubletype
      Expected type: integertype
      Error: /ArgumentType in f
      SLI ]  /f [/integertype /doubletype] {add_id} def
      SLI ] 1 2.0 f =
      2
      SLI ] 1 2 f
      SLI [1] =
      3

Description:

      def creates an association between /name and obj
      in the current dictionary.

      First variant:
      The first variant unconditionally creates the association. Any
      existing association will be overwritten.

      Second variant:
      The second variant creates a user-defined function with automatic
      parameter checking. The second parameter must be an array of valid
      type-specifiers. The last parameter must be a procedure object. If
      the name is already bound to a trie, the new definition is added
      to the trie, otherwise a trie is created.

      If the array of type-specifiers is empty, it is checked, if there
      already exists a trie for this name. If so, the definition would be
      ambiguous, and an error is raised. If not, the first variant of
      def is called.

      Note that no name binding via bind is performed.

Remarks:

      Ambiguous type trie definitions are not always detected! Only if the
      new parameter list is longer than an existing one, a warning is issued
      (but no error is raised). This needs improvement.

      Author'sRemark: Maybe the trie variant should be called deffun, like in lisp.

Author:

    Marc-oliver Gewaltig

SeeAlso:

- bind
- type
- Set
- undef

Source:

    /opt/conda/conda-bld/nest_1512418852064/work/nest-2.12.0/lib/sli/typeinit.sli

NEST HelpDesk | Command Index | NEST Quick Reference

© 2004 The NEST Initiative