[erlang-questions] Intel Quad CPUs

[Tobias Lindahl]

Damien Morton wrote:
> Allow me to apologise in advance for my ignorance, but why do edoc type 
> specifications look like function calls?

I am not sure if I misunderstand your question, but as others have 
already explained, the parenthesis that make the types look like 
function calls are necessary to distinguish between types and singleton 
atoms.

The notation of a type with an atom followed by the closed parenthesis 
represents a set of terms. The type integer() is the infinite set of all 
possible integers. The type integer is the singleton type that only 
consists of the atom 'integer'. In the same way the type atom() is the 
infinite set consisting of all possible atoms, while the type atom is 
the type consisting only of the atom 'integer'.

Consider the function

f(X) when is_atom(X) -> {atom, X};
f(X) when is_integer(X) -> {integer, X}.

This function has the type
(atom()|integer())-> {atom, atom()}|{integer, integer()}

Hope this sheds more light on the syntax with closed parenthesis. If you 
are really asking something else, then please try to specify your 
question more.

Best,
Tobias


> 
> On 9/6/2007 9:47 PM, Bob Ippolito wrote:
>> That's what edoc type specifications look like...
>>
>> On 9/6/07, Damien Morton <dmorton@REDACTED> wrote:
>>   
>>> Why does the integer type look like a function call?
>>>
>>> On 9/6/2007 5:16 PM, David Mercer wrote:
>>>     
>>>> On Thursday, September 06, 2007, Tony Finch wrote:
>>>>
>>>>       
>>>>> What is the reason for the trailing ()s? It would be nice if the syntax
>>>>> had less redundant visual noise.
>>>>>
>>>>>         
>>>> So it can tell the difference between an integer and the atom 'integer'?
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>>
>>>> David
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: erlang-questions-bounces@REDACTED
>>>> [mailto:erlang-questions-bounces@REDACTED] On Behalf Of
>>>> Sent: 14:00
>>>> To: Kostis Sagonas
>>>> Cc: Erlang
>>>> Subject: Re: [erlang-questions] Intel Quad CPUs
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, 4 Sep 2007, Kostis Sagonas wrote:
>>>>
>>>>       
>>>>> In the new language you would write (or preferably change the above edoc
>>>>> comment to be):
>>>>>
>>>>> -spec(foo/2 :: ((integer(), float()) -> atom())).
>>>>>
>>>>>         
>>>> What is the reason for the trailing ()s? It would be nice if the syntax
>>>> had less redundant visual noise.
>>>>
>>>> Tony.
>>>>
>>>>       
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>     
>>
>>   
> 
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