[erlang-questions] Bit syntax decscription in erlang reference manual?

Edwin Fine erlang-questions_efine@REDACTED
Fri Jun 20 05:04:34 CEST 2008


There's a subtlety here that you may have missed. The manual says

All other *bit string or binary* elements in the matching must have a size
specification.

In <<A, B, C>> = <<1,2,3>>, all elements on the left hand side are by
default of type integer, not bitstring or binary. Therefore sizes are
assumed to be 1 byte each.

Your example is the same as writing

<<A/integer, B/integer, C/integer>> = <<1,2,3>>.

This below, for example, would NOT work:

<<A/binary,B/binary>> = <<1,2,3>>.

You would have to write

<<A:1/binary,B/binary>> = <<1,2,3>>.

Example:
1> <<A/binary,B/binary>> = <<1,2,3>>.
* 1: a binary field without size is only allowed at the end of a binary
pattern
2> <<A:1/binary,B/binary>> = <<1,2,3>>.
<<1,2,3>>
3> A.
<<1>>
4> B.
<<2,3>>
5>

Hope this helps.
2008/6/19 成立涛 <litaocheng@REDACTED>:

> In erlang reference mannual, the Bit Syntax Expressions section, about the
> binary Size, the manual said:
> "In matching, this default value is only valid for the very last element.
> All other bit string or binary elements in the matching must have a size
> specification."
> we know the default size for integer is 8, float is 64, binary is the whole
> bytes.
> for example:
> > <<A, B, C>> = <<1, 2, 3>>.
> I think in this pattern match, the variables A, B, C all use the dafault
> Size.
> Is it a conflict with reference manual?
> thanks!
>
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