[erlang-questions] Nested Record Pattern Matching in R14A

[Brian Williams]

That does help, thanks.

If anyone wants to see the search problem I wrote this astar algorithm
for, it's at:
http://www.cis.udel.edu/~decker/courses/681s07/prog1.html

Pretty fun for a homework assignment, IMHO.
Brian

On Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 8:41 PM, Robert Virding <rvirding@REDACTED> wrote:
> I just want to expand a little on what Tuncer has written.
>
> No, it is not a bug, it is most definitely intended.
>
> The basic principle is that the syntax used to match and pull apart a
> term is the same as that used to construct it. So you both construct
> and match a list using syntax like [A,B|C] and for a tuple syntax like
> {A,B,C}. For binaries the same principle applies though with them you
> have more options. In all cases it is very explicit. This is both a
> blessing and a curse with pattern matching.
>
> While records in one sense are more abstract than lists or tuples the
> same principle applies here as well, you use the same syntax to match
> a record as to construct it. This is why the case that worked looked
> like it does. What you were trying to do was use the syntax for
> accessing fields in the records, it resembles trying to match a tuple
> by writing a head like:
>
> function_call(element(3) = State) -> ... ;
>
> I hope this helps some,
>
> Robert
>
>
> On 17/07/2010, Tuncer Ayaz <tuncer.ayaz@REDACTED> wrote:
>> On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 3:34 PM, Brian Williams wrote:
>>> I converted a small search algorithm project to use the new nested
>>> record syntax in R14A.
>>> My records are:
>>> -record(state, {yard_state}).
>>> -record(solution_state, {state = #state{}, moves, depth}).
>>> -record(astar_solution_state, {solution_state = #solution_state{},
>>> fvalue}).
>>>
>>> I was able to use a line like this to access a field in the nested record:
>>> Astar_Solution_State#astar_solution_state.solution_state#solution_state.state
>>>
>>> Based on the example in the reference manual, I thought the pattern
>>> for matching the state field would be:
>>>
>>> function_call(#astar_solution_state.solution_state#solution_state{state
>>> = State})
>>
>> Hi Brian,
>>
>> this is invalid and it's not how records are matched.
>>
>> It almost looks like an expression to update a record field:
>> foo(Astar) when is_record(Astar, astar_solution_state) ->
>>   State = #state{yard_state=foo_yard},
>>   Astar#astar_solution_state.solution_state#solution_state{state=State}.
>>
>>> However, that gave me "illegal pattern" errors, and after a bit of
>>> fiddling, I got this to work:
>>> #astar_solution_state{solution_state = #solution_state{state = State}}
>>>
>>> Is this intended? Or a bug?
>>
>> It is intended.
>>
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>>
>



-- 
Brian E. Williams
mixolyde@REDACTED
http://www.techhouse.us/wordpress-mu/brianw

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately
explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor