[erlang-questions] array search problem

[Roelof Wobben]

Hello,

Im stuck again,

I have now this :

read(Key, []) ->
   {error, Instance};

read(Key, [Key, _] )->
   Key;

read(Key, [_, Tail] ) ->
   read(Key, Tail).

I see this output :

10> Db1 = db:new().
[]
11> Db2 = db:write(name,roelof,Db1).
[{name,roelof}]
12> Db3 = db:read(name, Db2).
** exception error: no function clause matching db:read(name,[{name,roelof}]) (db.erl, line 14) 







Fred Hebert schreef op 30-1-2015 om 18:11:
> Hi Roelof.
>
> I recognize these exercises from the Francesco Cesarini and Simon
> Thompson book (published by O'Reilly).
>
> If you cannot work through these exercises, I strongly recommend you go
> back to the chapter that precedes them and re-read it again until it
> clicks, or possibly go back to a chapter you may have skipped.
>
> It will be a better use of your time to go through it and understand it
> properly rather than come to the mailing list and ask people in here to
> do that part on your behalf.
>
> That being said, the trick for this exercise is to go through recursion.
>
> The database you mention uses *lists* (*arrays* are a different data
> type and have a module to that name, too). Lists are a data structure
> defined recursively:
>
>      [3, 2, 1]
>      [3 | [2, 1]]
>      [3 | [2 | [1]]]
>      [3 | [2 | [1|[]]]]
>
> Those 4 lists are equivalent. So when you traverse a list by going
> [Head | Tail], on each of these, you take one element and then are left
> with the rest.
>
> The definition is therefore [FirstElement | RestOfListWhichIsAlsoAList].
> The last element of a list is necessarily [], the empty list.
>
> Recursive functions have two main kinds of clauses (I'm going with an
> informal definition here): base cases, and the regular case. The base
> case is whenever recursion cannot proceed further. The base case is when
> you can proceed further.
>
> To search elements in a list, your base case will therefore be '[]', the
> empty list, where you can't search further.
> The base case will be the other [Element | Rest].
>
> So your function to search in a DB? To avoid giving you the answer, you
> know that if you can't look further, you haven't found the element.
> Therefore,
>
>      lookup(Element, []) ->
>          {error, not_found};
>      lookup(Element, [??? | RestOfList]) ->
>          ???.
>
> Can you fill in the blanks? If not, go back a few chapters. There's no
> shame in doing that and making sure you understand things right before
> moving on to more difficult topics.
>
> Regards,
> Fred.
>
> On 01/30, Roelof Wobben wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> Im still struggeling to make the database exercise working.
>>
>> I have to implement a read method which outputs as this :
>>
>> 5> db:read(francesco, Db2).
>> {ok,london}
>> 6>  Db3 = db:write(joern, stockholm, Db2).
>> [{joern,stockholm},{lelle,stockholm},{francesco,london}]
>> 7>  db:read(ola, Db3).
>> {error,instance}
>>
>> To achieve this do I need to use a try catch or can  I achieve this with
>> only pattern matching.
>>
>> Roelof
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> erlang-questions mailing list
>> erlang-questions@REDACTED
>> http://erlang.org/mailman/listinfo/erlang-questions