ftp.cs.arizona.edu/ftp.cs.arizona.edu.tar/ftp.cs.arizona.edu/icon/newsgrp/group93c.txt/000074_icon-group-sender _Wed Oct 20 11:01:27 1993.msg

Internet Message Format | 1994-02-02 | 1KB

Received: by cheltenham.cs.arizona.edu; Wed, 20 Oct 1993 13:34:49 MST
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 93 11:01:27 CDT
From: "Viktors Berstis" <[e-mail]>
X-Addr: tieline 793-1547 [phone]
        MS 2990 IBM
        11400 Burnet Rd
        Austin, TX 78758
To: [e-mail]
Subject: SNOBOL4 and TABLEs
Status: R
Errors-To: [e-mail]

In regard to your question about putting null entries in SNOBOL4 TABLES.  They
in fact do occupy another slot in the TABLE.  A way to fix this is to make
sure the table contains at least one non-null value.  Then convert it to an
array and then convert it back.  Remember to get rid of the array.  This won't
solve your problem if you happen to have named references to entries in the
table:
    X = TABLE()
    X<123> = NULL
    Q = .X<123>

Q will make the old table hang around, in case you might use Q to store a new
value in that table entry (be it null or something else).

If you don't do the above, you can periodically clean up by converting to the
array and back.

-Viktors