## #acl AutoAdminGroup:read,write,admin,delete,revert All:read {{{#!html
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}}} = Selective Specification (6 of 9) = A number of APL functions can be used to select elements or portions of an array. These selection operations can also be used as specifications when enclosed in parentheses and used as the left argument to the assignment symbol. The array being selected must appear as the rightmost name within the parentheses. The following functions can be used to make the selection, either singly or in combinations. ||Monadic||{{{∊ ↑ , ⌽ ⍉ ⊖}}}|| ||Dyadic||{{{↑ ↓ ⊃ ⍴ ⌽ ⍉ ⊖ ⌷}}}|| and the functions {{{\}}} ('''expand''') and {{{/}}} ('''compress''', '''replicate'''). Bracket indexing can also be used as the left argument to the assignment arrow although in this case it is not necessary to enclose the indexing expression in parentheses. Some examples will illustrate. First, bracket indexing: {{{ TAB←2 3⍴⍳6 (Simple matrix) TAB[2;1]←8 (Row 2 column 1 assigned the value 8) }}} Nearly all the selection functions listed above operate on the outermost structure of a nested array. The shape of the right argument to the assignment arrow must either match that of the selected elements or be a scalar in which case scalar extension applies. {{{ VEC←⍳5 (3↑VEC)←'ABC' (First three elements become 'ABC') VEC ABC 4 5 (3↑VEC)←'A' (A scalar right argument is extended to VEC all items specified) AAA 4 5 MAT←3 4⍴'ABCDEFGHIJKL' (Simple character matrix) (,MAT)←'NEW DATAHERE' (Ravel used for selection, so vector MAT used as right argument to ←) NEW DATA HERE (('A'=,MAT)/,MAT)←'*' (Combination of compression and ravel MAT used for selection) NEW D*T* HERE (,2 2↑MAT)←'⎕⎕⎕⎕' (Combination of ↑ and , used for MAT selection) ⎕⎕W ⎕⎕T* HERE TABLE←3 4⍴⍳12 TABLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 (1 0 1 0/TABLE)←3 2⍴100 (Compression used for selection) TABLE 100 2 100 4 100 6 100 8 100 10 100 12 DATA←⍳13 X←10 20 30 (Other APL functions may be used within ((⍴X)↑DATA)←X the parentheses - here ⍴ is used to supply DATA the left argument to ↑) 10 20 30 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Y←⍳10 X←3 ((2+X)↑Y)←⌽⍳X+2 (Left argument to ↑ includes the + function) Y 5 4 3 2 1 6 7 8 9 10 }}} The function '''enlist''' ({{{∊}}}) removes all nesting from an array. When used with selective specification, it can be used to replace elements at the deepest level of nesting, whilst retaining the structure of the array. {{{ NEST←(2 2⍴⍳4) 'TEXT' (3 1⍴⍳3) NEST 1 2 TEXT 1 3 4 2 3 (∊NEST)←0 (Entire array set to 0, but original NEST structure retained) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (6⌷∊NEST)←999 (Single element at bottom of nested array NEST array altered) 0 0 0 999 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (7⌷∊NEST)←⊂'TEXT' (Further nesting introduced) NEST 0 0 0 999 TEXT 0 0 0 0 0 0 }}} The function '''first''' ({{{↑}}}), selects the whole array which is the first element in an array. If first is used purely to select the first array within a nested array, then the array which is the right argument to the assignment arrow will replace the selected array. {{{ (↑NEST)←'ABC' (First element of NEST is a matrix of NEST shape 2 by 2. This is replaced by ABC 0 999 TEXT 0 0 a length 3 vector) 0 0 (2⌷↑NEST)←'⎕' (One element within the first element of NEST NEST is replaced) A⎕C 0 999 TEXT 0 0 0 0 }}} '''Pick''' ({{{⊃}}}) will select an entire array at an arbitrary depth in a nested array, and will also replace that entire array by the right argument to the specification symbol. {{{ 2 2⊃NEST 999 (2 2⊃NEST)←⍳10 (New array placed in 2 2⊃ of NEST) NEST A⎕C 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TEXT 0 0 0 0 (2⊃NEST)←'DATA' (Nested vector at element 2 replaced by NEST length 4 vector) A⎕C DATA 0 0 0 (3 (2 1)⊃NEST)←1000 (Row 2 column 1 of element 3 NEST specified) A⎕C DATA 0 1000 0 }}} There are some exceptions and restrictions to the rules for selective specification. For example: * User-defined functions and operators cannot be used within selective specification * '''Execute''' ({{{⍎}}}) is not allowed within selective specification * The selection expression must select elements from the variable and not insert fill items (as, for example, can be done by expand and replicate). * No arithmetic operations can be carried out on the array being specified or on the elements selected * Assignments are not allowed within the parentheses used for selective specification. * Selective and multiple specification operations cannot be mixed. Thus, if {{{ X←3 4 5 }}} then the following expressions are not allowed: {{{ (AVERAGE X)←6 (Use of user-defined function) ((⍎'1+2')↑X)←'ABC' (Use of execute) ((Y←2)↓X)←'A' (Assignment within the selection expression) ((2↓X) Y Z)←'ABC' (Mixture of multiple and selective specifications) (10↑X)←⍳10 (Fill items inserted by the selection expression) }}} As stated above, arithmetic may not be carried out on the elements of an array that are selected: {{{ X←⍳5 (2+1↑X)←5 DOMAIN ERROR (2+1↑X)←5 ^ }}} but other expressions within the specification parentheses may use arithmetic operations, even on another instance of the name being specified: {{{ ((2+1↑X)↑X)←100 X 100 100 100 4 5 }}} {{{#!html
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}}} ---- CategoryAboutApl