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D - Variable Args in D

reply Kublai Kahn <Kublai_member pathlink.com> writes:
How is D going to handle variable length function arguments?
It seems like Cs variable argument list is somewhat flawed
and it doesn't support any built in handling of variable length
arguments.  It's almost hacked on with va_start and va_end and
you have to include a library.

This is a C program with variable length arguments:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdarg.h>

int multintegers(int numbers, ...)
{
va_list list;
int j;
int product;

va_start(list, numbers);

sum = 0;
for (j = 0; j < numbers; j++)
product *= va_arg(list, int);

va_end(list);

return sum;
}
Feb 27 2003
next sibling parent reply Jonathan Andrew <Jonathan_member pathlink.com> writes:
Yeah that definately sucks. Why not be able to accept "args" much the same
way main() can?

i.e.

myfunction(void[] args)
{
}

Then pass it whatever you want, however you want. And then once foreach gets
implemented you can ..... but I'm getting head of myself =). 

Perl has the $_[x] array, which is nice to use, but _ for a variable name is
kinda silly if you ask me. Fortunately, args in D isn't a global variable (I
think), so D could use it. It would mean "whatever is passed to the
function" instead of just "whatever the command line arguments are".

-Jon

In article <b3lcao$1com$1 digitaldaemon.com>, Kublai Kahn says...

How is D going to handle variable length function arguments?
It seems like Cs variable argument list is somewhat flawed
and it doesn't support any built in handling of variable length
arguments.  It's almost hacked on with va_start and va_end and
you have to include a library.

This is a C program with variable length arguments:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdarg.h>

int multintegers(int numbers, ...)
{
va_list list;
int j;
int product;

va_start(list, numbers);

sum = 0;
for (j = 0; j < numbers; j++)
product *= va_arg(list, int);

va_end(list);

return sum;
}
Feb 27 2003
next sibling parent "Achillefs Margaritis" <axilmar b-online.gr> writes:
Maybe the following syntax ?

void foo(...)
{
    for(int i = 0; i < foo.args.count; i++) {
        switch (foo.args[i].type) {
            case Int:
                break;
            case String:
                break;
        }
    }
}

The above example treats the method 'foo' as an object which has a member
'args'. This member 'args' has a member 'count' (number of arguments
passed), it is an array of arguments and each argument has a type.
Since D is a statically compiled language, all this info can be stored on
the stack.


"Jonathan Andrew" <Jonathan_member pathlink.com> wrote in message
news:b3m4ni$1rrl$1 digitaldaemon.com...

 Yeah that definately sucks. Why not be able to accept "args" much the same
 way main() can?

 i.e.

 myfunction(void[] args)
 {
 }

 Then pass it whatever you want, however you want. And then once foreach


gets

 implemented you can ..... but I'm getting head of myself =).

 Perl has the $_[x] array, which is nice to use, but _ for a variable name


is

 kinda silly if you ask me. Fortunately, args in D isn't a global variable


(I

 think), so D could use it. It would mean "whatever is passed to the
 function" instead of just "whatever the command line arguments are".

 -Jon

 In article <b3lcao$1com$1 digitaldaemon.com>, Kublai Kahn says...

How is D going to handle variable length function arguments?
It seems like Cs variable argument list is somewhat flawed
and it doesn't support any built in handling of variable length
arguments.  It's almost hacked on with va_start and va_end and
you have to include a library.

This is a C program with variable length arguments:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdarg.h>

int multintegers(int numbers, ...)
{
va_list list;
int j;
int product;

va_start(list, numbers);

sum = 0;
for (j = 0; j < numbers; j++)
product *= va_arg(list, int);

va_end(list);

return sum;
}
Feb 27 2003
prev sibling parent reply Dan Liebgold <Dan_member pathlink.com> writes:
In article <b3m4ni$1rrl$1 digitaldaemon.com>, Jonathan Andrew says...

Yeah that definately sucks. Why not be able to accept "args" much the same
way main() can?

i.e.

myfunction(void[] args)
{
}

Then pass it whatever you want, however you want. And then once foreach gets
implemented you can ..... but I'm getting head of myself =). 


The problem is, how do you call "myfunction"?

Right now, you can use printf and sprintf very easily... just list out your
parameters.  In D currently, there is no way to initialize a non-static dynamic
array. Perhaps if there was, you could use the syntax you describe above, for
example:

myfunction( new char*[] = ["parm1", "parm2"] )

Of course you can't vary the parameters types, it is quite ugly, and it requires
heap allocation. So what else can be done?

And on that topic, what is the right way to do printf style output and string
formatting in D?

Dan

P.S.: being able to initialize non-static dynamic arrays like that would sure be
nice....

P.P.S.: isn't it odd how probably the most basic and useful function among C's
libraries uses such a hacked together and dangerous techniques?
Feb 27 2003
parent Andy Friesen <andy ikagames.com> writes:
Here's something I'd been playing with.  Got the idea from boost::format

Dan Liebgold wrote:

 In article <b3m4ni$1rrl$1 digitaldaemon.com>, Jonathan Andrew says...
 

Yeah that definately sucks. Why not be able to accept "args" much the same
way main() can?

i.e.

myfunction(void[] args)
{
}

Then pass it whatever you want, however you want. And then once foreach gets
implemented you can ..... but I'm getting head of myself =). 


 
 
 The problem is, how do you call "myfunction"?
 
 Right now, you can use printf and sprintf very easily... just list out your
 parameters.  In D currently, there is no way to initialize a non-static dynamic
 array. Perhaps if there was, you could use the syntax you describe above, for
 example:
 
 myfunction( new char*[] = ["parm1", "parm2"] )
 
 Of course you can't vary the parameters types, it is quite ugly, and it
requires
 heap allocation. So what else can be done?
 
 And on that topic, what is the right way to do printf style output and string
 formatting in D?
 
 Dan
 
 P.S.: being able to initialize non-static dynamic arrays like that would sure
be
 nice....
 
 P.P.S.: isn't it odd how probably the most basic and useful function among C's
 libraries uses such a hacked together and dangerous techniques?
Feb 27 2003
prev sibling parent Burton Radons <loth users.sourceforge.net> writes:
Kublai Kahn wrote:

 How is D going to handle variable length function arguments?
 It seems like Cs variable argument list is somewhat flawed
 and it doesn't support any built in handling of variable length
 arguments.  It's almost hacked on with va_start and va_end and
 you have to include a library.


It's more than somewhat flawed; it's an artifact from the discredited B 
way of approaching function declarations.

[Regulars have seen the following before.]  The way I did this in DLI 
was to introduce the generic struct and a small addition to function 
declarations and calling:

    struct generic
    {
       TypeInfo type;
       void *data;
    }

    char [] fmt (char [] string, generic [] args...);

You can pass a list of generics to a function with a consistent syntax:

    struct Marker
    {
       char [] fmt (char [] string, generic [] args...)
       {
          return toString () ~ ": " ~ format.fmt (string, args...);
       }
    }

Extensions could allow specific types.

Walter cried uncle on this subject a couple months ago, although I don't 
know what his plans are.
Feb 27 2003