Nonce functions

Abstract

Data, functions, and operators exist in divers current APL systems in primitive, derived, and defmed forms. Only data primitives occur in an extended literal form, which can be quite complex. This paper introduces a form of function literal, subsequently extended to include operators. Lexical scope is restricted to the minimum to achieve perspicuousness and syntactic predictability. The short expressions which result form convenient, explicit representations of some common trivial functions. They can indirectly simulate trivial operators. !"once operators can simulate syntactic entities, which have been called transforms, that produce operators. The trade-offs between extra key strokes and symbol clutter are discussed.

Extending structure, type, and expression in APL2

“…It is suggested in [5] and [6] that simple extension of vector notation to functions would provide a solution to the problem of multiple operands that generalizes to any operator. Although function vector notation and func- …”