[PD] Multi dimensional [list]

[Mathieu Bouchard]

On Mon, 1 Jan 2007, Patco wrote:

> I've done something like that for storing parameters in arrays, but like 
> matthieux bouchard said for matrixes, the length of the 'listed list' is 
> fixed.

the main thing missing in my nested list plan is a name for the atomt 
type. it can't really be A_LIST because of this correspondence

   atomtype -> selector
   A_FLOAT     float
   A_SYMBOL    symbol
   A_POINTER   pointer

but A_LIST can't work because the name "list" is already taken for a type 
of non-atom message. (an atom message is one carries exactly one atom 
which is always supposed to be of the type indicated by the selector)

I'm thinking of "plist" meaning "pointer-to-list", or "listp" as "list 
pointer", because that'll be what it is. if you put this in a 
messagebox:

   {1 2 3}

it would be equivalent to writing it with that selector, e.g.:

   listp {1 2 3}

and because that's an atomtype and that it would be able to contain the 
same thing that a regular list-message can, you will be able to nest 
listp into list or into listp:

   1 2 3 {4 5 6}
is like
   list 1 2 3 {4 5 6}

   {1 2 3 {4 5 6}}
is like
   listp 1 2 3 {4 5 6}

so, what do you think? is listp a good word? what else could it be?

(besides, another advantage of listp over regular lists is that they would 
be more efficient because they would require less copying of memory)

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| Mathieu Bouchard - tél:+1.514.383.3801 - http://artengine.ca/matju
| Freelance Digital Arts Engineer, Montréal QC Canada