foreach little friends

iu2 - started on Jan 7 2007

1. Enjoying coding: Pressing letter keys, not arrow keys

There is often a need to introduce a new variable inside a foreach loop. For example, given:

foreach x $list {
  puts $x
}

in order to count the list's items during the loop I may do:

set c -1
foreach x $list {
    incr c
    puts "$c. $x"
}

While not so bad I still prefer not introducing new variables because

Having to go backwards to set new variables doesn't feel very pleasant. Coding feels good when it flows forward, especially inside loops. By coding I mean typing the code.
If there is a need for more than one variable, it begins to feel messy.
It makes me feel like coding in C... from tcl I would expect something else.

I think this is what mapping lists, filtering lists, lists comprehension and lambdas are all about: Make code typing flow forward. They also make the code clearer, because understanding syntax is easier than exploring algorithms.

This is a valid syntax (in python)

res = [2*x for x in lis]

but this is an algorithm:

res = []
for x in lis:
  res += [2*x]

and it remains an algorithm even if it is written like this

set res {}; foreach x $lis {lappend res $x}

This is better

proc mult2 x {expr $x*2}
set res [struct::list map $res mult2]

but not as good as this one

set res [struct::list map $res {apply {x {expr $x*2}}}

LV Better in what sense? I look at this last item and have no idea what its purpose is, while if I look at the first tcl foreach example I have a clear idea of what it is doing... except that it isn't doing what the rest of the items is doing (there's nothing about multiplying anything by 2 in the foreach example...).

iu2 Oops,I should have written the first example like this

set res2 {}; foreach x $res {lappend res2 [expr {2*$x}]}

This form has three disadvantages:

One has to read until the end of the line to get the idea of what this line is doing
The list variable itself res cannot be reused, so res2 must be introduced
I feel that stacking up two commands in one line is a less favorable coding pattern...

while the last pattern has these three advantages:

On can tell what's happening in one glimpse at the beginning of the line - a list is formed out of another list. In order to understand exactly how it is formed - the 'apply' part is right there at the end.
The list variable itself can be reused, as shown in the example.
One command in the line

I guess this is why there are so many pages here about looping, lambdas, etc.. Well, this is another one.. ;-)

Stu Jan 8 2007 - A proc facilitating the use and cleanup of 'temp' vars, counters, etc.

proc with {vars body} {
    foreach v $vars {
        foreach {name default} $v { break }
        uplevel 1 [list set $name $default]
    }
    uplevel 1 $body
    foreach v $vars {
        foreach {name default} $v { break }
        uplevel 1 [list unset -nocomplain $name]
    }
}

Your example above, using with:

with {{c -1} x} {
    foreach x $list {
        incr c
        puts "$c. $x"
    }
}

2. Introducing a counter inside a foreach

We start straight from eliminating set c -1

set list {a b c d e f g}

foreach x $list c [struct::list iota [llength $list]] {
    puts "$c. $x"
}

With a little help from

proc counters list {
    for {set c 0} {$c < [llength $list]} {incr c} {
        lappend res $c
    }
    return $res
}

we can go

foreach x $list c [counters $list] {
    puts "$c. $x"
}

This is the Python way

proc enumerate list {
    set c 0
    foreach x $list {
        lappend res $c $x
        incr c
    }
    return $res
}

foreach {c x} [enumerate $list] {
    puts "$c. $x"
}

but I prefer the previous one, which is more foreach-y.

3. First iteration commands

This code

foreach x $list first 1 {
    if {$first == 1} {set c 0} else {incr c}
    puts "$c. $x"
}

introduces the variable first, which is set to 1 in the first iteration and then becomes "" for all the rest. Since first is in foreach's arguments list, it doesn't realy seem like going back and setting a new variable.

This code sums up a list

set numbers {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

foreach x $numbers first 1 {
    if {$first == 1} {set sum $x} else {incr sum $x}
}
puts $sum

Result:

and this one finds the maximum

set numbers2 {-2 -4 -1 -3 0 10 3}

foreach x $numbers2 first 1 {
    if {$first == 1 || $x > $max} {set max $x}
}
puts $max

Result:

4. Little functions giving a Common Lisp flavour

Instead of first, let's call that variable enablecl, standing for Enable Common Lisp.

proc incrementing {var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var 0] else [list incr $var]]
}

# test
foreach x $list enablecl 1 {
    incrementing c1
    puts "$c1. $x"
}

Let's add more functions like that

proc summing {exp into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var $exp] else [list incr $var $exp]]
}

proc counting {cond into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var 0]]
    uplevel 1 [list if $cond [list incr $var]]
}

and give them a try

set numbers {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11}

# test
foreach x $numbers enablecl 1 {
    summing $x into sum1
    summing [expr 2*$x] into sum2
    counting 1 into count
    counting {int($x)/2*2 == $x} into even
    counting "int($x)/2*2 != $x" into odd
}
puts "$sum1, $sum2, $count steps, $even evens, $odd odds"

Result:

66, 132, 11 steps, 5 evens, 6 odds

Nice.

Maximum and minimum took me a while to figure out...

proc maximizing {exp into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var $exp]]
    uplevel [list if [concat $exp > $$var] [list set $var $exp]]
}

proc minimizing {exp into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var $exp]]
    uplevel [list if [concat $exp < $$var] [list set $var $exp]]
}

set numbers2 {-2 -4 -1 -3 0 10 3}

# test
foreach x $numbers2 enablecl 1 {
    maximizing $x into max
    minimizing $x into min
    puts $x,$max,$min
}
puts $max,$min

We advance towards list comprehension by introducing appending

proc appending {exp into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var [list $exp]] else [list lappend $var $exp]]
}

# test
foreach x $numbers enablecl 1 {
    appending $x into nums
    appending "Number $x" into strings
    if {$x > 5} {appending [expr 2*$x] into twice}  ;# a list comprehension...
    if {[set res [expr $x+1]] > 5} {appending $res into plus1} ;# and an improvement
}
puts [join $nums ,]
puts [join $strings \n]
puts [join $twice ", "]
puts [join $plus1 ", "]

Adding a bit more syntax to appending makes it more interesting

proc appending {exp into var {if if} {cond 1}} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var {}]]
    set res [uplevel 1 [list subst $exp]]
    uplevel 1 [regsub -all -- {%\yr\y} [list if $cond [list lappend $var $res]] $res]
}

# test
foreach x {1 2 3 4} y {5 6 7 8} enablecl 1 {
    appending [expr $x+$y] into sums2 if {%r > 8}
}
puts [join $sums2]

More stuff

proc toggling {into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var 0]]
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl != 1} [list set $var [uplevel 1 [list expr 1-$$var]]]]
}

# test
foreach x {1 2 3 4} enablecl 1 {
    toggling into togl
    puts "$x - $togl"
}

This is a general form of updating a variable each iteration

proc updating {init exp into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var $init]]
    uplevel 1 [list set $var [uplevel 1 $exp]]
}

# test
foreach x {1 2 3 4 5} enablecl 1 {
    updating 0 {expr $count+1} into count
    updating 0 {expr $sum2+$x} into sum2
    updating 1 {expr $mult*$x} into mult
    updating {} {lappend mult2 [expr 2*$x]} into mult2
}

# print result
foreach x {count sum2 mult mult2} {puts "$x: [set $x]"}

Result:

count: 5
sum2: 15
mult: 120
mult2: 2 4 6 8 10

# another test
foreach x {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12} enablecl 1 {
    updating -1 {expr ($cyc+1)%3} into cyc
    puts "x: $x, cyc: $cyc"
}

The last test leads to another idea

proc cycling {exp into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var -1]]
    uplevel 1 [list set $var [uplevel 1 [list expr ($$var+1)%$exp]]]
}

# test
foreach x {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12} enablecl 1 {
    cycling 3 into cyc
    puts "x: $x, cyc: $cyc"
}

I often write lists as rows, each row having col_count items, so

foreach number $list enablecl 1 {
    puts -nonewline "$number "
    cycling $col_count into cyc
    if {$cyc == $col_count-1} {puts ""}
}

because of that last example, I just can't resist extending cycling a little bit...

proc cycling {exp into var args} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $var -1]]
    uplevel 1 [list set $var [uplevel 1 [list expr ($$var+1)%$exp]]]
    set condcount 0
    foreach {on list what} $args {
        # if {[uplevel 1 [list set $var]] in $list} tcl 8.5
        if {[lsearch $list [uplevel 1 [list set $var]]] > -1} {uplevel 1 $what; incr condcount} else {
            if {$on eq "else" && $condcount == 0} {uplevel 1 $list}
        }
    }
}

# test
foreach x {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12} enablecl 1 {
    puts -nonewline "$x "
    cycling 3 into cyc on 2 {puts ""}
}

# or even this
foreach x {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12} enablecl 1 {
    puts -nonewline "$x"
    cycling 3 into cyc on 2 {puts ""} else {puts -nonewline " "}
}

# another test
foreach x {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12} enablecl 1 {
    cycling 4 into cyc on 0 {puts "start: cyc=$cyc"} on 3 {puts "last: cyc=$cyc"} on {1 2} {puts "middle: cyc=$cyc"}
    puts $cyc
}

5. Helper functions with a helper variable

The following example uses another variable besides var

proc cyclelist {hlpvar list into var} {
    uplevel 1 [list if {$enablecl == 1} [list set $hlpvar -1]]
    set len [llength $list]
    set index [uplevel 1 [list set $hlpvar]]
    set index [expr ($index+1)%$len]
    uplevel 1 [list set $hlpvar $index]
    uplevel 1 [list set $var [lindex $list $index]]
}

# test
foreach x {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14} enablecl 1 {
    cyclelist cyc1 {one two three four} into cyc2
    puts "$x $cyc2 ($cyc1)"
}

6. Summary

With these little helpers foreach-ing can be more readable, more fun and more press letter keys, not arrow keys ;-)
I'm sure more functions of this type can be introduced
There still may be bugs in them, so bug fixes are welcome
I'm not sure the uplevel 1 [list if... way I use is the best. Shorter or more readable formats will be appreciated.

LES on same day:

set res [struct::list map $res {apply {x {expr $x*2}}}

You call that "readable"?

iu2 well, yes, beacuse I recognize a structure: map-list-apply.

RS Due to the path structure, the first part is a bit cluttered. If you seriously use map, it might help to

interp alias {} map {} struct::list map

and then code (remember to brace your expr-essions :^)

set res [map $res {apply {x {expr {$x*2}}}}]

NEM: And adding a constructor for lambdas helps a lot:

proc func {params body} { list ::apply [list $params [list expr $body] ::] }
map $res [func x {$x*2}]

Unfortunately, the tcllib versions of map, filter and fold take arguments in an inconvenient order for interp alias, so e.g. we have to do:

proc ldouble xs { map $xs [func x {$x*2}] }

rather than simply:

def ldouble = map [func x {$x*2}]

aspect -- frankly, I find the use of [list map] and apply awkward in the above example. Using lmap it simplifies (without the need for lambda) to:

set res [lmap i $res {expr {$i*2}}]

.. or, using the version (which I prefer for succinctness, even if it is a little less flexible) from list map and list grep you get:

set res [lmap $res {expr {$_*2}}]

NEM I'm not sure which uses you find awkward? The func constructor I provide is a simple single-line proc, and the resultant map is just as tiny as lmap:

proc map {f xs} {
    set ys [list]
    foreach x $xs { lappend ys [{*}$f $x] }
    return $ys
}
map [func i {$i*2}] $res

It can also be used directly with existing commands. For instance, if we want to convert all words in a list to upper-case, we can simply do:

map {string toupper} {this is a list of words}

This is just one of the benefits of properly factoring out the construction of a callback from the control construct that uses it. Others are that we can use multiple different constructors in different situations: e.g. a plain lambda, a version that uses expr, a version that captures a closure, etc. Not to mention the benefits of byte-compilation that come from having the lambda as a single argument.

FM : sometimes I like to use this proc

proc except cond {
    uplevel [list if $cond {return -code continue}]
}

set L [list 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9]

foreach e $L {
    except {$e%2==1 || $e==0}
    lappend Res $e
}
set Res ; # 2 4 6 8

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