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1 @c Copyright (C) 1996, 1997 John W. Eaton |
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2 @c This is part of the Octave manual. |
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3 @c For copying conditions, see the file gpl.texi. |
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4 |
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5 @node Statements |
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6 @chapter Statements |
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7 @cindex statements |
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8 |
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9 Statements may be a simple constant expression or a complicated list of |
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10 nested loops and conditional statements. |
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11 |
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12 @dfn{Control statements} such as @code{if}, @code{while}, and so on |
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13 control the flow of execution in Octave programs. All the control |
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14 statements start with special keywords such as @code{if} and |
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15 @code{while}, to distinguish them from simple expressions. |
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16 Many control statements contain other statements; for example, the |
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17 @code{if} statement contains another statement which may or may not be |
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18 executed. |
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19 |
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20 @cindex @code{end} statement |
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21 Each control statement has a corresponding @dfn{end} statement that |
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22 marks the end of the end of the control statement. For example, the |
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23 keyword @code{endif} marks the end of an @code{if} statement, and |
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24 @code{endwhile} marks the end of a @code{while} statement. You can use |
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25 the keyword @code{end} anywhere a more specific end keyword is expected, |
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26 but using the more specific keywords is preferred because if you use |
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27 them, Octave is able to provide better diagnostics for mismatched or |
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28 missing end tokens. |
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29 |
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30 The list of statements contained between keywords like @code{if} or |
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31 @code{while} and the corresponding end statement is called the |
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32 @dfn{body} of a control statement. |
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33 |
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34 @menu |
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35 * The if Statement:: |
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36 * The switch Statement:: |
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37 * The while Statement:: |
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38 * The do-until Statement:: |
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39 * The for Statement:: |
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40 * The break Statement:: |
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41 * The continue Statement:: |
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42 * The unwind_protect Statement:: |
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43 * The try Statement:: |
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44 * Continuation Lines:: |
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45 @end menu |
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46 |
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47 @node The if Statement |
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48 @section The @code{if} Statement |
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49 @cindex @code{if} statement |
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50 @cindex @code{else} statement |
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51 @cindex @code{elseif} statement |
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52 @cindex @code{endif} statement |
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53 |
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54 The @code{if} statement is Octave's decision-making statement. There |
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55 are three basic forms of an @code{if} statement. In its simplest form, |
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56 it looks like this: |
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57 |
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58 @example |
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59 @group |
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60 if (@var{condition}) |
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61 @var{then-body} |
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62 endif |
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63 @end group |
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64 @end example |
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65 |
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66 @noindent |
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67 @var{condition} is an expression that controls what the rest of the |
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68 statement will do. The @var{then-body} is executed only if |
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69 @var{condition} is true. |
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70 |
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71 The condition in an @code{if} statement is considered true if its value |
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72 is non-zero, and false if its value is zero. If the value of the |
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73 conditional expression in an @code{if} statement is a vector or a |
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74 matrix, it is considered true only if @emph{all} of the elements are |
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75 non-zero. |
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76 |
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77 The second form of an if statement looks like this: |
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78 |
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79 @example |
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80 @group |
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81 if (@var{condition}) |
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82 @var{then-body} |
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83 else |
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84 @var{else-body} |
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85 endif |
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86 @end group |
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87 @end example |
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88 |
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89 @noindent |
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90 If @var{condition} is true, @var{then-body} is executed; otherwise, |
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91 @var{else-body} is executed. |
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92 |
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93 Here is an example: |
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94 |
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95 @example |
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96 @group |
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97 if (rem (x, 2) == 0) |
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98 printf ("x is even\n"); |
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99 else |
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100 printf ("x is odd\n"); |
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101 endif |
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102 @end group |
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103 @end example |
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104 |
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105 In this example, if the expression @code{rem (x, 2) == 0} is true (that |
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106 is, the value of @code{x} is divisible by 2), then the first |
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107 @code{printf} statement is evaluated, otherwise the second @code{printf} |
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108 statement is evaluated. |
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109 |
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110 The third and most general form of the @code{if} statement allows |
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111 multiple decisions to be combined in a single statement. It looks like |
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112 this: |
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113 |
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114 @example |
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115 @group |
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116 if (@var{condition}) |
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117 @var{then-body} |
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118 elseif (@var{condition}) |
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119 @var{elseif-body} |
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120 else |
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121 @var{else-body} |
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122 endif |
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123 @end group |
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124 @end example |
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125 |
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126 @noindent |
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127 Any number of @code{elseif} clauses may appear. Each condition is |
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128 tested in turn, and if one is found to be true, its corresponding |
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129 @var{body} is executed. If none of the conditions are true and the |
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130 @code{else} clause is present, its body is executed. Only one |
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131 @code{else} clause may appear, and it must be the last part of the |
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132 statement. |
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133 |
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134 In the following example, if the first condition is true (that is, the |
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135 value of @code{x} is divisible by 2), then the first @code{printf} |
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136 statement is executed. If it is false, then the second condition is |
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137 tested, and if it is true (that is, the value of @code{x} is divisible |
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138 by 3), then the second @code{printf} statement is executed. Otherwise, |
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139 the third @code{printf} statement is performed. |
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140 |
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141 @example |
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142 @group |
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143 if (rem (x, 2) == 0) |
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144 printf ("x is even\n"); |
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145 elseif (rem (x, 3) == 0) |
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146 printf ("x is odd and divisible by 3\n"); |
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147 else |
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148 printf ("x is odd\n"); |
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149 endif |
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150 @end group |
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151 @end example |
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152 |
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153 Note that the @code{elseif} keyword must not be spelled @code{else if}, |
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154 as is allowed in Fortran. If it is, the space between the @code{else} |
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155 and @code{if} will tell Octave to treat this as a new @code{if} |
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156 statement within another @code{if} statement's @code{else} clause. For |
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157 example, if you write |
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158 |
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159 @example |
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160 @group |
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161 if (@var{c1}) |
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162 @var{body-1} |
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163 else if (@var{c2}) |
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164 @var{body-2} |
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165 endif |
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166 @end group |
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167 @end example |
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168 |
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169 @noindent |
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170 Octave will expect additional input to complete the first @code{if} |
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171 statement. If you are using Octave interactively, it will continue to |
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172 prompt you for additional input. If Octave is reading this input from a |
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173 file, it may complain about missing or mismatched @code{end} statements, |
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174 or, if you have not used the more specific @code{end} statements |
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175 (@code{endif}, @code{endfor}, etc.), it may simply produce incorrect |
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176 results, without producing any warning messages. |
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177 |
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178 It is much easier to see the error if we rewrite the statements above |
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179 like this, |
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180 |
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181 @example |
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182 @group |
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183 if (@var{c1}) |
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184 @var{body-1} |
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185 else |
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186 if (@var{c2}) |
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187 @var{body-2} |
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188 endif |
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189 @end group |
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190 @end example |
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191 |
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192 @noindent |
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193 using the indentation to show how Octave groups the statements. |
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194 @xref{Functions and Scripts}. |
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195 |
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196 @node The switch Statement |
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197 @section The @code{switch} Statement |
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198 @cindex @code{switch} statement |
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199 @cindex @code{case} statement |
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200 @cindex @code{otherwise} statement |
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201 @cindex @code{endswitch} statement |
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202 |
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203 It is very common to take different actions depending on the value of |
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204 one variable. This is possible using the @code{if} statement in the |
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205 following way |
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206 |
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207 @example |
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208 if (X == 1) |
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209 do_something (); |
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210 elseif (X == 2) |
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211 do_something_else (); |
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212 else |
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213 do_something_completely_different (); |
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214 endif |
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215 @end example |
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216 |
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217 @noindent |
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218 This kind of code can however be very cumbersome to both write and |
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219 maintain. To overcome this problem Octave supports the @code{switch} |
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220 statement. Using this statement, the above example becomes |
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221 |
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222 @example |
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223 switch (X) |
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224 case 1 |
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225 do_something (); |
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226 case 2 |
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227 do_something_else (); |
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228 otherwise |
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229 do_something_completely_different (); |
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230 endswitch |
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231 @end example |
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232 |
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233 @noindent |
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234 This code makes the repetitive structure of the problem more explicit, |
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235 making the code easier to read, and hence maintain. Also, if the |
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236 variable @code{X} should change it's name, only one line would need |
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237 changing compared to one line per case when @code{if} statements are |
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238 used. |
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239 |
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240 The general form of the @code{switch} statement is |
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241 |
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242 @example |
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243 @group |
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244 switch @var{expression} |
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245 case @var{label} |
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246 @var{command_list} |
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247 case @var{label} |
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248 @var{command_list} |
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249 @dots{} |
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250 |
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251 otherwise |
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252 @var{command_list} |
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253 endswitch |
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254 @end group |
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255 @end example |
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256 |
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257 @noindent |
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258 where @var{label} can be any expression. However, duplicate |
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259 @var{label} values are not detected, and only the @var{command_list} |
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260 corresponding to the first match will be executed. For the |
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261 @code{switch} statement to be meaningful at least one |
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262 @code{case @var{label} @var{command_list}} clause must be present, |
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263 while the @code{otherwise @var{command_list}} clause is optional. |
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264 |
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265 As with all other specific @code{end} keywords, @code{endswitch} may be |
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266 replaced by @code{end}, but you can get better diagnostics if you use |
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267 the specific forms. |
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268 |
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269 @c Strings can be matched |
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270 |
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271 One advantage of using the @code{switch} statement compared to using |
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272 @code{if} statements is that the @var{label}s can be strings. If an |
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273 @code{if} statement is used it is @emph{not} possible to write |
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274 |
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275 @example |
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276 if (X == "a string") # This is NOT valid |
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277 @end example |
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278 |
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279 @noindent |
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280 since a character-to-character comparison between @code{X} and the |
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281 string will be made instead of evaluating if the strings are equal. |
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282 This special-case is handled by the @code{switch} statement, and it |
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283 is possible to write programs that look like this |
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284 |
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285 @example |
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286 switch (X) |
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287 case "a string" |
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288 do_something |
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289 @dots{} |
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290 endswitch |
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291 @end example |
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292 |
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293 @node Notes for the C programmer |
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294 @subsection Notes for the C programmer |
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295 |
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296 The @code{switch} statement is also used in the widely used C |
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297 programming language. There are, however, some differences |
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298 between the statement in Octave and C |
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299 |
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300 @itemize @bullet |
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301 @item |
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302 Cases are exclusive, so they don't `fall through' as do the cases |
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303 in the switch statement of the C language. |
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304 |
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305 @item |
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306 The @var{command_list} elements are not optional. Making the list |
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307 optional would have meant requiring a separator between the label and |
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308 the command list. Otherwise, things like |
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309 |
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310 @example |
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311 @group |
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312 switch (foo) |
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313 case (1) -2 |
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314 @dots{} |
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315 @end group |
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316 @end example |
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317 |
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318 @noindent |
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319 would produce surprising results, as would |
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320 |
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321 @example |
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322 @group |
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323 switch (foo) |
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324 case (1) |
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325 case (2) |
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326 doit (); |
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327 @dots{} |
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328 @end group |
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329 @end example |
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330 |
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331 @noindent |
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332 particularly for C programmers. |
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333 @end itemize |
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334 |
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335 @node The while Statement |
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336 @section The @code{while} Statement |
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337 @cindex @code{while} statement |
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338 @cindex @code{endwhile} statement |
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339 @cindex loop |
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340 @cindex body of a loop |
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341 |
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342 In programming, a @dfn{loop} means a part of a program that is (or at least can |
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343 be) executed two or more times in succession. |
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344 |
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345 The @code{while} statement is the simplest looping statement in Octave. |
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346 It repeatedly executes a statement as long as a condition is true. As |
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347 with the condition in an @code{if} statement, the condition in a |
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348 @code{while} statement is considered true if its value is non-zero, and |
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349 false if its value is zero. If the value of the conditional expression |
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350 in a @code{while} statement is a vector or a matrix, it is considered |
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351 true only if @emph{all} of the elements are non-zero. |
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352 |
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353 Octave's @code{while} statement looks like this: |
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354 |
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355 @example |
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356 @group |
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357 while (@var{condition}) |
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358 @var{body} |
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359 endwhile |
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360 @end group |
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361 @end example |
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362 |
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363 @noindent |
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364 Here @var{body} is a statement or list of statements that we call the |
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365 @dfn{body} of the loop, and @var{condition} is an expression that |
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366 controls how long the loop keeps running. |
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367 |
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368 The first thing the @code{while} statement does is test @var{condition}. |
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369 If @var{condition} is true, it executes the statement @var{body}. After |
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370 @var{body} has been executed, @var{condition} is tested again, and if it |
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371 is still true, @var{body} is executed again. This process repeats until |
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372 @var{condition} is no longer true. If @var{condition} is initially |
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373 false, the body of the loop is never executed. |
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374 |
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375 This example creates a variable @code{fib} that contains the first ten |
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376 elements of the Fibonacci sequence. |
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377 |
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378 @example |
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379 @group |
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380 fib = ones (1, 10); |
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381 i = 3; |
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382 while (i <= 10) |
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383 fib (i) = fib (i-1) + fib (i-2); |
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384 i++; |
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385 endwhile |
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386 @end group |
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387 @end example |
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388 |
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389 @noindent |
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390 Here the body of the loop contains two statements. |
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391 |
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392 The loop works like this: first, the value of @code{i} is set to 3. |
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393 Then, the @code{while} tests whether @code{i} is less than or equal to |
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394 10. This is the case when @code{i} equals 3, so the value of the |
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395 @code{i}-th element of @code{fib} is set to the sum of the previous two |
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396 values in the sequence. Then the @code{i++} increments the value of |
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397 @code{i} and the loop repeats. The loop terminates when @code{i} |
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398 reaches 11. |
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399 |
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400 A newline is not required between the condition and the |
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401 body; but using one makes the program clearer unless the body is very |
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402 simple. |
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403 |
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404 @node The do-until Statement |
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405 @section The @code{do-until} Statement |
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406 @cindex @code{do-until} statement |
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407 |
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408 The @code{do-until} statement is similar to the @code{while} statement, |
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409 except that it repeatedly executes a statement until a condition becomes |
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410 true, and the test of the condition is at the end of the loop, so the |
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411 body of the loop is always executed at least once. As with the |
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412 condition in an @code{if} statement, the condition in a @code{do-until} |
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413 statement is considered true if its value is non-zero, and false if its |
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414 value is zero. If the value of the conditional expression in a |
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415 @code{do-until} statement is a vector or a matrix, it is considered |
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416 true only if @emph{all} of the elements are non-zero. |
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417 |
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418 Octave's @code{do-until} statement looks like this: |
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419 |
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420 @example |
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421 @group |
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422 do |
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423 @var{body} |
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424 until (@var{condition}) |
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425 @end group |
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426 @end example |
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427 |
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428 @noindent |
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429 Here @var{body} is a statement or list of statements that we call the |
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430 @dfn{body} of the loop, and @var{condition} is an expression that |
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431 controls how long the loop keeps running. |
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432 |
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433 This example creates a variable @code{fib} that contains the first ten |
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434 elements of the Fibonacci sequence. |
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435 |
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436 @example |
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437 @group |
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438 fib = ones (1, 10); |
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439 i = 2; |
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440 do |
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441 i++; |
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442 fib (i) = fib (i-1) + fib (i-2); |
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443 until (i == 10) |
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444 @end group |
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445 @end example |
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446 |
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447 A newline is not required between the @code{do} keyword and the |
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448 body; but using one makes the program clearer unless the body is very |
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449 simple. |
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450 |
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451 @node The for Statement |
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452 @section The @code{for} Statement |
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453 @cindex @code{for} statement |
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454 @cindex @code{endfor} statement |
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455 |
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456 The @code{for} statement makes it more convenient to count iterations of a |
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457 loop. The general form of the @code{for} statement looks like this: |
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458 |
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459 @example |
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460 @group |
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461 for @var{var} = @var{expression} |
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462 @var{body} |
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463 endfor |
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464 @end group |
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465 @end example |
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466 |
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467 @noindent |
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468 where @var{body} stands for any statement or list of statements, |
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469 @var{expression} is any valid expression, and @var{var} may take several |
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470 forms. Usually it is a simple variable name or an indexed variable. If |
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471 the value of @var{expression} is a structure, @var{var} may also be a |
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|
472 list. @xref{Looping Over Structure Elements}, below. |
|
|
473 |
|
|
474 The assignment expression in the @code{for} statement works a bit |
|
|
475 differently than Octave's normal assignment statement. Instead of |
|
|
476 assigning the complete result of the expression, it assigns each column |
|
|
477 of the expression to @var{var} in turn. If @var{expression} is a range, |
|
|
478 a row vector, or a scalar, the value of @var{var} will be a scalar each |
|
|
479 time the loop body is executed. If @var{var} is a column vector or a |
|
|
480 matrix, @var{var} will be a column vector each time the loop body is |
|
|
481 executed. |
|
|
482 |
|
|
483 The following example shows another way to create a vector containing |
|
|
484 the first ten elements of the Fibonacci sequence, this time using the |
|
|
485 @code{for} statement: |
|
|
486 |
|
|
487 @example |
|
|
488 @group |
|
|
489 fib = ones (1, 10); |
|
|
490 for i = 3:10 |
|
|
491 fib (i) = fib (i-1) + fib (i-2); |
|
|
492 endfor |
|
|
493 @end group |
|
|
494 @end example |
|
|
495 |
|
|
496 @noindent |
|
|
497 This code works by first evaluating the expression @code{3:10}, to |
|
|
498 produce a range of values from 3 to 10 inclusive. Then the variable |
|
|
499 @code{i} is assigned the first element of the range and the body of the |
|
|
500 loop is executed once. When the end of the loop body is reached, the |
|
|
501 next value in the range is assigned to the variable @code{i}, and the |
|
|
502 loop body is executed again. This process continues until there are no |
|
|
503 more elements to assign. |
|
|
504 |
|
|
505 Although it is possible to rewrite all @code{for} loops as @code{while} |
|
|
506 loops, the Octave language has both statements because often a |
|
|
507 @code{for} loop is both less work to type and more natural to think of. |
|
|
508 Counting the number of iterations is very common in loops and it can be |
|
|
509 easier to think of this counting as part of looping rather than as |
|
|
510 something to do inside the loop. |
|
|
511 |
|
|
512 @menu |
|
|
513 * Looping Over Structure Elements:: |
|
|
514 @end menu |
|
|
515 |
|
4167
|
516 @node Looping Over Structure Elements |
|
3294
|
517 @subsection Looping Over Structure Elements |
|
|
518 @cindex structure elements, looping over |
|
|
519 @cindex looping over structure elements |
|
|
520 |
|
|
521 A special form of the @code{for} statement allows you to loop over all |
|
|
522 the elements of a structure: |
|
|
523 |
|
|
524 @example |
|
|
525 @group |
|
|
526 for [ @var{val}, @var{key} ] = @var{expression} |
|
|
527 @var{body} |
|
|
528 endfor |
|
|
529 @end group |
|
|
530 @end example |
|
|
531 |
|
|
532 @noindent |
|
|
533 In this form of the @code{for} statement, the value of @var{expression} |
|
|
534 must be a structure. If it is, @var{key} and @var{val} are set to the |
|
|
535 name of the element and the corresponding value in turn, until there are |
|
|
536 no more elements. For example, |
|
|
537 |
|
|
538 @example |
|
|
539 @group |
|
|
540 x.a = 1 |
|
|
541 x.b = [1, 2; 3, 4] |
|
|
542 x.c = "string" |
|
|
543 for [val, key] = x |
|
|
544 key |
|
|
545 val |
|
|
546 endfor |
|
|
547 |
|
|
548 @print{} key = a |
|
|
549 @print{} val = 1 |
|
|
550 @print{} key = b |
|
|
551 @print{} val = |
|
|
552 @print{} |
|
|
553 @print{} 1 2 |
|
|
554 @print{} 3 4 |
|
|
555 @print{} |
|
|
556 @print{} key = c |
|
|
557 @print{} val = string |
|
|
558 @end group |
|
|
559 @end example |
|
|
560 |
|
|
561 The elements are not accessed in any particular order. If you need to |
|
|
562 cycle through the list in a particular way, you will have to use the |
|
|
563 function @code{struct_elements} and sort the list yourself. |
|
|
564 |
|
|
565 The @var{key} variable may also be omitted. If it is, the brackets are |
|
|
566 also optional. This is useful for cycling through the values of all the |
|
|
567 structure elements when the names of the elements do not need to be |
|
|
568 known. |
|
|
569 |
|
4167
|
570 @node The break Statement |
|
3294
|
571 @section The @code{break} Statement |
|
|
572 @cindex @code{break} statement |
|
|
573 |
|
|
574 The @code{break} statement jumps out of the innermost @code{for} or |
|
|
575 @code{while} loop that encloses it. The @code{break} statement may only |
|
|
576 be used within the body of a loop. The following example finds the |
|
|
577 smallest divisor of a given integer, and also identifies prime numbers: |
|
|
578 |
|
|
579 @example |
|
|
580 @group |
|
|
581 num = 103; |
|
|
582 div = 2; |
|
|
583 while (div*div <= num) |
|
|
584 if (rem (num, div) == 0) |
|
|
585 break; |
|
|
586 endif |
|
|
587 div++; |
|
|
588 endwhile |
|
|
589 if (rem (num, div) == 0) |
|
|
590 printf ("Smallest divisor of %d is %d\n", num, div) |
|
|
591 else |
|
|
592 printf ("%d is prime\n", num); |
|
|
593 endif |
|
|
594 @end group |
|
|
595 @end example |
|
|
596 |
|
|
597 When the remainder is zero in the first @code{while} statement, Octave |
|
|
598 immediately @dfn{breaks out} of the loop. This means that Octave |
|
|
599 proceeds immediately to the statement following the loop and continues |
|
|
600 processing. (This is very different from the @code{exit} statement |
|
|
601 which stops the entire Octave program.) |
|
|
602 |
|
|
603 Here is another program equivalent to the previous one. It illustrates |
|
|
604 how the @var{condition} of a @code{while} statement could just as well |
|
|
605 be replaced with a @code{break} inside an @code{if}: |
|
|
606 |
|
|
607 @example |
|
|
608 @group |
|
|
609 num = 103; |
|
|
610 div = 2; |
|
|
611 while (1) |
|
|
612 if (rem (num, div) == 0) |
|
|
613 printf ("Smallest divisor of %d is %d\n", num, div); |
|
|
614 break; |
|
|
615 endif |
|
|
616 div++; |
|
|
617 if (div*div > num) |
|
|
618 printf ("%d is prime\n", num); |
|
|
619 break; |
|
|
620 endif |
|
|
621 endwhile |
|
|
622 @end group |
|
|
623 @end example |
|
|
624 |
|
4167
|
625 @node The continue Statement |
|
3294
|
626 @section The @code{continue} Statement |
|
|
627 @cindex @code{continue} statement |
|
|
628 |
|
|
629 The @code{continue} statement, like @code{break}, is used only inside |
|
|
630 @code{for} or @code{while} loops. It skips over the rest of the loop |
|
|
631 body, causing the next cycle around the loop to begin immediately. |
|
|
632 Contrast this with @code{break}, which jumps out of the loop altogether. |
|
|
633 Here is an example: |
|
|
634 |
|
|
635 @example |
|
|
636 @group |
|
|
637 # print elements of a vector of random |
|
|
638 # integers that are even. |
|
|
639 |
|
|
640 # first, create a row vector of 10 random |
|
|
641 # integers with values between 0 and 100: |
|
|
642 |
|
|
643 vec = round (rand (1, 10) * 100); |
|
|
644 |
|
|
645 # print what we're interested in: |
|
|
646 |
|
|
647 for x = vec |
|
|
648 if (rem (x, 2) != 0) |
|
|
649 continue; |
|
|
650 endif |
|
|
651 printf ("%d\n", x); |
|
|
652 endfor |
|
|
653 @end group |
|
|
654 @end example |
|
|
655 |
|
|
656 If one of the elements of @var{vec} is an odd number, this example skips |
|
|
657 the print statement for that element, and continues back to the first |
|
|
658 statement in the loop. |
|
|
659 |
|
|
660 This is not a practical example of the @code{continue} statement, but it |
|
|
661 should give you a clear understanding of how it works. Normally, one |
|
|
662 would probably write the loop like this: |
|
|
663 |
|
|
664 @example |
|
|
665 @group |
|
|
666 for x = vec |
|
|
667 if (rem (x, 2) == 0) |
|
|
668 printf ("%d\n", x); |
|
|
669 endif |
|
|
670 endfor |
|
|
671 @end group |
|
|
672 @end example |
|
|
673 |
|
4167
|
674 @node The unwind_protect Statement |
|
3294
|
675 @section The @code{unwind_protect} Statement |
|
|
676 @cindex @code{unwind_protect} statement |
|
|
677 @cindex @code{unwind_protect_cleanup} |
|
|
678 @cindex @code{end_unwind_protect} |
|
|
679 |
|
|
680 Octave supports a limited form of exception handling modelled after the |
|
|
681 unwind-protect form of Lisp. |
|
|
682 |
|
|
683 The general form of an @code{unwind_protect} block looks like this: |
|
|
684 |
|
|
685 @example |
|
|
686 @group |
|
|
687 unwind_protect |
|
|
688 @var{body} |
|
|
689 unwind_protect_cleanup |
|
|
690 @var{cleanup} |
|
|
691 end_unwind_protect |
|
|
692 @end group |
|
|
693 @end example |
|
|
694 |
|
|
695 @noindent |
|
|
696 Where @var{body} and @var{cleanup} are both optional and may contain any |
|
|
697 Octave expressions or commands. The statements in @var{cleanup} are |
|
|
698 guaranteed to be executed regardless of how control exits @var{body}. |
|
|
699 |
|
|
700 This is useful to protect temporary changes to global variables from |
|
|
701 possible errors. For example, the following code will always restore |
|
6501
|
702 the original value of the global variable @code{frobnositcate} |
|
3294
|
703 even if an error occurs while performing the indexing operation. |
|
|
704 |
|
|
705 @example |
|
|
706 @group |
|
6501
|
707 save_frobnosticate = frobnosticate; |
|
3294
|
708 unwind_protect |
|
6501
|
709 frobnosticate = true; |
|
|
710 @dots{} |
|
3294
|
711 unwind_protect_cleanup |
|
6501
|
712 frobnosticate = save_frobnosticate; |
|
3294
|
713 end_unwind_protect |
|
|
714 @end group |
|
|
715 @end example |
|
|
716 |
|
6501
|
717 Without @code{unwind_protect}, the value of @var{frobnosticate} |
|
3294
|
718 would not be restored if an error occurs while performing the indexing |
|
|
719 operation because evaluation would stop at the point of the error and |
|
|
720 the statement to restore the value would not be executed. |
|
|
721 |
|
4167
|
722 @node The try Statement |
|
3294
|
723 @section The @code{try} Statement |
|
|
724 @cindex @code{try} statement |
|
|
725 @cindex @code{catch} |
|
|
726 @cindex @code{end_try_catch} |
|
|
727 |
|
|
728 In addition to unwind_protect, Octave supports another limited form of |
|
|
729 exception handling. |
|
|
730 |
|
|
731 The general form of a @code{try} block looks like this: |
|
|
732 |
|
|
733 @example |
|
|
734 @group |
|
|
735 try |
|
|
736 @var{body} |
|
|
737 catch |
|
|
738 @var{cleanup} |
|
|
739 end_try_catch |
|
|
740 @end group |
|
|
741 @end example |
|
|
742 |
|
|
743 Where @var{body} and @var{cleanup} are both optional and may contain any |
|
|
744 Octave expressions or commands. The statements in @var{cleanup} are |
|
|
745 only executed if an error occurs in @var{body}. |
|
|
746 |
|
|
747 No warnings or error messages are printed while @var{body} is |
|
|
748 executing. If an error does occur during the execution of @var{body}, |
|
4699
|
749 @var{cleanup} can use the function @code{lasterr} to access the text |
|
|
750 of the message that would have been printed. This is the same |
|
|
751 as @code{eval (@var{try}, @var{catch})} but it is more efficient since |
|
|
752 the commands do not need to be parsed each time the @var{try} and |
|
|
753 @var{catch} statements are evaluated. @xref{Error Handling}, for more |
|
|
754 information about the @code{lasterr} function. |
|
3294
|
755 |
|
|
756 Octave's @var{try} block is a very limited variation on the Lisp |
|
|
757 condition-case form (limited because it cannot handle different classes |
|
|
758 of errors separately). Perhaps at some point Octave can have some sort |
|
|
759 of classification of errors and try-catch can be improved to be as |
|
|
760 powerful as condition-case in Lisp. |
|
|
761 |
|
|
762 @cindex continuation lines |
|
|
763 @cindex @code{...} continuation marker |
|
|
764 @cindex @code{\} continuation marker |
|
|
765 |
|
4167
|
766 @node Continuation Lines |
|
3294
|
767 @section Continuation Lines |
|
|
768 |
|
|
769 In the Octave language, most statements end with a newline character and |
|
|
770 you must tell Octave to ignore the newline character in order to |
|
|
771 continue a statement from one line to the next. Lines that end with the |
|
|
772 characters @code{...} or @code{\} are joined with the following line |
|
|
773 before they are divided into tokens by Octave's parser. For example, |
|
|
774 the lines |
|
|
775 |
|
|
776 @example |
|
|
777 @group |
|
|
778 x = long_variable_name ... |
|
|
779 + longer_variable_name \ |
|
|
780 - 42 |
|
|
781 @end group |
|
|
782 @end example |
|
|
783 |
|
|
784 @noindent |
|
|
785 form a single statement. The backslash character on the second line |
|
|
786 above is interpreted a continuation character, @emph{not} as a division |
|
|
787 operator. |
|
|
788 |
|
|
789 For continuation lines that do not occur inside string constants, |
|
|
790 whitespace and comments may appear between the continuation marker and |
|
|
791 the newline character. For example, the statement |
|
|
792 |
|
|
793 @example |
|
|
794 @group |
|
|
795 x = long_variable_name ... # comment one |
|
|
796 + longer_variable_name \ # comment two |
|
|
797 - 42 # last comment |
|
|
798 @end group |
|
|
799 @end example |
|
|
800 |
|
|
801 @noindent |
|
|
802 is equivalent to the one shown above. Inside string constants, the |
|
|
803 continuation marker must appear at the end of the line just before the |
|
|
804 newline character. |
|
|
805 |
|
|
806 Input that occurs inside parentheses can be continued to the next line |
|
|
807 without having to use a continuation marker. For example, it is |
|
|
808 possible to write statements like |
|
|
809 |
|
|
810 @example |
|
|
811 @group |
|
|
812 if (fine_dining_destination == on_a_boat |
|
|
813 || fine_dining_destination == on_a_train) |
|
4541
|
814 seuss (i, will, not, eat, them, sam, i, am, i, |
|
3294
|
815 will, not, eat, green, eggs, and, ham); |
|
|
816 endif |
|
|
817 @end group |
|
|
818 @end example |
|
|
819 |
|
|
820 @noindent |
|
|
821 without having to add to the clutter with continuation markers. |
