octave-bug-tracker
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #50359] clearer documentation for difference b


From: Mike Miller
Subject: [Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #50359] clearer documentation for difference between isnull and isempty
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2017 12:06:07 -0500 (EST)
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:51.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/51.0

Follow-up Comment #12, bug #50359 (project octave):

No, I strongly disagree with renaming the function to `__isnull__`, because it
is not for internal use only.

The point of the function is for user classes implementing a subsasgn method
in their class, for example. A class that implements its own indexing must be
able to differentiate between


myobj(3) = [];


and


x = [];
myobj(3) = x;


and the only way to do so is with the isnull function.

I support adding more text to the doc string, and maybe a small code example
showing how it might be useful in a function. But renaming it with underscores
gives the impression that it should not be used by Octave users, and that is
not true. In fact it is primarily useful for Octave users, just in a very
specific use case.

    _______________________________________________________

Reply to this item at:

  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?50359>

_______________________________________________
  Message sent via/by Savannah
  http://savannah.gnu.org/




reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]