[Richard Suchenwirth] 2007-05-22 - Some languages (like [Lisp]) have the concept of "atoms" which are values (often strings) stored in only one place, and all uses of such values share the same representation. This reduces memory needs for often-repeated strings, and allows fast comparison - two atoms are only equal if they have the same address (on the C side). Here's a quick sketch how to do that in Tcl:
 proc atom x {
    if {[catch set ::Atom($x)]} {
        set ::Atom($x) $x
    } else {set ::Atom($x)}
 }
#-- Testing
 set res {}
 foreach test {foo bar grill bar foo} {lappend res [atom $test]}
 parray Atom

Disadvantage: If used uncritically, the Atom array may grow considerably in long-running apps. Values that are unlikely to occur repeatedly should better not be "atomized". For instance, in a library database application, author or publisher names or years are well worth sharing with atoms, but books' titles probably not.





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''[escargo]'' - What would be the difference between [[catch set ::Atom($x)]] and [[catch {set ::Atom($x)}]]?

[LV] Hey, anyone know if there is a functional difference between the atom proc above and this one?
 proc atom x {
    if { [info exists ::Atom($x)]} {
        set ::Atom($x)
    } else {
        set ::Atom($x) $x
    }
 }

The main reason I like this is that the if more clearly specifies why it is
executed.

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[Category Concept]