Version 4 of identity function

Updated 2014-05-29 04:55:28 by AMG

The identity function accepts one value and simply returns that value .

Reference

Identity function , Wikipedia

Description

PYK: The identity function is trivial to implement in Tcl :

proc identity val {return $val}

return -level 0 $x is the canonical built-in identity function . It simply sets the interpreter result to $x , and returns to the current level , allowing Tcl to continue processing the script at the current level . It's an unusual , but often quite useful, way to employ return .

AMG: Does return -level 0 $x have any advantage over lindex $x? Why do you say it is the canonical identity function?

PYK: Various built-in commands simply return their argument and can also be used as an identity function .

set x {some\{value}

#the following all act as identity functions
return -level 0 $x
lindex $x
apply {x {set x}} $x

#brace-quoted for safety
expr {$x}
subst {$x}

K $x {}
K* $x

# Works as identity functions, but only due to a bug
dict remove $x
dict replace $x

AMG: Let's say you have to pass a script to eval, and the value eval returns is used somehow. What script do you pass if you want eval to simply return a constant, the result of a substitution, or a concatenated combination thereof? All of the above methods work, and return -level 0 avoids the need for extra quoting or proc wrappers. This all can be quite useful in functional contexts.

An example use from the if page:

set y [if {$x} {lindex a} else {lindex b}]

Another approach, on the switch page, thanks to RS (2005-05-30):

proc is x {set x}
set type [switch -- $num {
    1 - 9         {is odd}
    2 - 3 - 5 - 7 {is prime}
    0 - 4 - 6 - 8 {is even}
}]

It's possible to delete the proc line and replace is with "lindex" or "return -level 0".

See Also

I Know Nothing
more discussion of -level
Single-argument dict merge/remove/replace , a Tcl bug tracker ticket
At the moment (2014-05-28), single-argument [dict merge/remove/replace] are unintentional identity functions, even when their argument is not a valid dict.