By W. E. Gull, M. A. Jenkins
Communications of the ACM,
February 1979,
Vol. 22 No. 2, Pages 79-96
10.1145/359060.359067
Comments
A mathematical study of three approaches for defining nested arrays in APL is presented. Theorems exhibiting the relationships between the definitional systems are given and illustrated through graph representations. One of the approaches is used to define an APL array to be a recursive data structure equivalent to a tree structure in which all data is stored at the leaves as homogeneous arrays of numbers and characters. An extension of APL is proposed that includes new primitive functions to manipulate the nesting level of arrays and new operators to assist in the construction of data-driven algorithms.
The full text of this article is premium content
No entries found
Log in to Read the Full Article
Need Access?
Please select one of the options below for access to premium content and features.
Create a Web Account
If you are already an ACM member, Communications subscriber, or Digital Library subscriber, please set up a web account to access premium content on this site.
Join the ACM
Become a member to take full advantage of ACM's outstanding computing information resources, networking opportunities, and other benefits.
Subscribe to Communications of the ACM Magazine
Get full access to 50+ years of CACM content and receive the print version of the magazine monthly.
Purchase the Article
Non-members can purchase this article or a copy of the magazine in which it appears.
