R-beta: Re: "as.numeric" `mode' and `cast' should be kept separate.

[Z. Todd Taylor]

Bill Venables <wvenable at attunga.stats.adelaide.edu.au> wrote:

[ snip ]

> I don't say this will appeal to everyone straight away, but I
> would even favour using a binary operator syntax for the
> assignment function form of the above replacement function, for
> example
> 
> "%cast.as%" <- function(x, form) {
> 	storage.mode(x) <- deparse(substitute(form))
> 	x
> }
> 
> Calls to .C would then take on such a striking form that it would
> be immediately noticed if something had been missed:
> 
> 	result <- .C("some_flashy_C_thing",
> 		     x = my.x %cast.as% double,
> 		     i = my.eye %cast.as% integer,
> 		     oops = forgot.this.one,
> 		     value = z %cast.as% single)$value

I really like that idea!  But I have to nit-pick the suggested
implementation.  Instead of the deparse(substitute()) stuff,
just take a simple character string.  Else you can't do things
like

   x %cast.as% storage.mode(y)

--Todd
-- 
Z. Todd Taylor
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Todd.Taylor at pnl.gov
Why is the 'last time' previous to this time?
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