[R] argument rationalization

[Prof Brian Ripley]

I think you should implement recycling, ideally at C level.
But you could have

f <- function(x, y, z)
{
    n <- max(length(x), length(y), length(z))
    .C("something", as.double(rep(x, len=n)), as.double(rep(y, len=n)),
       as.double(rep(z, len=n)), as.integer(n), ans)$ans
}

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004, Robin Hankin wrote:

>
> Hi
>
> I am writing a bunch of functions that take two, three or four
> arguments.  These functions operate on vectors of the same length; but  I 
> want the function
> to behave sensibly if one or more arguments are scalars.  "+" does this for 
> two arguments:
>
>
> "+"(1:10,3)    # interpreted as "+"(1:10,rep(3,10))
>
> But my functions can take more arguments.  Say f() takes three:
>
> f(1:10,1:10,1:10)  # default
> f(3,1:10,1:10)     # interpret as f(rep(3,10),1:10,1:10)
> f(1:10,3,1:10)     # interpret as f(1:10,rep(3,10),1:10)
> f(1:10,3,5)        # interpret as f(1:10,rep(3,10),rep(5,10))
>
> and h() takes four:
>
> h(2,4,5,1:10)    # interpret as h(rep(2,10),rep(4,10),rep(5,10),1:10)
> h(2,3,1:10,1)    # interpret as h(rep(2,10),rep(3,10),1:10,rep(1:10)
> h(1:20,3,1:20,1) # interpret as h(1:20,rep(3,20),1:20,rep(1,20))
>
> I haven't got any that need five yet, but this may change in the future.
> How do I implement this desired behaviour nicely?
>
> (I pass the arguments to .C(), which is why I need this).
>
> -- 
> Robin Hankin
> Uncertainty Analyst
> Southampton Oceanography Centre
> SO14 3ZH
> tel +44(0)23-8059-7743
> initialDOTsurname at soc.soton.ac.uk (edit in obvious way; spam precaution)
>
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>

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595