Skip to main content

Why does pattern test not work in this case to restrict the function parameters?


I was looking at this Q&A about using pattern test (pattern_?test) vs pattern condition (pattern_/;cond) and came across this example where using condition was the only possible way to restrict the function parameters (function definition added by me):


Clear[fCond]
fCond[x__ /; Plus[x] == 7] := {x}^2
fCond[1, 2, 4]

(* {1, 4, 16} *)

I know that, aside from the built-in tests in MMA (IntegerQ, NumericQ, eg), one can write custom pattern tests using pure functions [2]:


test pure function


Hence, I was trying to be clever by using tests with sequence pattern (__) coupled with sequence argument for pure function (##). However, this did not work when plugging in values for the parameter/pattern.


Clear[fTest]
fTest[x__?(Plus[##] == 7 &)] := {x}^2
fTest[1, 2, 4]
(* fTest[1, 2, 4] *)


, even though the pure function test alone does work with the plugged in sequence


Plus[##] == 7 &[1, 2, 4]
(* True *)

Why doesn't pattern test work via this method? If so, is there any other way to do pattern test as opposed to pattern condition in this case?


[2]: Ruskeepaa's Mathematica Navigator 2009 p.498



Answer



My apologies to those who closed this question for my unilaterally reopening it, but there is a nontrivial aspect to this question that I wish to address, and it would not nicely fit in comments. (I am not making an exception for myself; when someone has such an answer he wishs to give to a closed question I nearly always reopen it for him to do so.)




While I stated before that: "I can think of no way to do this with PatternTest" was not speaking rigorously and generally, but rather one-to-one substitution of methods. One can apply PatternTest to a larger expression, e.g. the entire left-hand-side, as I did for your prior question. If handling the entire LHS one must exercise care to prevent infinite recursion. Here is an example of how that may be done:



SetAttributes[sumsTo7, HoldFirst]
sumsTo7[_[s__]] := +s == 7

f[x__]?sumsTo7 := {x}

Now:


f[1, 2]
f[3, 4]



f[1, 2]

{3, 4}

It is possible to do this with an anonymous Function as well but it becomes rather baroque:


g[x__]?(Function[Null, Plus @@ Unevaluated[#] == 7, HoldAll]) := {x}

g[1, 2, 3]
g[-3, 10]



g[1, 2, 3]

{-3, 10}

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

front end - keyboard shortcut to invoke Insert new matrix

I frequently need to type in some matrices, and the menu command Insert > Table/Matrix > New... allows matrices with lines drawn between columns and rows, which is very helpful. I would like to make a keyboard shortcut for it, but cannot find the relevant frontend token command (4209405) for it. Since the FullForm[] and InputForm[] of matrices with lines drawn between rows and columns is the same as those without lines, it's hard to do this via 3rd party system-wide text expanders (e.g. autohotkey or atext on mac). How does one assign a keyboard shortcut for the menu item Insert > Table/Matrix > New... , preferably using only mathematica? Thanks! Answer In the MenuSetup.tr (for linux located in the $InstallationDirectory/SystemFiles/FrontEnd/TextResources/X/ directory), I changed the line MenuItem["&New...", "CreateGridBoxDialog"] to read MenuItem["&New...", "CreateGridBoxDialog", MenuKey["m", Modifiers-...

How to thread a list

I have data in format data = {{a1, a2}, {b1, b2}, {c1, c2}, {d1, d2}} Tableform: I want to thread it to : tdata = {{{a1, b1}, {a2, b2}}, {{a1, c1}, {a2, c2}}, {{a1, d1}, {a2, d2}}} Tableform: And I would like to do better then pseudofunction[n_] := Transpose[{data2[[1]], data2[[n]]}]; SetAttributes[pseudofunction, Listable]; Range[2, 4] // pseudofunction Here is my benchmark data, where data3 is normal sample of real data. data3 = Drop[ExcelWorkBook[[Column1 ;; Column4]], None, 1]; data2 = {a #, b #, c #, d #} & /@ Range[1, 10^5]; data = RandomReal[{0, 1}, {10^6, 4}]; Here is my benchmark code kptnw[list_] := Transpose[{Table[First@#, {Length@# - 1}], Rest@#}, {3, 1, 2}] &@list kptnw2[list_] := Transpose[{ConstantArray[First@#, Length@# - 1], Rest@#}, {3, 1, 2}] &@list OleksandrR[list_] := Flatten[Outer[List, List@First[list], Rest[list], 1], {{2}, {1, 4}}] paradox2[list_] := Partition[Riffle[list[[1]], #], 2] & /@ Drop[list, 1] RM[list_] := FoldList[Transpose[{First@li...

plotting - Magnifying Glass on a Plot

Although there is a trick in TEX magnifying glass but I want to know is there any function to magnifying glass on a plot with Mathematica ? For example for a function as Sin[x] and at x=Pi/6 Below, this is just a picture desired from the cited site. the image got huge unfortunately I don't know how can I change the size of an image here! Answer Insetting a magnified part of the original Plot A) by adding a new Plot of the specified range xPos = Pi/6; range = 0.2; f = Sin; xyMinMax = {{xPos - range, xPos + range}, {f[xPos] - range*GoldenRatio^-1, f[xPos] + range*GoldenRatio^-1}}; Plot[f[x], {x, 0, 5}, Epilog -> {Transparent, EdgeForm[Thick], Rectangle[Sequence @@ Transpose[xyMinMax]], Inset[Plot[f[x], {x, xPos - range, xPos + range}, Frame -> True, Axes -> False, PlotRange -> xyMinMax, ImageSize -> 270], {4., 0.5}]}, ImageSize -> 700] B) by adding a new Plot within a Circle mf = RegionMember[Disk[{xPos, f[xPos]}, {range, range/GoldenRatio}]] Show...