[Nice-commit] Nice/web manual.xml,1.12,1.13

[<bo...@us...>]

Update of /cvsroot/nice/Nice/web
In directory sc8-pr-cvs1:/tmp/cvs-serv30463

Modified Files:
	manual.xml 
Log Message:
Added section on function calls.


Index: manual.xml
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/nice/Nice/web/manual.xml,v
retrieving revision 1.12
retrieving revision 1.13
diff -C2 -d -r1.12 -r1.13
*** manual.xml	17 Feb 2003 13:45:00 -0000	1.12
--- manual.xml	22 Feb 2003 11:28:42 -0000	1.13
***************
*** 344,348 ****
      <section id="namedParameters"><title>Named parameters</title>
        <para>
! 	When calling a function (or a <link linkend="method">method</link>)
  	it is possible to specify the name of a parameter, followed by
  	<literal>:</literal> before the value given to that parameter.
--- 344,349 ----
      <section id="namedParameters"><title>Named parameters</title>
        <para>
! 	When <link linkend="call">calling</link> a function 
! 	(or a <link linkend="method">method</link>)
  	it is possible to specify the name of a parameter, followed by
  	<literal>:</literal> before the value given to that parameter.
***************
*** 698,701 ****
--- 699,752 ----
  
    <chapter><title>Expressions</title>
+     <section id="call"><title>Function calls</title>
+       <para>
+         A call is usually of the form <literal>f(e1, ..., en)</literal>.
+ 	<literal>f</literal> can be a function name, a method name, or
+ 	more generally any expression which has a functional type
+ 	(for instance, a local parameter).
+ 	<literal>e1, ..., en</literal> is the list of arguments to the 
+ 	function. Arguments can optionally be 
+ 	<link linkend="namedParameters">named</link>.
+       </para>
+ 
+       <para>
+         In many object-oriented languages, methods are called with the
+ 	syntax <literal>e1.f(e2, ..., en)</literal>. This syntax is also 
+ 	accepted in Nice, and is completely equivalent to the previous one.
+ 	In particular, <literal>e.f</literal> can be used to retrieve the value
+ 	of the field <literal>f</literal> in the object <literal>e</literal>
+ 	<footnote>
+ 	  <para>
+ 	    A consequence of these rules is that if the field 
+ 	    <literal>f</literal> contains a function, it must be called with
+ 	    <literal>(e.f)(e1, ..., en)</literal>.
+ 	  </para>
+ 	</footnote>.
+       </para>
+ 
+       <para>
+         It is possible that a name refers to several unrelated functions.
+ 	In that case, the types (and if applicable names)
+ 	of the arguments are used to try to disambiguate which function
+ 	must be called. If only one function is applicable, it is called.
+ 	Moreoever, if several functions are applicable, but one has a more
+ 	restricted domain than all the others, it is chosen
+ 	<footnote>
+ 	  <para>
+ 	    For instance, suppose two functions 
+ 	    <literal><![CDATA[<T> void foo(Collection<T>)]]></literal> and 
+ 	    <literal><![CDATA[<T> void foo(List<T>)]]></literal> are declared, 
+ 	    and <literal>aList</literal> is an expression of static type 
+ 	    <literal>List</literal>.
+ 	    The expression <literal>foo(aList)</literal> will result in
+ 	    calling the second <literal>foo</literal> function, 
+ 	    because <literal>List</literal>
+ 	    is a subclass of <literal>Collection</literal>.
+ 	  </para>
+ 	</footnote>.
+ 	Otherwise, the compiler reports an ambiguity error.
+       </para>
+     </section>
+ 
      <section><title>Tuples</title>
        <para>
***************
*** 726,730 ****
         temporary variable, using tuples: <literal>(x, y) = (y, x)</literal>.
         An important use of tuples is to allow a function or a method 
!        to return several values. Example <xref linkend="tupleEx" /> defines
         and uses the function <literal>minMax</literal>, which takes 
         two integers, and returns the smallest first, the biggest second.
--- 777,781 ----
         temporary variable, using tuples: <literal>(x, y) = (y, x)</literal>.
         An important use of tuples is to allow a function or a method 
!        to return several values. <xref linkend="tupleEx" /> defines
         and uses the function <literal>minMax</literal>, which takes 
         two integers, and returns the smallest first, the biggest second.