implicit_str_to_num_ok=1

[John W. Eaton]

On 30-Jun-1999, Daniel Heiserer <address@hidden> wrote:

| Does anybody in this list runs with "implicit_str_to_num_ok=0"

It's the default, so I'm sure that many people use this setting.

| or lets say *REALLY* *NEEDS* "implicit_str_to_num_ok=0".

I think it is nice to know if a string is being treated as a numeric
object.  It is not so nice to have strings automatically converted to
numeric objects without warning.

| If this is not the case I would recommend to make
| "implicit_str_to_num_ok=1" the default and kick the feature
| "implicit_str_to_num_ok=0" out.

Sorry, it's not going to happen.

| Once I start fiddling around with strings this feature makes
| be absolutely sick, because I cannot handle the BASE-DATATYPE 
| of octave (The Matrix (not the movie ;-))) like a matrix
| because no matrix manipulation works on it as long as this
| dammed "implicit_str_to_num_ok=0" is set.

I don't think this is true.  Here are some examples of matrix
manipulations that do work on strings:

  GNU Octave, version 2.0.14 (i686-pc-linux-gnu).
  Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 John W. Eaton.
  This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
  For details, type `warranty'.

  octave:1> s = ["these"; "are"; "strings"]
  s =

  these  
  are    
  strings

  octave:2> s'
  ans =

  tas
  hrt
  eer
  s i
  e n
    g
    s

  octave:3> s(:,3)
  ans =

  e
  e
  r

What matrix manipulations don't work?  If you think they should work
for strings, then maybe you should report the problems as bugs rather
than complaining on the help-octave list.

| I personally don't see ANY adavantage of "implicit_str_to_num_ok=0"
| except that the code tells me it makes no sense handling 
| a string like a matrix. Why the hell not?

Uh, because a string is not a numeric object?  Do you expect

  svd (string_object)

to do anything useful?  Wouldn't it be nice to have a warning if you
accidentally make this mistake in your code, rather than producing
garbage results?

jwe



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