anonymous function with multiple parameter lists - scala

I am trying to declare a simple method in scala with multiple parameter lists.
These two work.
scala> def add(a:Int, b:Int) = a+ b
add: (a: Int, b: Int)Int
scala> def add(a:Int)(b:Int) = a + b
add: (a: Int)(b: Int)Int
This does not...
scala> val add = (a:Int)(b:Int)=>a + b
<console>:1: error: not a legal formal parameter.
Note: Tuples cannot be directly destructured in method or function parameters.
Either create a single parameter accepting the Tuple1,
or consider a pattern matching anonymous function: `{ case (param1, param1) => ... }
val add = (a:Int)(b:Int)=>a + b
But why ... all I am trying to do is to assign a anonymous function which takes multiple parameter lists to a value. that works with a single parameter list but not with multiple parameter lists.

It's just a matter of syntax when declaring the curried arguments.
scala> val add = (a:Int) => (b:Int) => a + b
add: Int => (Int => Int) = <function1>
scala> add(4)
res5: Int => Int = <function1>
scala> res5(9)
res6: Int = 13
Example of anonymous usage:
scala> def doit(f: Int => Int => String): String = f(2)(5)
doit: (f: Int => (Int => String))String
scala> doit(a => b => (a+b).toString)
res8: String = 7

Related

why currying does not work with a function literal?

What is the logical reason that the first form works and not the second?
scala> val d = (a: Int, b: Int) => a + b
d: (Int, Int) => Int = <function2>
scala> val d = (a: Int)(b: Int) => a + b
<console>:1: error: not a legal formal parameter.
Note: Tuples cannot be directly destructured in method or function parameters.
Either create a single parameter accepting the Tuple1,
or consider a pattern matching anonymous function: `{ case (param1, param1) => ... }
val d=(a:Int)(b:Int)=>a+b
Because multiple parameter lists aren't allowed on function declarations. If you want to curry a function, you do:
scala> val d: Int => Int => Int = a => b => a + b
d: Int => (Int => Int) = $$Lambda$1106/512934838#6ef4cbe1
scala> val f = d(3)
f: Int => Int = $$Lambda$1109/1933965693#7e2c6702
scala> f(4)
res6: Int = 7
You can also create a single parameter list and partially apply it:
scala> val d = (a: Int, b: Int) => a + b
d: (Int, Int) => Int = $$Lambda$1064/586164630#7c8874ef
scala> d(4, _: Int)
res2: Int => Int = $$Lambda$1079/2135563436#4a1a412e
We partially applied d with 4, and we got back a function, Int => Int, which means when we supply the next argument, we'll get the result:
scala> res2(3)
res3: Int = 7
We can also create a named method, and use eta-expansion to create a curried function out of it:
scala> def add(i: Int)(j: Int): Int = i + j
add: (i: Int)(j: Int)Int
scala> val curriedAdd = add _
curriedAdd: Int => (Int => Int) = $$Lambda$1115/287609100#f849027
scala> val onlyOneArgumentLeft = curriedAdd(1)
onlyOneArgumentLeft: Int => Int = $$Lambda$1116/1700143613#77e9dca8
scala> onlyOneArgumentLeft(2)
res8: Int = 3
Function currying is possible.
val curryFunc = (a: Int) => (b: Int) => a + b
curryFunc now has the type Int => (Int => Int)

Scala method created using function literals

I am new to scala and was playing around with few concepts but got stuck with following one.
If i create a method like
def sample(value:Int) = {(x:Int)=>x+1}
This works in Scala and can be tested as sample(100), but I am not able to understand as how a method and literal here can be clubbed. Can someone explain what exactly is happening?
The parameter value here is never used and is therefore redundant. The method sample() returns a function which takes one integer parameter (which is discarded) and then adds 1 to it. So you get:
scala> def sample(value:Int) = { (x:Int) => x + 1 }
sample: (value: Int)Int => Int
scala> sample(100)
res2: Int => Int = <function1>
scala> sample(100)(10)
res3: Int = 11
scala> val f = sample(99)
f: Int => Int = <function1>
scala> f(1)
res4: Int = 2
You could use the value parameter in the following way:
scala> def plusX(value:Int) = { (x:Int) => x + value}
plusX: (value: Int)Int => Int
scala> val plus10 = plusX(10)
plus10: Int => Int = <function1>
scala> plus10(15)
res7: Int = 25
Now plusX creates a function which takes a integer and adds the value value to it

Why passing different function types in called-by-name function still work?

In Scala, defining a function whose parameter is called by name is like this:
def f(x: => R)
I think => R means the a function whose parameters are empty and return value type is R. But when I pass a function whose type is not => R into f, such as R => R, I find it still works. The example is like this:
scala> def foo(code: => Int) {
| println(code)
| }
foo: (code: => Int)Unit
scala> val bar: () => Int = () => 1
bar: () => Int = <function0>
scala> foo(bar())
1
scala> val bar1: Int => Int = myInt => 2
bar1: Int => Int = <function1>
scala> foo(bar1(2))
2
Could anyone can explain it?
The x: => R in the function definition doesn't stand for function without parameters which returns R, but it means an expression which, when evaluated, returns a value of type R without specifying anything else about the expression itself.

Curried function in scala

I have a definition of next methods:
def add1(x: Int, y: Int) = x + y
def add2(x: Int)(y: Int) = x + y
the second one is curried version of first one. Then if I want to partially apply second function I have to write val res2 = add2(2) _. Everything is fine. Next I want add1 function to be curried. I write
val curriedAdd = (add1 _).curried
Am I right that curriedAdd is similiar to add2?
But when I try to partially apply curriedAdd in a such way val resCurried = curriedAdd(4) _ I get a compilation error. Then I fix it to
val resCurried = curriedAdd(4)
Why the result of a Functions.curried differs from curried version of add function(from add2)?
Firstly curriedAdd is same as add2 _ and not add2. add2 is just a method.
scala> curriedAdd
res52: Int => (Int => Int) = <function1>
scala> add2 _
res53: Int => (Int => Int) = <function1>
About the second question. I think the below is the reason. Doing
scala> val i = curriedAdd(23)
i: Int => Int = <function1>
scala> i _
res54: () => Int => Int = <function0>
scala> curriedAdd(23) _
<console>:10: error: _ must follow method; cannot follow Int => Int
curriedAdd(23) _
curriedAdd(23) _ does not work. Lets look at scala manual (§6.7)-
The expression e _ is well-formed if e is of method type or if e is a
call-by-name parameter. If e is a method with parameters, e _
represents e converted to a function type by eta expansion (§6.26.5).
If e is a parameterless method or call-by-name parameter of type =>T ,
e _ represents the function of type () => T , which evaluates e when
it is applied to the empty parameterlist ().
Remember it only evaluates if it is a method or call-by-name parameter. In curriedAdd(23) _, it does not evaluate curriedAdd(23) but checks if it is a method or call-by-name. It is not a method nor a call-by-name parameter.
It is not by-name because by-name is the property of variable. Above you get a by-name parameter after evaluating curriedAdd(23) but curriedAdd(23) in itself is not a by-name variable. Hence the error (Ideally the compiler should have coverted it). Note that the below works:
scala> curriedAdd(23)
res80: Int => Int = <function1>
scala> res80 _
res81: () => Int => Int = <function0>
The above works because res80 _, here you are applying _ to a call-by-name parameter and hence does the conversion.
To answer this question, let's take a look at the REPL.
First we define the two functions as you did.
scala> def add1(x: Int, y: Int) = x + y
add1: (x: Int, y: Int)Int
scala> def add2(x: Int)(y: Int) = x + y
add2: (x: Int)(y: Int)Int
We have defined two functions. The first one expects two parameters in one parameterlist. The second one expects two parameters, each one in an own parameterlist. The result type is the same.
Let's move on.
scala> val curriedAdd = (add1 _).curried
curriedAdd: Int => (Int => Int) = <function1>
You just created a partial applied function, that expects one parameter and returns a partial applied function of type Int => Int. This is not as similar to add2 as you expect it to be.
To achieve the same for add2, you would need to call
scala> val curriedAdd2 = add2 _
curriedAdd2: Int => (Int => Int) = <function1>

Force accessing of a def

Considering
object A {
def m(i: Int) = i
val m = (i: Int) => i * 2
}
one gets
scala> A.m(2)
<console>: error: ambiguous reference to overloaded definition,
both value m in object A of type => (Int) => Int
and method m in object A of type (i: Int)Int
match argument types (Int)
A.m(2)
^
Accessing the val can be done with
scala> val fun = A.m
fun: (Int) => Int = <function1>
scala> fun(2)
res: Int = 4
or
scala> A.m.apply(2)
res: Int = 4
but how would one access the def?
It is total rubbish (please, don't do this at home), but you can do it by assigning A to a variable of structural type, that has only the first m.
val x : { def m(i:Int):Int } = A
x.m(10)