On 11/06/2010 20:00, Ali Çehreli wrote:
The following program demonstrates a problem that I just hit. It is a
known gotcha of arithmetic conversion rules.
The program is trying to center some text around an index of a char
array. To avoid negative index values, it calls 'max' to limit the
starting offset at 0.
import std.algorithm;
void main()
{
// An empty line
char[10] line = ' ';
// We want to center some text around the first quarter mark
int center_of_text = line.length / 4;
string text = "01234567";
// To be safe, we want to limit the starting index at 0.
// (No negative index please!)
int start = max(0, center_of_text - text.length / 2);
assert(start >= 0); // FAILS!
}
The problem is due to converting the second argument of max to unsigned.
Ali
It's not a 'gotcha of arithmetic conversion rules'.
Write your own max function:
import std.algorithm;
import std.stdio;
/*
T max(T)(T a, T b)
{
if(a > b)
return a;
return b;
}*/
void main(){
// An empty line
char[10] line = ' ';
// We want to center some text around the first quarter mark
int center_of_text = line.length / 4;
string text = "01234567";
// To be safe, we want to limit the starting index at 0.
// (No negative index please!)
auto v0 = 0;
auto v1 = center_of_text - text.length / 2;
int start = max(v0, v1);
writeln(typeid(typeof(v0)).toString);
writeln(typeid(typeof(v1)).toString);
writefln("v1: %d", v1);
writefln("start: %d", start);
assert(start >= 0); // FAILS!
}
If you uncomment the local max you get:
test.d(25): Error: template test.max(T) does not match any function
template declaration
test.d(25): Error: template test.max(T) cannot deduce template function
from argument types !()(int,uint)
There is special magic in std.algorithm.max to make it work.
Arguably the implementation in std.algorithm.max is wrong.
Allowing mixing of unsigned and signed seems like a bad idea to me.
--
My enormous talent is exceeded only by my outrageous laziness.
http://www.ssTk.co.uk
