Author: lwall
Date: 2010-08-16 16:13:31 +0200 (Mon, 16 Aug 2010)
New Revision: 32009
Modified:
docs/Perl6/Spec/S02-bits.pod
Log:
[S02] revert Nil to undefined singleton value for masak++ et al.++
(Note, despite being a kind of "bottom", it is not a type as it was before.)
Modified: docs/Perl6/Spec/S02-bits.pod
===================================================================
--- docs/Perl6/Spec/S02-bits.pod 2010-08-16 07:49:05 UTC (rev 32008)
+++ docs/Perl6/Spec/S02-bits.pod 2010-08-16 14:13:31 UTC (rev 32009)
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@
Created: 10 Aug 2004
- Last Modified: 16 Jul 2010
- Version: 220
+ Last Modified: 16 Aug 2010
+ Version: 221
This document summarizes Apocalypse 2, which covers small-scale
lexical items and typological issues. (These Synopses also contain
@@ -2153,22 +2153,27 @@
you can think of Perl 5 references as a degenerate form of C<Capture>
when you want to refer only to a single item.
-The empty C<Parcel> is a value with a special name: C<Nil>. It is the
-named equivalent of the empty C<()> list. The C<Nil> value returns
-C<Mu> if you iterate it or try to get a positional value from it, but
+There is a special C<Parcel> value named C<Nil>. It means "there is no
+value here". It is the undefined equivalent of the empty C<()> list, except
that the
+latter is defined and means "there are 0 arguments here". The C<Nil> value
returns
+itself if you iterate it or try to get a positional value from it, but
interpolates as a null list into flat context, and an empty C<Seq>
into slice context. Since method calls are performed directly on
-any object, C<Nil.defined> returns C<True> just as C<().defined> does.
+any object, C<Nil.defined> returns C<False> while C<().defined> returns
C<True>.
-Assigning or binding C<Nil> to any scalar container causes the
+Assigning C<Nil> to any scalar container causes the
container to throw out any contents and restore itself to an
uninitialized state (after which it will contain a type object
appropriate to the declared type of the container, where C<Any>
-is the default type).
+is the default type). Binding of C<Nil> has a similar result, except that
binding
+C<Nil> to a parameter with a default causes that parameter to be set to its
+default value rather than an undefined value, as if the argument had not
+been supplied.
Assigning or binding C<Nil> to any composite container (such as an
C<Array> or C<Hash>) empties the container, resetting it back to an
-uninitialized state. The container object itself remains defined.
+uninitialized state. The container object itself the becomes undefined.
+(Asssignment of C<()> leaves it defined.)
The C<sink> statement prefix will eagerly evaluate any block or
statement, throw away the results, and instead return the C<Nil> value.
