Re: A not stupid question (no questions are stupid)

[Enrico Colombini <erix@...>]

>function change(src, tab)
>   src = gsub(src, "(%w+)", function(word) return tab[word] or word end)
>   return src
>end
>
>src = change("this is the answer", {this = "these", is = "are", answer
>= "answers"})
>
>or even
>
>function changer(tab)
>   return function(src)
>       src = gsub(src, "(%w+)", function(word) return %tab[word] or word
>end)
>   end
>end
>
>pluralise = changer {this = "these", is = "are", answer = "answers"}
>
>src = pluralise(src)

Interesting. In fact, I already had my data (word-replacement pairs) in
such a table, so I could have avoided looping over the table as I did in my
program.

As for your intriguing second example, I am well aware of the power of
closures on the rational level (that is a closure over 'tab', right?), but
I still haven't reached the stage where I could use them without thinking
things over first (despite reading "The little lisper"). I suppose a bit of
exercise is in order.

  .Erix.