RE: Odd behaviour with multiple return values and varargs

["Tom Miles" <Tom@...>]

> 
> Huh?  We are not talking about "unexpected values", but "an 
> unexpected number of values" in a hypothetical non-Lua 
> language that then consequently thwarts the list/value relationship.
> 
> I am saying that this non-Lua language is not a good idea, 
> and Tom Miles demands that I should write code as if I had to 
> deal with this non-Lua language, and now you call my code "at 
> fault" for not working under this hypothetical non-Lua language?
> 

Sorry if I've offended you, but I'm not *demanding* anything.  I'm also
not talking about a hypothetical non-lua language, I'm trying to
understand a justification for something that I see as counter intuitive
within the language am I trying to use.

> Why would I know that?  Why should I need to know?

I would have thought if you were calling a function you would want to
know what it does!

> I am sure we can get even more absurd if we really try, but I 
> don't think it worth doing.
> 
> >> Anyway, there is no reasonably elegant way to rewrite 
> something like
> >>
> >> a, i = f(a+1,i), f(i,a)
> >>

The same argument can be used for what I am trying to do, only I *have*
to use temporary variables.  What I was trying to do is:

function Position()
	return x,y
end

function Dimensions()
	return w,h
end

function push_clip(x,y,w,h)
	-- Do stuff
end

push_clip(Position(), Dimensions()) 


As it is, I have to do:
local x,y = Position()
push_clip(x,y, Dimensions())

This is hardly a hardship, but as I keep saying it *seems* counter
intuitive.

Oh, and just to throw a bit of petrol on the fire, if I saw code like
"a, i = f(a+1,i), f(i,a)"  I wouldn't have a clue what it was supposed
to do!

(It's so hard to leave interesting discussions)
 








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