💾 Archived View for tranarchy.fish › ~autumn › apl2 › glossary.gmi captured on 2023-04-19 at 22:53:03. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2023-03-20)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
<hr>
<h2 id="glossary">Glossary</h2>
<table id="glossary">
<colgroup>
<col style="width: 40%">
<col style="width: 60%">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Active workspace</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Workspace in which <span class="small-caps">APL2</span> objects can be examined and expressions executed.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Algorithm</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Abstract description of a program. The description of a process or procedure.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Argument</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array which is input to a function.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Array</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Rectangular collection of zero or more items arranged along zero or more axes. Each item in an array is a single number, a single character, or any other array.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Assignment</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Association of a name and an array.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Attention signal</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Request for a program to stop executing at the end of a line.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Axis</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">One of the directions along which data is arranged.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Boolean array</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array of <code>1</code>’s and <code>0</code>’s.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Boolean function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Function which takes Boolean arguments a returns a Boolean result.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Command</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Line that begins with a right parenthesis.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Constant</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Object always associated with the same value, such as a number.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Count</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Number of items in an array.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Defined function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Program used like a primitive function.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Defined operator</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Program used like a primitive operator.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Defined sequence</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Program used like a constant.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Definition mode</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">State in which an expression entered becomes part of a program and is remembered for later evaluation.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Depth</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Degree of nesting of an array.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Derived function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Function formed by the application of an operator to its operands.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Dyadic function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Function applied to two arrays as arguments.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Dyadic operator</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Operator that applies to two operands.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Empty array</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array that has zero items along at least one of its axes.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Explicit result</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array produced by a function. It can be used as an argument of another function, assigned to a name, or displayed.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Expression</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Collection of symbols that can be evaluated to produce an array, a function, or an operator.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>External name</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Operator, function, or array that can be used in an active workspace but which is defined outside the workspace.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Operation that applies to data and produces new data.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Global variable</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Variable whose value exists outside of any defined operation.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Immediate execution</strong> <strong>mode</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">State in which an expression entered is immediately evaluated.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Interrupt</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Request for a program to stop executing immediately.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Library</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Collection of saved workspaces.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Local variable</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Variable defined only within some defined operation.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Mask</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Boolean vector used to control the application of a function.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Matrix</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array with two dimensions.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Monadic function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Function that in context is applied to one array as argument.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Monadic operator</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Operator that applies to one operand.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Nested array</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array with at least one item which is not a simple scalar.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Nested scalar</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array with no axes whose only item is not a simple scalar.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Nested vector</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Linear arrangement of data where at least one item is not a simple scalar.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Operand</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">An array or function given to an operator as input.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Operator</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Operation that applies to functions and/or arrays and produces a new function as its result (called a derived function).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Primitive</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Function or operator defined as part of the <span class="small-caps">APL2</span> language and always available—even in a clear workspace.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Program</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">User-defined function, operator, or sequence.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Rank</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Number of axes of an array.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Relational function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Function that performs comparisons.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Row-major order</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Listing of the items in an array that gives every item in row <code>I</code> before it gives any item in row <code>I+1</code>. <strong>Ravel</strong> lists items of an array in row-major order.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Scalar</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array with zero axes.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Scalar function</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Function that applies independently to each simple scalar in its argument(s).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Selective assignment</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Assignment with a selection expression to the left of the left arrow.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Shadowed name</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Name of a global object which is hidden by a local object of the same name.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Simple array</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Array in which every item is a simple scalar.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Simple scalar</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Single number or single character of rank zero.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Simple vector</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Vector of simple scalars.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>State indicator</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Place where the system keeps track of expressions and programs that have started execution but have not finished.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Variable</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Name with an array as its value.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Vector</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">One-dimensional array.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Vector notation</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">In the absence of functions or operators, two or more arrays written next to each other to form a vector of the values of the arrays.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><strong>Workspace</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">Area of storage in main memory (active workspace) or in auxiliary storage (library workspace) that contains the definitions of variables and programs.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>