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What's the difference between a proc and a lambda in Ruby?
When run this Ruby code:
def func_one
proc_new = Proc.new {return "123"}
proc_new.call
return "456"
end
def func_two
lambda_new = lambda {return "123"}
lambda_new.call
return "456"
end
puts "The result of running func_one is " + func_one
puts ""
puts "The result of running func_two is " + func_two
The result that I get is as follows:
The result of running func_one is 123
The result of running func_two is 456
As for func_two, where is the the value of the first return, that is, 123?
Thanks.
This is one of the main differences between Procs and lambdas.
A return in a Proc returns from its enclosing block/method, while a return in a lambda simply returns from the lambda. When you call the lambda inside the func_two, it simply returns its value in place, which is not saved.
Read on Procs v. lambdas here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Ruby_Programming/Syntax/Method_Calls
See duplicate SO question:
Why does explicit return make a difference in a Proc?
EDIT:
To further illustrate this difference, swap func_one and func_two for blocks and see what happens:
> begin; lambda { return 1 }.call end
1
> begin; Proc.new { return 1 }.call end
LocalJumpError: unexpected return
...
In the proc, the return "123" is bubbling up and returning from the outer function, func_one. Therefore the second return statement is never encountered.
In the lambda, the return "123" is returning only from the lambda. You're not setting an variable to the return value of the lambda (when you do lambda_new.call, so the value is basically just thrown out. Then, the return "456" is called and returns from the function. If, instead of returning "456", you returned lambda_new.call, the return value of func_two would be "123".
123 is a value of lambda_new.call statement, but it is not used and not shows up.
Related
Example: LinkedList printing method.
For this object, you will find a printing method using block, proc, and lambda.
It is not clear to me what the advantages/disadvantages are (if any).
Thank you
What is a LinkedList?
A LinkedList is a node that has a specific value attached to it (which is sometimes called a payload), and a link to another node (or nil if there is no next item).
class LinkedListNode
attr_accessor :value, :next_node
def initialize(value, next_node = nil)
#value = value
#next_node = next_node
end
def method_print_values(list_node)
if list_node
print "#{list_node.value} --> "
method_print_values(list_node.next_node)
else
print "nil\n"
return
end
end
end
node1 = LinkedListNode.new(37)
node2 = LinkedListNode.new(99, node1)
node3 = LinkedListNode.new(12, node2)
#printing the linked list through a method defined within the scope of the class
node3.method_print_values(node3)
#---------------------------- Defining the printing method through a BLOCK
def block_print_value(list_node, &block)
if list_node
yield list_node
block_print_value(list_node.next_node, &block)
else
print "nil\n"
return
end
end
block_print_value(node3) { |list_node| print "#{list_node.value} --> " }
#---------------------------- Defining the printing method through a PROC
def proc_print_value(list_node, callback)
if list_node
callback.call(list_node) #this line invokes the print function defined below
proc_print_value(list_node.next_node, callback)
else
print "nil\n"
end
end
proc_print_value(node3, Proc.new {|list_node| print "#{list_node.value} --> "})
#---------------------------- Defining the printing method through a LAMBDA
def lambda_print_value(list_node, callback)
if list_node
callback.call(list_node) #this line invokes the print function defined below
lambda_print_value(list_node.next_node, callback)
else
print "nil\n"
end
end
lambda_print_value(node3, lambda {|list_node| print "#{list_node.value} --> "})
#---------------------------- Defining the printing method outside the class
def print_values(list_node)
if list_node
print "#{list_node.value} --> "
print_values(list_node.next_node)
else
print "nil\n"
return
end
end
print_values(node3)
Examples display how to use different things to do the same. So, there is no principal difference between them in this context:
my_proc = Proc.new { |list_node| print "#{list_node.value} --> " }
node3.block_print_values(node3, &my_proc)
node3.proc_print_value(node3, my_proc)
node3.lambda_print_value(node3, my_proc)
Also, there is possible to define a method by using any of them:
define_method(:my_method, p, &proc { puts p })
my_method 'hello' #=> hello
define_method(:my_method, p, &-> { puts p })
my_method 'hello' #=> hello
But Proc, Lambda, block are not the same. Firstly, need a bit more display how to works magic &. The great article can help with that:
&object is evaluated in the following way:
if object is a block, it converts the block into a simple proc.
if object is a Proc, it converts the object into a block while preserving the lambda? status of the object.
if object is not a Proc, it first calls #to_proc on the object and then converts it into a block.
But this does not show the differences between them. So, now let go to the ruby source:
Proc objects are blocks of code that have been bound to a set of local variables. Once bound, the code may be called in different contexts and still access those variables.
And
+lambda+, +proc+ and Proc.new preserve the tricks of a Proc object given by & argument.
lambda(&lambda {}).lambda? #=> true
proc(&lambda {}).lambda? #=> true
Proc.new(&lambda {}).lambda? #=> true
lambda(&proc {}).lambda? #=> false
proc(&proc {}).lambda? #=> false
Proc.new(&proc {}).lambda? #=> false
Proc created as:
VALUE block = proc_new(klass, FALSE);
rb_obj_call_init(block, argc, argv);
return block;
When lambda:
return proc_new(rb_cProc, TRUE);
Both are Proc. In this case, the difference is just in TRUE or FALSE. TRUE, FALSE - check the number of parameters passed when called.
So, lambda is like more strict Proc:
is_proc = !proc->is_lambda;
Summary of Lambda vs Proc:
Lambdas check the number of arguments, while procs do not.
Return within the proc would exit the method from where it is called.
Return within a lambda would exit it from the lambda and the method would continue executing.
Lambdas are closer to a method.
Blocks: They are called closures in other languages, it is a way of grouping code/statements. In ruby single line blocks are written in {} and multi-line blocks are represented using do..end.
Block is not an object and can not be saved in a variable. Lambda and Proc are both an object.
So, let do small code test based on this answer:
# ruby 2.5.1
user system total real
0.016815 0.000000 0.016815 ( 0.016823)
0.023170 0.000001 0.023171 ( 0.023186)
0.117713 0.000000 0.117713 ( 0.117775)
0.217361 0.000000 0.217361 ( 0.217388)
This shows that using block.call is almost 2x slower than using yield.
Thanks, #engineersmnky, for good references in comments.
Proc is an object wrapper over block. Lambda basically is a proc with different behavior.
AFAIK pure blocks are more rational to use compared to procs.
def f
yield 123
end
Should be faster than
def g(&block)
block.call(123)
end
But proc can be passed on further.
I guess you should find some articles with performance comparison on the toppic
IMO, your block_print_value method is poorly designed/named, which makes it impossible to answer your question directly. From the name of the method, we would expect that the method "prints" something, but the only printing is the border condition, which does a
print "nil\n"
So, while I would strongly vote against using this way to print the tree, it doesn't mean that the whole idea of using a block for the printing problem is bad.
Since your problem looks like a programming assignment, I don't post a whole solution, but give a hint:
Replace your block_print_value by a, say block_visit_value, which does the same like your current method, but doesn't do any printing. Instead, the "else" part could also invoke the block to let it do the printing.
I'm sure that you will see afterwards the advantage of this method. If not, come back here for a discussion.
At a high level, procs are methods that can be stored inside variables like so:
full_name = Proc.new { |first,last| first + " " + last }
I can call this in two ways, using the bracket syntax followed by the arguments I want to pass to it or use the call method to run the proc and pass in arguments inside of parentheses like so:
p full_name.call("Daniel","Cortes")
What I did with the first line above is create a new instance of Proc and assigned it to a variable called full_name. Procs can take a code block as a parameter so I passed it two different arguments, arguments go inside the pipes.
I can also make it print my name five times:
full_name = Proc.new { |first| first * 5 }
The block I was referring to is called a closure in other programming languages. Blocks allow you to group statements together and encapsulate behavior. You can create blocks with curly braces or do...end syntax.
Why use Procs?
The answer is Procs give you more flexibility than methods. With Procs you can store an entire set of processes inside a variable and then call the variable anywhere else in your program.
Similar to Procs, Lambdas allow you to store functions inside a variable and call the method from other parts of the program. So really the same code I had above can be used like so:
full_name = lambda { |first,last| first + " " + last }
p full_name["daniel","cortes"]
So what is the difference between the two?
There are two key differences in addition to syntax. Please note that the differences are subtle, even to the point that you may never even notice them while programming.
The first key difference is that Lambdas count the arguments you pass to them whereas Procs do not. For example:
full_name = lambda { |first,last| first + " " + last }
p full_name.call("Daniel","Cortes")
The code above works, however, if I pass it another argument:
p full_name.call("Daniel","Abram","Cortes")
The application throws an error saying that I am passing in the wrong number of arguments.
However, with Procs it will not throw an error. It simply looks at the first two arguments and ignores anything after that.
Secondly, Lambdas and Procs have different behavior when it comes to returning values from methods, for example:
def my_method
x = lambda { return }
x.call
p "Text within method"
end
If I run this method, it prints out Text within method. However, if we try the same exact implementation with a Proc:
def my_method
x = Proc.new { return }
x.call
p "Text within method"
end
This will return a nil value.
Why did this occur?
When the Proc saw the word return it exited out of the entire method and returned a nil value. However, in the case of the Lambda, it processed the remaining part of the method.
I'm trying to create a Ruby method that:
1. accepts as input a proc which accepts two arguments and
2. returns as output a proc which takes one argument (the other argument being passed in with the first proc.)
Code below. Everything I've read about how Ruby handles functional scope indicates that I should be able to return a proc.call as a variable, and I don't understand why I'm getting an "unexpected return" error (reproduced below the code)
(I'm obviously a beginning Rubyist...my experience has mostly been in JavaScript, where the mechanics of doing this sort of thing are, I think, much more intuitive.)
--
def partial (proc1, val1)
return Proc.new {|val2| return proc1.call(val1,val2)}
end
adder = Proc.new {|a,b| a + b}
sum_five = partial(adder,5)
sum_five.call(10) # -- expecting 15
# unexpected return
# (repl):13:in `block in partial'
# (repl):20:in `<main>'
In Ruby, procs and lambdas treat return differently.
Procs are designed to work within other Ruby control structures, so in that context a return is from the control structure. Lambdas are much more like stand-alone methods, so return returns from the lambda. You get an error because the proc has no context to return from.
Try this:
def partial (proc1, val1)
return lambda {|val2| return proc1.call(val1,val2)}
end
adder = Proc.new {|a,b| a + b}
sum_five = partial(adder,5)
puts sum_five.call(10) # -- expecting 15
Shorter/cleaner ruby syntax:
def composer(proc1, val1)
-> (val2) { proc1.call(val1, val2) }
end
adder = -> (a,b) { a + b }
sum_five = composer(adder, 5)
sum_five.call(10)
Although I don't understand it's name, Ruby already has a method, Proc#curry, that does this:
adder = Proc.new {|a,b| a + b}
sum_five = adder.curry.call(5)
sum_five.call(10) # => 15
sum_five.call(2) # => 7
just watch out, because curry takes an optional argument, which is the number of arguments it should expect before calling the initial proc, so if you pass it the argument you want as the "default" it'll work weird:
adder = Proc.new {|a,b| a + b}
sum_five = adder.curry(5) # NOTE: This is incorrect
sum_five.call(1) # => returns a Proc
sum_five[1][2][3][4][5] # => 3 (the first 2 arguments got passed, the rest ignored)
I am having a lot of trouble understanding how return works in blocks, procs, and lambdas.
For instance, in the following case, why does batman_ironman_proc work, while batman_yield throw an error?
def batman_ironman_proc
victor = Proc.new { return "Batman will win!" }
victor.call
"Iron Man will win!"
end
def batman_yield
yield
"Iron man will win!"
end
victor = Proc.new { return "Batman will win!" }
puts batman_ironman_proc
#batman_yield(&victor) === This code throws an error.
As one answer in the linked question shows:
The return keyword always returns from the method or lambda in the current context. In blocks, it will return from the method in which the closure was defined. It cannot be made to return from the calling method or lambda.
Your first example was successful because you defined victor in the same function you wanted to return from, so a return was legal in that context. In your second example, victor was defined in the top-level. The effect of that return, then, would not be to return from batman_yield (the calling method), but [if it were valid] to return from the top-level itself (where the Proc was defined).
Clarification: while you can access the return value of a block (i.e. "The value of the last expression evaluated in the block is passed back to the method as the value of the yield" - as per your comment), you can't use the return keyword, for the reason stated above. Example:
def batman_yield
value = yield
return value
"Iron man will win!"
end
victor = Proc.new { return "Batman will win!" }
victor2 = Proc.new { "Batman will win!" }
#batman_yield(&victor) === This code throws an error.
puts batman_yield(&victor2) # This code works fine.
I am coming from a C background and the way I would explain it is when you call a function you set a return instruction number and a register which will store the returned value. In case of proc and block the return instruction is not set because they are inlined or called in the same scope but they can still give back a returned value because these are independent functionalities. So, without a return instruction being set proc/block are giving us a LocalJumpError while if we just want to give a value back that is fine.
Taken from Programming ruby 1.9 book:
def my_while(cond, &body)
while cond.call
body.call
end
end
a=0
my_while -> { a < 3 } do
puts a
a += 1
end
produces:
0
1
2
The method expects an explicit parameter cond, and this "condition" is assumed to be a lambda/proc (the assumption is made by relying on cond.call to succeed) and has to be passed to the method my_while explicitly. The & syntax captures a method's block (if present) in a variable by implicitly converting it to a Proc object (see 'The ampersand').
Blocks are not real objects in Ruby and thus have to be converted by using the ampersand syntax. Once the block is bound to a Proc, you can send the call message on it as on any other proc/lambda.
The -> syntax is short for lambda, which converts a block to a Proc object (explicitly). There is also a slight difference between using lambda and Proc.new. Again, the wikibook:
Actually, there are two slight differences between lambda and Proc.new.
First, argument checking. The Ruby documentation for lambda states: Equivalent to Proc.new, except the resulting Proc objects check the number of parameters passed when called.
Second, there is a difference in the way returns are handled from the Proc. A return from Proc.new returns from the enclosing method (acting just like a return from a block, more on this later):
def try_ret_procnew
ret = Proc.new { return "Baaam" }
ret.call
"This is not reached"
end
# prints "Baaam"
puts try_ret_procnew
While return from lambda acts more conventionally, returning to its caller:
def try_ret_lambda
ret = lambda { return "Baaam" }
ret.call
"This is printed"
end
# prints "This is printed"
puts try_ret_lambda
With this in light, I would recommend using lambda instead of Proc.new, unless the behavior of the latter is strictly required. In addition to being way cooler a whopping two characters shorter, its behavior is less surprising.
The piece -> { a < 3 } is a shortcut for a lambda term (which was introduced with ruby 1.9). This is the first parameter passed to your method (i.e. cond) while the block afterwards is assigned to body. The lambda is then executed inside your method via cond.call.
Let's say I have a function
def odd_or_even n
if n%2 == 0
return :even
else
return :odd
end
end
And I had a simple enumerable array
simple = [1,2,3,4,5]
And I ran it through map, with my function, using a do-end block:
simple.map do
|n| odd_or_even(n)
end
# => [:odd,:even,:odd,:even,:odd]
How could I do this without, say, defining the function in the first place? For example,
# does not work
simple.map do |n|
if n%2 == 0
return :even
else
return :odd
end
end
# Desired result:
# => [:odd,:even,:odd,:even,:odd]
is not valid ruby, and the compiler gets mad at me for even thinking about it. But how would I implement an equivalent sort of thing, that works?
edit
In reality, the solution to my problem matters to me a lot less than the motivation/reasoning behind it, to help me understand more how ruby blocks work :)
You're so close. Just remove the returns and you're golden.
This is because the block passed to map is a proc (i.e. created with Proc.new), and not a lambda. A return within a proc doesn't just jump out of the proc- it jumps out of the method that executed (i.e. called call on) the proc. A return within a lambda, on the other hand, jumps out of only the lambda.
The proc method returns a lambda in Ruby 1.8, and a Proc in Ruby 1.9. It's probably best to just not use this method and be explicit with which construct you want to use.
I'm guessing you were either in IRB or a plain ruby script when you were trying this out.
a = Proc.new { return }
a.call # fails. Nothing to return from.
def foobar
a = Proc.new { return }
a.call
puts 'hello' # not reached. The return within the proc causes execution to jump out of the foobar method.
end
foobar # succeeds, but does not print 'hello'. The return within the proc jumps out of the foobar method.
b = lambda { return }
b.call # succeeds. The return only returns from the lambda itself.
def bazquux
b = lambda { return }
b.call
puts 'hello' # this is reached. The lambda only returned from itself.
end
bazquux # succeeds, and prints 'hello'
The lesson to learn from this is to use implicit returns unless you can't, I guess.
I suspect this may be a duplicate question, but to give a value out of a block, use next
simple.map do |n|
if n%2 == 0
next :even
else
next :odd
end
end
Shortest variant using Andrew's answer:
simple.map { |n| next :even if n % 2 == 0; :odd }