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Primitive operator: Difference between revisions
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A '''primitive operator''' is a kind of [[operator]] which is defined by the language. Like a [[primitive function]], a primitive operator is written with a single [[glyph]] in APL but may use multiple characters in other languages. The one exception to the single-glyph rule is the [[Outer Product]], which is written < | A '''primitive operator''' is a kind of [[operator]] which is defined by the language. Like a [[primitive function]], a primitive operator is written with a single [[glyph]] in APL but may use multiple characters in other languages. The one exception to the single-glyph rule is the [[Outer Product]], which is written <syntaxhighlight lang=apl inline>∘.</source>. While some dialects consider the outer product to be a case of the [[dyadic operator]] [[Inner Product]] with a [[Jot]] (which they interpret as <syntaxhighlight lang=apl inline>⊂⍬</source>) as its left operand, others consider it to be a primitive [[monadic operator]] on its own. | ||
Primitive operators have historically been very limited, a condition which has caused greater variety in modern operators than in functions as language designers have extended the scope of operators in different ways. [[Iverson notation]] did not have a unified concept of an operator, and considered everything which is now an APL operator to be a form of special syntax. [[APL\360]] generalized the concept of an operator, but defined only a small number of them: [[reduction]]s, [[scan]]s, [[inner product]]s, and [[outer product]]s. These operators applied only to primitive functions. | Primitive operators have historically been very limited, a condition which has caused greater variety in modern operators than in functions as language designers have extended the scope of operators in different ways. [[Iverson notation]] did not have a unified concept of an operator, and considered everything which is now an APL operator to be a form of special syntax. [[APL\360]] generalized the concept of an operator, but defined only a small number of them: [[reduction]]s, [[scan]]s, [[inner product]]s, and [[outer product]]s. These operators applied only to primitive functions. | ||