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2.10 User-defined functions

BayES supports user-defined functions. These functions are defined in BayES script files and can take multiple arguments and return multiple values. User-defined functions are called from script files or other functions and can be used to perform a particular task that may require many lines of code, helping to keep the code in the main script tidy. Also, in cases where a task needs to be performed repeatedly, it is easier to describe the task in a user-defined function and to call this function at the appropriate places in the script file.

Each user-defined function must be declared and implemented in its own BayES script file. These special files have a specific form. For example, suppose that we want to define a function named myFunction that takes a list of arguments, ar1, ar2, ..., uses these argument to do some calculations and defines a list of return values, rv1, rv2, ..., which will be available after the function completes its job. The following code should be put in a BayES script file called myFunction.bsf and this file saved in the current working directory:

function [rv1, rv2, ... ] = @myFunction(ar1, ar2, ...) 
    <list of statements> 
    // these statements will use ar1, ar2, ..., and define 
    // rv1, rv2, ..., which will be available in the calling 
    // workspace once the function completes its job 
end

Functions are not meant to be executed independently, but to be called from other scripts (or other functions). A statement like:

[y1, y2, ... ] = @myFunction(x1, x2, ...);

placed within a BayES script represents a call to the user-defined function myFunction. When such a calling statement is encountered the following process takes place:

  1. the arguments x1, x2, ... passed to myFunction in the calling statement are copied and made available in the function’s workspace as ar1, ar2, ...6

  2. program control jumps to the user-defined function myFunction, where the listed statements are executed and the return values, rv1, rv2, ..., are assigned

  3. program control jumps back to the calling script and the function’s return values are made available to the workspace that contains the calling statement as y1, y2, ...

The directory "$BayESHOME/Samples/4Functions" contains samples of simple and not-so-simple functions. Here we will describe how to define and use a simple function called SimpleFunction, which takes a single argument x and returns 2*x. Suppose the file SimpleFunction.bsf is located in the current working directory and it contains the following code:

function [y] = @SimpleFunction(x) 
    // Print a message on the console 
    print("program control is now in @SimpleFunction"); 
 
    // Print the value of x on the console 
    print(x); 
 
    // Assign the value 2*x to y 
    y = 2*x; 
 
    // Print a message on the console 
    print("program control is about to leave @SimpleFunction"); 
end

The first statement in the function simply notifies the user that program control has passed to @SimpleFunction by printing a message on the BayES console. The next statement prints the value of x, as it is defined in the workspace of @SimpleFunction. The third statement assigns the value 2*x to y and the last statement, again, prints information on the BayES console that program control leaves @SimpleFunction.

The code in SimpleFunction.bsf cannot be executed simply by hitting Ctrl+R on the script editor window: the function needs to be called from another script. This is demonstrated in Example 2.10.

Example 2.10
▼ Input
 
// Define a 1x2 matrix z using draws from an exponential distribution 
z = exprnd(2.5, 1, 2); 
 
// Call "@SimpleFunction" and assign its return value to w 
w = @SimpleFunction(z); 
 
// Print a message on the console to indicate that @SimpleFunction finished 
print("nnControl is back to the calling script"); 
 
// Print the value of w from the calling script 
print(w);

▼ Output

 
Program control is now in @SimpleFunction 
x = 
   0.5597008  0.23834727 
 
Program control is about to leave @SimpleFunction 
 
Control is back to the calling script 
w = 
   1.1194016  0.47669454

2.10.1 Rules for defining and calling functions

The following rules apply when defining and calling functions:

  1. each function must be defined in its own BayES script file

  2. the keyword function must be the first word in the script file that defines the function

  3. the function name must be the same as the file name of the BayES script file that contains its definition, prepended by ‘@

  4. the function definition ends with the end keyword; everything that follows this keyword in the script file that defines the function is ignored

  5. when calling a function the BayES script file that contains its definition must be in the current working directory

  6. functions can have zero, one, or multiple arguments of different types (matrices, datasets, strings, etc.)

  7. the order in which arguments are passed to a function matters

  8. functions can have zero, one, or multiple return values of different types (matrices, datasets, strings, etc.); if the function returns only one value then the square brackets in the definition and calling statements can be omitted

  9. the order in which return values are assigned to elements in the workspace of the calling script matters

  10. functions have their own workspace and arguments are passed by making copies: functions are aware only of items that have been passed to them as arguments and cannot access items in the workspace of the calling script7

6Each function has its own workspace and it cannot access any elements defined in the workspace of the calling script (see also Section 2.10.1).

7If the workspace of the calling script has an item with id value x and a function is called, which defines another item with id value x, these two items are distinct: altering the value of x defined inside the function will not affect the value of x in the calling script.

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© 2016–20 Grigorios Emvalomatis