Minimum (NamedArraylist function)
Name of item with minimum value or minimum value of function applied to items (NamedArraylist class)
Minimum returns the name of the NamedArraylist item that has the minimum value as returned by a specified function. The function applied to each NamedArraylist item, which you specify with the required itemFunction argument, must be a method that operates on the item type and returns a User Language intrinsic datatype (Float, String, or Unicode) value.
Minimum is available in Sirius Mods version 7.3 and later.
Syntax
%string = nal:Minimum[( [itemFunction])]
Syntax terms
| %string | A string variable to contain the name of the item in nal, the method object NamedArraylist, that has the minimum value as returned by the argument function. |
|---|---|
| nal | A NamedArraylist object. |
| itemFunction | A method value (a method name literal, a method variable, or even a method that returns a method value) that operates on objects of the type specified on the nal declaration and that returns an intrinsic value. As of Sirius Mods version 7.6, the special identity function, This, is the default function value for the Minimum and Maximum methods. See "Using the This function as the Maximum parameter". |
Usage notes
- If itemFunction returns String or Unicode values, Minimum uses the collating sequence of EBCDIC or Unicode, respectively, to determine which item has the least value. If itemFunction returns a numeric type, numeric comparisons are used. See the "example" below.
- If the values returned by itemFunction for two or more NamedArraylist items are equal, minimum, values, Minimum returns the name of that item which is closest to the beginning of the NamedArraylist.
- The Maximum function is the opposite of the Minimum function.
- The parameter for Minimum is a method value, not a User Language expression.
That is, you cannot provide a function that itself has an argument
(say,
ToIntegerPower(2)) as the Minimum parameter. Example "Maximum/Minimum with local method" shows a way to apply ToIntegerPower with the Maximum or Minimum method for an Arraylist.
Examples
- The following fragment uses the special method This (by default);
it shows that the Minimum value depends on the ordering implied by the intrinsic type returned by the itemFunction:
%hit is namedArraylist of string len 30 %hit = new %hit('Clapton') = 'Layla' %hit('Davies') = 'All Day and All of the Night' %hit('Simon') = '50 Ways to Leave Your Lover' printText {~= %hit:minimum } %unicHit is namedArraylist of unicode %unicHit = new %unicHit('Clapton') = 'Layla' %unicHit('Davies') = 'All Day and All of the Night' %unicHit('Simon') = '50 Ways to Leave Your Lover' printText {~= %unicHit:minimum } %fltAtomWt is namedArraylist of float %fltAtomWt = new %fltAtomWt('Li') = 6.948 %fltAtomWt('B') = 10.81 printText {~= %fltAtomWt:minimum } * Showing that string item type may not be the best if items are numeric: %strAtomWt is namedArraylist of string len 30 %strAtomWt = new %strAtomWt('Li') = 6.948 %strAtomWt('B') = 10.81 printText {~= %strAtomWt:minimum }
The result is:
%hit:minimum = Davies %unicHit:minimum = Simon %fltAtomWt:minimum = Li %strAtomWt:minimum = B
- For other examples, see "Finding collection maxima and minima, and sorting".