breaking atoms across lines, was: Question about long numbers
Subject: breaking atoms across lines, was: Question about long numbers
From: Robert Dodier
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 12:51:40 -0600
Hello,
At present strings, numbers, and symbols longer than linel
(default 79) are broken across output lines, with each line
ending in "#". However, that can't be used as input.
Examining the parser code, there doesn't appear to be a
provision for ignoring the end of line (whether by # or any
other device).
It seems useful to me to allow long atoms to be broken across
input lines as well -- certainly strings, probably numbers, and
why not symbols while we're at it. Also making output permissible
as input increases Maxima's overall consistency.
I propose (1) a backslash at the end of a line causes the parser
to eat the subsequent newline (or carriage return / newline),
and (2) a backslash is printed at the end of a broken line instead
of a hash mark.
(Backslash is better than hash mark since # already
means not equal, but \ is not an operator.)
Any comments are welcome.
Robert Dodier