[m-dev.] for review: Aditi update documentation round 2

[Fergus Henderson]

On 02-Jul-1999, Simon Taylor <stayl at cs.mu.OZ.AU> wrote:
> 
> +++ reference_manual.texi	1999/07/02 06:53:39
...
> +delete_example_5 -->
> +	aditi_delete((p(_, X, Y) :- X = 2, Y = 2)). 
...
> +Note that in @samp{delete_example_5} the extra set of parentheses around
> +the goal are needed, otherwise the second goal in the conjunction
> +in the deletion goal is parsed as an argument of the `aditi_delete' call.
> +This behaviour is inconsistent with ISO Prolog syntax. An ISO Prolog
> +implementation would report a syntax error without the extra set of
> +parentheses.

Saying "This behaviour is inconsistent with ISO Prolog syntax" gives the
wrong message, I think.

In any case, this is the Mercury language reference manual, and so
I don't think you should mention ISO Prolog syntax here.
The syntax chapter of the Mercury language reference manual does
mention that Mercury syntax is similar to ISO Prolog syntax,
but I think that other parts of the Mercury language reference manual
should refer to Mercury syntax rather than to ISO Prolog syntax.

Here's a suggestion for what you could perhaps write instead.
But you may well be able to come up with something better than this.

 | 	Note that in @samp{delete_example_5} the extra set of
 | 	parentheses around the goal are needed, otherwise the second
 | 	goal in the conjunction in the deletion goal would be parsed as
 | 	an extra argument of the `aditi_delete' call, resulting in a
 | 	syntax error.

> +Note that in @samp{modify_example_5} the extra set of parentheses around
> +the goal are needed, otherwise the second and third goals in
> +the conjunction in the modification goal are parsed as arguments
> +of the `aditi_modify' call. This behaviour is inconsistent with
> +ISO Prolog syntax. An ISO Prolog implementation would report a
> +syntax error without the extra set of parentheses.

Likewise here.

-- 
Fergus Henderson <fjh at cs.mu.oz.au>  |  "I have always known that the pursuit
WWW: <http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh>  |  of excellence is a lethal habit"
PGP: finger fjh at 128.250.37.3        |     -- the last words of T. S. Garp.
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