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The need to specify 'rec' in a recursive function defintion
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Date: -- (:)
From: Till Varoquaux <till@p...>
Subject: Re: [Caml-list] Re: The need to specify 'rec' in a recursive function defintion 
On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 5:01 PM, Stefan Monnier
<monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:
>> Wouldn't one of way of detecting a recursive function would be to see
>> if the indeed the function calls itself?
>
> That's what Haskell does, yes.
>
>

Let's make things clear here: the "rec" *really* is a feature; it is
very convenient to reuse the same identifier to express something in
the process of being built (e.g. something going through a pipeline).

For instance:

let g () =
  let f s =
    if !debug then
       Printf.printf "f is called with value: %s\n%!" s
    f s
  in
  .......

Some (including me) would even argue that it is sad that type
definitions don't use "rec".

Till
>        Stefan
>
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