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Re: Pattern Matching with ReplaceRepated Behaving Unexpectedly
Posted:
Dec 5, 2012 3:10 AM
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The second rule is never seen since the first result matches the first
rule. Note:
{u, a, a, v} //. {
{p___, x : Longest[(a_) ..], q___} :>
(Print["Rule 1 applied"];
{p, a^Length[{x}], q}),
{x___, a^2, y___} :>
(Print["Rule 2 applied"];
{x, e, y})}
Rule 1 applied
Rule 1 applied
{u, a^2, v}
MatchQ[%, {p___, x : Longest[(a_) ..], q___}]
True
You can just reverse the order of the rules
{u, a, a, v} //. {
{x___, a^2, y___} :>
(Print["Rule 1 applied"];
{x, e, y}),
{p___, x : Longest[(a_) ..], q___} :>
(Print["Rule 2 applied"];
{p, a^Length[{x}], q})}
Rule 2 applied
Rule 1 applied
Rule 2 applied
{u, e, v}
Bob Hanlon
On Tue, Dec 4, 2012 at 4:13 AM, Brentt <brenttnewman@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'm having trouble understanding how replace repeated works.
>
> I have this expression:
>
> In[1]:= {u,a, a,v} //. {
> {p___, x : Longest[(a_) ..], q___} :> {p, a^Length[{x}], q},
> {x___, a^2, y___} :> {x, e, y}
> }
>
>
> What I think should happen here is that {u,a,a,v} should become {u,a^2,v}
> and then, since ReplaceRepeated should make another pass, {u,a^2,v} should
> become {u,e,v}. And actually if I break up the replacement rules, and
> evaluate them one by one, this is precisely what happens. But when I try to
> put the replacement rules into a list of rules with replace repeated as
> above it just does the first rule and stops. I.e. it outputs
>
> Out[1]:= {u,a^2,v}
>
> Strangely if I do
>
> In[2]:= % //. {
> {p___, x : Longest[(a_) ..], q___} :> {p, a^Length[{x}], q},
> {x___, a^2, y___} :> {x, e, y}
> }
>
> I get the result I expected ReplaceRepeated to give me before
>
> Out[2]:= {u,e,v}
>
>
> I actually thought Replace Repated exists for this very reason, to keep on
> applying the rules until the rules do not change the output any longer, but
> it is failing to do that in this case for some reason even though there
> still seems to be patterns that should be changed?
>
> Can anyone tell me what I am missing here?
>
> Thank you, any help will be greatly appreciated.
>
>
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