Parameter Passing (Section 8.3)

1. Parameter Passing(Section 8.3) CSCI 431 Programming Languages Fall 2003 A compilation of material developed by Felix Hernandez-Campos and Michael Scott

2. Parameter Passing • Notation for function calls: • prefix notation f(a, b) • Cambridge Polish notation (f a b) • infix notation • operators • can be requested explicitly in ML: infixr 8 tothe; (* exponentiation *) fun x tothe 0 = 1.0 | x tothe n = x * (x tothe (n-1)); • Control abstraction - example: if a > b then max := a else max := b; (* Pascal *) (if (> a b) (setf max a) (setf max b)) ; Lisp (a > b) ifTrue: [max <- a] ifFalse: [max <- b]. "Smalltalk" • Lisp and Smalltalk - no syntactic distinction between control statements and function calls

3. Parameter Modes • Issues: • implementation mechanism (what is it passed?) • value • reference • name • closure • legal operations (inside subroutine) • read • write • change performed on actual parameter? • yes • no • change visible immediately? • yes • no

4. Parameter Modes • Main parameter-passing modes: • call by value • the value of actual parameter is copied into formal parameter • the two are independent • call by reference • the address of actual parameter is passed • the formal parameter is an alias for the actual parameter • Speed • Safety • better to pass a large object by reference • if a subroutine is allowed to change the actual parameter - pass it by reference • Semantic issue: • argument passed by reference - is it because it's large, or because changes should be allowed? • what if we want to pass a large argument, but not to allow changes?

5. int * p; void my_allocate (int * x) { x = new int; ... } my_allocate (p); int * p; void my_allocate (int ** x) { *x = new int; ... } my_allocate (&p); Wrong Parameter Modes • C • everything is passed by value • arrays are pointers - what is passed by value is a pointer • to allow "call by reference" - must pass the address explicitly as a pointer: • void swap (int * a, int * b) • { int t = *a; *a = *b; *b = t; } • ... • swap (&v1, &v2); • what if we want to change a pointer?

6. Parameter Modes • C read and write • Permissible operations – • Change on actual parameter – • Alias – no no • Speed - better to pass the address of a large object • How do we prohibit changes to the object? void f (const huge_record * r) { ... } r <=> pointer to constant huge_record • How do we define a constant pointer to huge_record? huge_record * const r

7. Parameter Modes • Pascal • programmer's choice - call by value or call by reference procedure ( var a : integer, b : integer); (* a passed by reference *) ... (* b passed by value *) • if an array is passed without var - it will be passed by value!! • var should be used with: • arguments that need to be changed • large arguments • no mechanism to prohibit changes to an argument passed by reference

8. Parameter Modes • Modula-3 • call by value (small objects) or call by reference (large ones) • READONLY mode can be specified to prohibit changes • Fortran • everything is passed by reference • does not require actual parameter to be a l-value • if it's a constant: • creates a temporary location to hold it • allowed to change the temporary • Languages with reference model (Smalltalk, Lisp, Clu) • everything is a reference anyway • “call by sharing”

9. Parameter Modes • Ada • three parameter modes: • in - read only • out - write only • in out - read and write • for scalar types - always pass values • call by value/result • if it's an out or in out parameter - copy formal into actual parameter upon return • change to actual parameter becomes visible only at return

10. Parameter Modes • Ada • for composite types – pass either a value or a reference • program is "erroneous" if the results are different: print 4 • Passing values – • Passing addresses – print 5

11. Parameter Modes • C++ • same modes as in C, plus references: void swap (int & a, int & b) { int t = a; a = b; b = t; } ... swap (v1, v2); • safety - use const to prohibit changes to actual parameter • references - can be used not only for parameters: int i; int &j = i; i = 2; j = 3; cout << i; // prints 3 • implementation: i is an integer, j is a pointer to i • semantic: both are treated as integers (same operations apply to both)

12. Parameter Modes • C++ • can also return references from functions: cout << a << b << c; // equivalent to: ((cout.operator<< (a)).operator<< (b)).operator<< (c); // the << operator returns a reference to the output stream • if it returned a pointer: *(*(cout.operator<< (a)).operator<< (b)).operator<< (c); // or equivalently (no more elegant syntax): *(*(cout << a) << b) << c;

13. Example (Jensen's device): To evaluate the sum: Call: y := sum (3*x*x - 5*x + 2, x, 1, 10); Call by Name • Call by name (Algol 60, Simula) • parameters are re-evaluated in the caller's referencing environment every time they are used • similar to a macro (textual expansion) • pass a hidden routine (thunk) - re-evaluates the parameter

14. Summary