Ignoring output arguments of functions in programming environments

• US 8,112,741 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Deng, Anna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Junchun
• Application Number:
  US12/570,516
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 717/126
• US Class Current: 717/126
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4484 Executing subprograms

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for ignoring one or more output arguments of a function in a programming environment. Users or programmers may designate one or more output arguments that are not desired by the users. The called function determines which output arguments are designated by the users. The one or more output arguments designated by the users are ignored by the function. The called function may reclaim memory space for the output arguments designated by the users. The called function may also avoid operations for generating values for the output arguments designated by the users. The called function does not need to return values for the output arguments designated by the users.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, the medium storing one or more instructions for:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

processing the code such that the function does not return a value for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the predefined designator is a tilde (˜

) character.

3. The medium of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a count for indicating a number of the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored.

4. The medium of claim 1, further comprising:

allocating one or more resources for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

reclaiming one or more of the allocated resources.

5. The medium of claim 1, further comprising:

inhibiting the function from producing one or more values for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the code is provided in a dynamically typed programming environment.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, the medium storing one or more instructions for:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

processing the code such that one or more allocated resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored, are reclaimed.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein the predefined designator is a tilde (˜

) character.

9. The medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more allocated resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored, includes one or more resources for holding a value associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored.

10. The medium of claim 7, further comprising:

inhibiting the function from producing one or more values for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored.

11. The medium of claim 7, wherein the code is provided in a dynamically typed programming environment.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, the medium storing one or more instructions for:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller explicitly designating at least one of the plurality of output arguments that does not have to be named by the caller; and

processing the code such that at least one of;

the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments is ignored,

one or more allocated resources, associated with the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is reclaimed,

a generation of a value, for the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is inhibited or

a value, for the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is not returned.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments is designated by a predefined designator.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the predefined designator is a tilde (˜

) character.

15. The medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more allocated resources, associated with the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, includes one or more resources for holding a value associated with the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments.

16. The medium of claim 12, wherein the code is provided in a dynamically typed programming environment.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, the medium storing one or more instructions for:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

processing the code such that one or more allocated resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is designated by the predefined designator, are reclaimed.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, the medium storing one or more instructions for:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

making an allocation of one or more resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is designated by the predefined designator, unnecessary.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, the medium storing one or more instructions for:

calling a function, defined to return a plurality of output arguments, with a predefined designator that indicates at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is to be ignored or not returned; and

ignoring or not returning the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is indicated by the predefined designator.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the predefined designator is a tilde (˜

) character.

21. The medium of claim 19, further comprising:

allocating one or more resources for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is indicated by the predefined designator; and

reclaiming one or more of the allocated resources.

22. The medium of claim 19, further comprising:

inhibiting the function from producing one or more values for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is indicated by the predefined designator.

23. The medium of claim 19, wherein the code is provided in a dynamically typed programming environment.

24. A method comprising:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

processing the code such that the function does not return a value for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored.

25. A method comprising:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

processing the code such that one or more allocated resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored, are reclaimed.

26. A method comprising:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller explicitly designating at least one of the plurality of output arguments that does not have to be named by the caller; and

processing the code such that at least one of;

the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments is ignored,

one or more allocated resources, associated with the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is reclaimed,

a generation of a value, for the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is inhibited or

a value, for the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is not returned.

27. A method comprising:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

processing the code such that one or more allocated resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is designated by the predefined designator, are reclaimed.

28. A method comprising:

providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

making an allocation of one or more resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is designated by the predefined designator, unnecessary.

29. A method comprising:

calling a function, defined to return a plurality of output arguments, with a predefined designator that indicates at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is to be ignored or not returned; and

ignoring or not returning the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is indicated by the predefined designator.

30. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

means for processing the code such that the function does not return a value for the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored.

31. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

means for processing the code such that one or more allocated resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored, are reclaimed.

32. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller explicitly designating at least one of the plurality of output arguments that does not have to be named by the caller; and

means for processing the code such that at least one of;

the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments is ignored,

one or more allocated resources, associated with the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is reclaimed,

a generation of a value, for the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is inhibited or

a value, for the designated at least one of the plurality of output arguments, is not returned.

33. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

means for processing the code such that one or more allocated resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is designated by the predefined designator, are reclaimed.

34. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing code that includes a caller calling a function defined to return a plurality of output arguments, the caller designating, with a predefined designator, at least one of the plurality of output arguments to be ignored; and

means for making an allocation of one or more resources, associated with the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is designated by the predefined designator, unnecessary.

35. An apparatus comprising:

means for calling a function, defined to return a plurality of output arguments, with a predefined designator that indicates at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is to be ignored or not returned; and

means for ignoring or not returning the at least one of the plurality of output arguments that is indicated by the predefined designator.