Re: [Gretl-devel] isnull with null list isn't true

On Tue, 27 Oct 2015, Sven Schreiber wrote: > [I've also read your other message from yesterday.] > > Am 26.10.2015 um 22:13 schrieb Allin Cottrell: >> On Mon, 26 Oct 2015, Sven Schreiber wrote: >> >>> Am 26.10.2015 um 19:38 schrieb Allin Cottrell: >>>> On Mon, 26 Oct 2015, Sven Schreiber wrote: >>> > >>>> The above looks funny, I agree. However, it clearly corresponds to the >>>> documentation of isnull(): >>>> >>>> "Returns 0 if name is the identifier for a currently defined object, be >>>> it a scalar, a series, a matrix, list, string or bundle; otherwise >>>> returns 1." > > Given the backwards-compatibility issues especially with 'null' as an > established initializer for lists (less so for bundles), maybe the best > solution is to rename isnull(), for example to isobj() -- or to be precise, > 'isnull(X)' would be equivalent to '!isobj(X)'. > The alias isnull() could be deprecated eventually. > > (And BTW/OT: perhaps 'isobj(b.X)' could also be an alias for 'inbundle(b, > "X")'.) If we ever decide to do this, I'd rather have exists() than isobj() (more intuitive name IMHO).