eval

Function: eval
Section: polynomials
C-Name: geval_gp
Prototype: GC
Help: eval(x): evaluation of x, replacing variables by their value.
Description:
 (gen):gen      geval($1)
Doc: replaces in $x$ the formal variables by the values that
 have been assigned to them after the creation of $x$. This is mainly useful
 in GP, and not in library mode. Do not confuse this with substitution (see
 \kbd{subst}).

 If $x$ is a character string, \kbd{eval($x$)} executes $x$ as a GP
 command, as if directly input from the keyboard, and returns its
 output.
 \bprog
 ? x1 = "one"; x2 = "two";
 ? n = 1; eval(Str("x", n))
 %2 = "one"
 ? f = "exp"; v = 1;
 ? eval(Str(f, "(", v, ")"))
 %4 = 2.7182818284590452353602874713526624978
 @eprog\noindent Note that the first construct could be implemented in a
 simpler way by using a vector \kbd{x = ["one","two"]; x[n]}, and the second
 by using a closure \kbd{f = exp; f(v)}. The final example is more interesting:
 \bprog
 ? genmat(u,v) = matrix(u,v,i,j, eval( Str("x",i,j) ));
 ? genmat(2,3)   \\ generic 2 x 3 matrix
 %2 =
 [x11 x12 x13]

 [x21 x22 x23]
 @eprog

 A syntax error in the evaluation expression raises an \kbd{e\_SYNTAX}
 exception, which can be trapped as usual:
 \bprog
 ? 1a
  ***   syntax error, unexpected variable name, expecting $end or ';': 1a
  ***                                                                   ^-
 ? E(expr) =
   {
     iferr(eval(expr),
           e, print("syntax error"),
           errname(e) == "e_SYNTAX");
   }
 ? E("1+1")
 %1 = 2
 ? E("1a")
 syntax error
 @eprog
 \synt{geval}{GEN x}.