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author | Louis Pilfold <louis@lpil.uk> | 2024-01-18 16:44:27 +0000 |
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committer | Louis Pilfold <louis@lpil.uk> | 2024-01-18 16:44:27 +0000 |
commit | f92661980deac22b54e79cd44c25caba17910c95 (patch) | |
tree | 165923d00aab8e7a5d5944d388dbb182c6d57b51 /src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls | |
parent | e35f26eb4a034aad8a531986bf876075ffb02e3c (diff) | |
download | tour-f92661980deac22b54e79cd44c25caba17910c95.tar.gz tour-f92661980deac22b54e79cd44c25caba17910c95.zip |
Last of the content!
Diffstat (limited to 'src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls')
-rw-r--r-- | src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/code.gleam | 21 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/text.html | 23 |
2 files changed, 44 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/code.gleam b/src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/code.gleam new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d823eec --- /dev/null +++ b/src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/code.gleam @@ -0,0 +1,21 @@ +import gleam/io + +pub fn main() { + io.debug(factorial(5)) + io.debug(factorial(7)) +} + +pub fn factorial(x: Int) -> Int { + // The public function calls the private tail recursive function + factorial_loop(x, 1) +} + +fn factorial_loop(x: Int, accumulator: Int) -> Int { + case x { + 1 -> accumulator + + // The last thing this function does is call itself + // In the previous lesson the last thing it did was multiple two ints + _ -> factorial_loop(x - 1, accumulator * x) + } +} diff --git a/src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/text.html b/src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/text.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ec39cda --- /dev/null +++ b/src/content/chapter1_functions/lesson02_tail_calls/text.html @@ -0,0 +1,23 @@ +<p> + When a function is called a new stack frame is created in memory to store the + arguments and local variables of the function. If lots of these frames are + created during recursion then the program would use a large amount of memory, + or even crash the program if some limit is hit. +</p> +<p> + To avoid this problem Gleam supports <em>tail call optimisation</em>, which + allows the compiler to reuse the stack frame for the current function if a + function call is the last thing the function does, removing the memory cost. +</p> + +<p> + Unoptimised recursive functions can often be rewritten into tail call + optimised functions by using an accumulator. An accumulator is a variable that + is passed along in addition to the data, similar to a mutable variable in a + language with <code>while</code> loops. +</p> +<p> + Accumulators should be hidden away from the users of your code, they are + internal implementation details. To do this write a public function that calls + a recursive private function with the initial accumulator value. +</p> |