Working with equations : Intermediate variables

Intermediate variables

Motivation

In a procedural programming language, a complicated calculation may be broken down into several steps each carried out by a separate instruction. This may be done when an intermediate result is subsequently required more than once to save calculating it each time, or just to make the program more readable. 

In Simile, a similar result could easily be achieved by having a chain of variables linked by influences, where each except the first and last represents an intermediate value. However this could make the diagram more confusing than it need be.

Alternatively you can define and then use intermediate results in the equation. They are assigned with a single '=' sign and the assignment is separated from the rest of the equation with a comma, like this:

a = f(input1,...), b = g(a, input1...), result = h(a, b, input1...)

Local variable assignments can be made before an expression, separated from the expression by a comma.  The expression returning the value of the element must come at the end.  The local variables can be used in the expression, often to simplify it.

Example

In the following example, the local variable q is assigned a value, then the main expression follows after a comma, with q being used to simplify what would otherwise be an extremely complex expression:

q=(Topt-Tmin)/(Tmax-Topt),

if ((T>Tmin)&&(T<Tmax)) then

   (((T-Tmin)^q) * (Tmax-T)) / (((Topt-Tmin)^q) * (Tmax-Topt))

else

   0

There are four parameters influencing this expression, T, Topt, Tmin, and Tmax, through influence arrows in the normal way.  The assignment of a value to q is a purely local affair.

Note that the assignment of the local variable uses a single = sign. This is not to be confused with the double == of an equality test.

In: Contents >> Working with equations >> Components of an equation