Comparison

comparison operations for any kind of value

Functions

Predicates

The Comparison module provides functions for comparing values of any type. Beyond basic equality checks, it includes ordering operations and advanced comparison features.

Key Concepts

  • Works with all value types
  • Consistent behavior across different types
  • Support for both equality and ordering
  • Range checking with between?

Basic Usage

Simple Comparisons

; equality
print 2 = 2              ; true
print "abc" = "abc"      ; true
print 2 = "2"            ; false

; inequality
print 2 <> 3             ; true
print "abc" <> "def"     ; true
print 2.0 <> 2           ; false

Ordering

; less/greater than
print 2 < 3              ; true
print 3 > 2              ; true

; less/greater or equal
print 2 =< 2             ; true
print 3 >= 2             ; true

Note
The ordering operators work with numbers, strings, dates, and any type that defines ordering.

Range Checking

; check if value is in range (inclusive)
5 <=> 1 10              ; => true
'm' <=> 'a' 'z'         ; => true

; or more explicitly
between? 5 1 10         ; => true

Tip
Another way to check if a value is within a given range would be contains? - or its reversed equivalent - in?.

Common Patterns

Custom Sorting

The compare function returns -1, 0, or 1 and is useful for custom sorting:

a: "hello"
b: "world"

result: compare a b        ; -1
print ["A comes" (result < 0)? -> "before" -> "after" "B"]   
; A comes before B

Identity vs Equality

x: 1`N
y: 1`kg.m/s2    ; actually, that's the definition of 1 Newton!

; equality (same value)
print x = y             ; true

; identity (exactly the same?)
print same? x y         ; false