# index[ array ]

S

#### Stefan Ram

The C notation

i[ a ]

wherein i is the index and a is the array is quite natural
since i therein acts as a kind of »extractor function« which
extracts the component with offset i of its argument a.

However, while I was using this notation, I noticed what the
actual problem with this notation is: when one wants to
increment the index, then the notation

++i[ a ]

will increment i[ a ] instead, so one has to write

( ++i )[ a ]

! Under such circumstances it eventually is better indeed
to write the boring

a[ ++i ]

A

#### August Karlstrom

The C notation

i[ a ]

wherein i is the index and a is the array is quite natural
since i therein acts as a kind of »extractor function« which
extracts the component with offset i of its argument a.

However, while I was using this notation, I noticed what the
actual problem with this notation is: when one wants to
increment the index, then the notation

++i[ a ]

will increment i[ a ] instead, so one has to write

( ++i )[ a ]

! Under such circumstances it eventually is better indeed
to write the boring

a[ ++i ]

To make it less boring, why not let `a' denote the index and `i' the array?

-- August