Lists¶

Be aware that PureScript ships Data.List (purescript-lists package) and Data.Array (purescript-arrays package), and a few other list/array related packages.

In short, Data.Array leverages some low-level JavaScript array-related methods, while Data.List are really strict linked lists, allowing for pattern matching and cool recursive patterns. Both have their pros and cons, and the choice depends on the task at hand.

Basic Syntax for Creating Lists¶

Import the type List with its Nil and Cons data constructors, and create a simple list:

> import Data.List (List(Nil, Cons))    
> Cons 1 (Cons 2 (Cons 3 Nil))
(1 : 2 : 3 : Nil)

Or import the Cons in its infixr operator form, ::

> import Data.List (List(Nil), (:))
> 1 : 2 : 3 : Nil                  
(1 : 2 : 3 : Nil)

Note that we import : outside List(), unlike Cons earlier, even though : is infix operator alias for Cons.

One use of Cons is to create Data.List singleton function, which takes an element and creates a list with that one, single element:

import Data.List (List(Nil, Cons))

singleton :: ∀ a. a -> List a
singleton e = Cons e Nil

Or using the infixr : operator instead of Cons:

import Data.List (List(Nil), (:))

singleton :: ∀ a. a -> List a
singleton e = e : Nil

Lists¶

Basic Syntax for Creating Lists¶

References¶