FLATABLEXPR(3)

🌸 FLATABLEXPR(3) 🌸 — ABL FUNCTIONS, bestie edition

okay so like, this is a page from the ABL FUNCTIONS manual, and it's about one lil function called flatablexpr 💖 it's short, it's sweet, it's giving "small but mighty", and we're gonna go through every single crumb of it together. no skimming, no skipping. periodt ✨

---

👑 NAME 👑

flatablexpr — merges the operators of an expression

literally that's the whole job. it merges operators. iconic behavior honestly 💅

---

🦋 ORIGIN 🦋

This software belongs to the ALLIANCE CAD SYSTEM, developed by the ASIM team at the LIP6 laboratory of Université Pierre and Marie CURIE, in Paris, France 🥖🇫🇷

• Web : http://asim.lip6.fr/recherche/alliance/
• E-mail : alliance-users@asim.lip6.fr

like they really said "we're in Paris, we're building CAD tools, deal with it" and honestly? slay 🎀

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include "abl101.h"
void flatablexpr( Expr )
  chain_list ∗Expr;

yes the asterisk is ∗ and no we are not changing it, that's just how it is, copy it exactly bestie 🙈

---

🍓 PARAMETERS 🍓

• Expr — the Expression to flat. that's it. that's the whole list. one param, zero drama 🫶

---

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

flatablexpr merges all the common operators in Expr 🔥

that's the vibe. common operators get merged. it's giving "we're tidying up your expression tree and making it cute".

---

⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

flatablexpr returns nothing. like, void. it does the thing and then it's gone. main character energy but make it mysterious 💀

---

🌈 EXAMPLE 🌈

okay here's the whole thing, and I'm keeping it character for character because that's the law:

#include "abl101.h"
  chain_list ∗Expr1;
  chain_list ∗Expr2;
  Expr1 = createbinexpr( ABL_OR,
                         createablatom( "a" ),
                         createablatom( "b" ) );
  Expr2 = createabloper( ABL_OR );
  addablhexpr( Expr2, createablatom( "c" ) );
  addablhexpr( Expr2, Expr1 );
  Expr1 = dupablexpr( Expr2 );
  flatablexpr( Expr1 );
  /* displays ((a or b) or c) (a or b or c) */
  viewablexpr( Expr2, ABL_VIEW_VHDL );
  viewablexpr( Expr1, ABL_VIEW_VHDL );

so watch the glow-up: Expr2 is the un-flattened one, Expr1 is a dupablexpr copy that then gets flatablexpr'd, and the comment says it all — it displays ((a or b) or c) and then (a or b or c) 🧚✨ the second one ATE. the first one is just... sitting there, nested, unbothered 💅

---

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• abl(1)
• unflatablexpr(3)

(the reverse girlypop. she un-flats. we love a duo 👑)

---

💀 BUG REPORT 💀

This tool is under development at the ASIM department of the LIP6 laboratory. We need your feedback to improve documentation and tools.

not me begging you to send feedback 😭 fr fr they literally need it. if you find a bug, tell them. if the docs are confusing, tell them. they're in the group chat, they're listening 🫶

---

and that's the whole page babes, no notes 💖

ASIM/LIP6 — dated October 1, 1997 🌸 she's an old soul, she's vintage, she's still out here flattening expressions. bye bestie, go merge some operators 💅✨