"syntax error: assignment in function calls not allowed" unhelpful when curly brackets are source

[class4kayaker]

Error identified, curly brackets were the source of the problem. Would it be possible to make the source of the error more clear?

FORMER ISSUE DESCRIPTION
The below syntax error message is rather unhelpful. The error is produced on the latest pull (7fa1aea) from the repository, compiled on the relevant machine. The indicated line is not a function call, but rather a defintion. It is possible that the problem is not in that line but in that case there is no line number for the error.

$ ~/Downloads/julia/julia heat.jl
syntax error: assignment in function calls not allowed
 in load_now at util.jl:231
 in load_now at util.jl:245
 in require at util.jl:174
 in process_options at client.jl:182
 in _start at client.jl:236
at .../heat.jl:3
 in load_now at util.jl:231
 in load_now at util.jl:245
 in require at util.jl:174
 in process_options at client.jl:182
 in _start at client.jl:236
 in load_now at util.jl:256
 in require at util.jl:174
 in process_options at client.jl:182
 in _start at client.jl:236

The code in heat.jl is below, and the content on line 3, the function definition for heat, does not have any have any assignments on than line. It is possible I am overlooking the source of the error, but it would appear that either the line number provided is incorrect, the description of the error is misleading, or it is some error at another point which somehow causes this error to appear.

The same error appears to occur inconsistently for functions of that or similar signature, as of two other test heat transfer models that have a similar design, one fails with the same error with the line number pointing at the same function declaration while the other runs without error. The issue is probably not in the line indicated as if the line is copied from the working file to this one, it still fails.

function heat(T::Array{Float64,1},sigma::Float64,dx::Float64,endT::Float64)
    local time::Float64
    local flx=Array(Float64,size(T,1)-2)

    dt=0.9*(0.5*dx*dx/sigma)
    time=0.0

    while time<endT
      if(dt>endT-time){
        dt=endT-time
      }

      for i=1:size(flx,1)
        flx[i]=sigma*dt/(dx*dx)*(T[i]+T[i+2]-2*T[i+1])
      end

      for i=1:size(flx,1)
        T[i+1]+=flx[i]
      end

      time+=dt
    end
    return time
end

nX=10
sigma=1.0
dx=0.1
nIter=25
T=ones(Float64,nX+2)
endT=10000.0

for i = 2:nX + 1
  T[i]=1.0
end

T[1]=0.0
T[nX+2]=100.0


println("Init:")

for i=2:nX+1
  println("[",(i-1.5)*dx,"]:",T[i])
end

time=heat(T,sigma,dx,endT)

println("Final:")

for i=2:nX+1
  println("[",(i-1.5)*dx,"]:",T[i])
end

[pao]

The error is appearing due to something on line 3, not line 37. Looks like a require() is going wrong. Can you post the entire file or at least the first few lines?

[JeffBezanson]

The curly braces around the if statement are wrong; we don't use that
syntax. Looks like there is something wrong with the error message too
though.
On Oct 24, 2012 1:05 PM, "class4kayaker" notifications@github.com wrote:

The below syntax error message is rather unhelpful. The error is produced
on the latest pull (7fa1aeahttps://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/commit/7fa1aea3d)
from the repository, compiled on the relevant machine. The indicated line
is not a function call, but rather a defintion. It is possible that the
problem is not in that line but in that case there is no line number for
the error.

$ ~/Downloads/julia/julia heat.jl
syntax error: assignment in function calls not allowed
in load_now at util.jl:231
in load_now at util.jl:245
in require at util.jl:174
in process_options at client.jl:182
in _start at client.jl:236
at .../heat.jl:3
in load_now at util.jl:231
in load_now at util.jl:245
in require at util.jl:174
in process_options at client.jl:182
in _start at client.jl:236
in load_now at util.jl:256
in require at util.jl:174
in process_options at client.jl:182
in _start at client.jl:236

The code in heat.jl is below, and the content on line 37, the function
definition for heat, does not have any have any assignments on than line.
It is possible I am overlooking the source of the error, but it would
appear that either the line number provided is incorrect, the description
of the error is misleading, or it is some error at another point which
somehow causes this error to appear.

The same error appears to occur inconsistently for functions of that or
similar signature, as of two other test heat transfer models that have a
similar design, one fails with the same error with the line number pointing
at the same function declaration while the other runs without error. The
issue is probably not in the line indicated as if the line is copied from
the working file to this one, it still fails.

function heat(T::Array{Float64,1},sigma::Float64,dx::Float64,endT::Float64)
local time::Float64
local flx=Array(Float64,size(T,1)-2)

dt=0.9*(0.5*dx*dx/sigma)
time=0.0

while time<endT
  if(dt>endT-time){
    dt=endT-time
  }

  for i=1:size(flx,1)
    flx[i]=sigma*dt/(dx*dx)*(T[i]+T[i+2]-2*T[i+1])
  end

  for i=1:size(flx,1)
    T[i+1]+=flx[i]
  end

  time+=dt
end
return timeend

nX=10sigma=1.0dx=0.1nIter=25T=ones(Float64,nX+2)endT=10000.0
for i = 2:nX + 1
T[i]=1.0end
T[1]=0.0T[nX+2]=100.0

println("Init:")
for i=2:nX+1
println("[",(i-1.5)_dx,"]:",T[i])end
time=heat(T,sigma,dx,endT)
println("Final:")
for i=2:nX+1
println("[",(i-1.5)_dx,"]:",T[i])end

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/1441.

[pao]

Oh, looks like I misunderstood how this was being loaded; this is being run directly from a shell. Still not sure where the 3 vs. 37 thing came from. Typo?

[StefanKarpinski]

Wild guess here since I'm not at a computer – maybe the curlies are getting turned into a function call and then having the assignment in there triggers this error.

[class4kayaker]

The 3/37 issue was that I started writing up the issue referencing a more complex program. Stefan seems to have fond the source of the issue since when I made that modification the program ran without any problems. I will modify the issue to indicate that the problem has been identified though a clearer error message will be helpful.

Thank you