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--- manipulating_tables_and_lookup_tables [2026/07/24 23:32]
hermann
+++ manipulating_tables_and_lookup_tables [2026/07/25 04:29] (current)
hermann
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 A **Tuple** is a sequence of table cells, most often used to represent the key (or full set of keys) identifying a table row. Tuple elements are ordered by column index and have no names of their own — a Tuple by itself doesn't say which column each element belongs to; that mapping only exists in the context of the table it's being used against.
-A single Real or String value connects directly to any port expecting a Tuple — Dinamica EGO converts it automatically, which is why a plain key value can be wired straight into a functor like ''GetTableValue'' without explicitly constructing a Tuple first. A multi-column key has to be built explicitly, one element at a time, by chaining ''AddTupleValue'' calls — each call appends one value to the Tuple produced by the previous call.
+A single Real or String value connects directly to any port expecting a Tuple — Dinamica EGO converts it automatically, which is why a plain key value can be wired straight into a functor like [[Get Table Value]] without explicitly constructing a Tuple first. A multi-column key has to be built explicitly, one element at a time, by chaining [[Add Tuple Value]] calls — each call appends one value to the Tuple produced by the previous call:
+<code>
+// A single value auto-converts to a one-element Tuple; no AddTupleValue needed.
+yearOnly := 2007;
+// A composite key needs one AddTupleValue call per extra element: the first
+// argument (2007) auto-converts to a one-element Tuple, and the call appends
+// 4534272 to it, producing a two-element Tuple.
+yearAndCity := AddTupleValue 2007 4534272;
+</code>
 Every functor below that identifies a row or sub-table by key takes that key as a Tuple.
@@ Line 15: / Line 25: @@
 ===== Retrieving values and rows =====
-^ Functor ^ Inputs ^ Output ^ Notes ^
+=== GetTableValue ===
-| ''GetTableValue'' | ''table'', ''keys'' (Tuple), ''column'' (name or index), optional ''valueIfNotFound'' | The value at that key/column | Reads a single cell. |
-| ''GetTableRow'' | ''keys'' (Tuple), ''table'' | The full row, as a Tuple | Reads every value column for one key. |
-| ''GetLookupTableValue'' | ''table'' (Lookup Table), ''key'', optional ''valueIfNotFound'' | The value for that key | The Lookup Table equivalent of ''GetTableValue'' — no column argument, since a Lookup Table only ever has one. |
-All three accept an optional fallback value returned when the key isn't present, instead of failing.
+Reads a single cell.
+^ Parameter ^ Type ^ Required? ^ Description ^
+| ''table'' | Table | Yes | The table to read from. |
+| ''keys'' | Tuple | Yes | The key identifying the row. |
+| ''column'' | name or index | Yes | Which value column to read. An index counts every column left to right, starting at 1, including key columns — so the first value column's index is one past the number of key columns, not 1 (see [[table_type|Table Type]]). |
+| ''valueIfNotFound'' | matches the column | No | Returned instead of failing if the key isn't present. |
+Output: the value at that key and column.
+=== GetTableRow ===
+Reads every value column for one key at once.
+^ Parameter ^ Type ^ Required? ^ Description ^
+| ''keys'' | Tuple | Yes | The key identifying the row. |
+| ''table'' | Table | Yes | The table to read from. |
+Output: the row's value columns, as a Tuple — not the key columns, since those are already known from the ''keys'' input.
+=== GetLookupTableValue ===
+The Lookup Table equivalent of ''GetTableValue'' — no column argument, since a Lookup Table only ever has one.
+^ Parameter ^ Type ^ Required? ^ Description ^
+| ''table'' | Lookup Table | Yes | The lookup table to read from. |
+| ''key'' | Real | Yes | The key to look up. |
+| ''valueIfNotFound'' | Real | No | Returned instead of failing if the key isn't present. |
+Output: the value for that key.
+**Example** — a small constant table and lookup table, each read with the functor above that matches its shape:
+<code>
+myLookupTable := LookupTable [
+    "Key" "Value",
+10,
+20,
+30
+];
+// lookedUpValue will be 20.
+lookedUpValue := GetLookupTableValue myLookupTable 2;
+myTable := Table [
+    "CityId*", "Population", "Area",
+, 667137, 125,
+, 39398, 6
+];
+// population will be 667137.
+population := GetTableValue myTable 1 "Population";
+// wholeRow will be the two-element Tuple (39398, 6) — Population then Area.
+wholeRow := GetTableRow 2 myTable;
+</code>
 ===== Iterating over Lookup Table values =====
-A [[For Each]] loop run over a connected Lookup Table executes once per key. Inside the loop, a ''Step'' functor retrieves the current key — its input auto-binds to the container's current iteration value, so it needs no explicit wiring. From there, the key can be used directly, or passed to ''GetLookupTableValue'' to retrieve the corresponding value.
+A [[For Each]] loop run over a connected Lookup Table executes once per key. Inside the loop, a [[Step]] functor retrieves the current key — its input auto-binds to the container's current iteration value, the same mechanism described in [[ego_script#internal_output_ports|Internal output ports]], so it needs no explicit wiring. From there, the key can be used directly, or passed to [[Get Lookup Table Value]] to retrieve the corresponding value.
+A loop like this can often run its iterations in parallel — see [[basic_data_flow|Basic Data Flow]] for the conditions that allow it.
+**Example** — printing every entry of a Lookup Table. [[Print]] is itself a container — its ''initialMessage'' is printed before whatever it contains runs, so an empty ''<nowiki>{{ }}</nowiki>'' block is enough when the only goal is to print something. [[Create String]] builds a message from a format string and the values connected inside it, referenced the same way a Code expression references a hook (see [[ego_script#verbose_form|Verbose form]]) — by a numbered, type-prefixed tag (''<v1>'' for the first connected value, and so on). This example also uses ''{ initialMessage = message }'' [[ego_script#nominal_syntax|nominal syntax]] for ''Print'', and the ''_'' [[ego_script#positional_syntax|discard convention]] for outputs that aren't needed:
+<code>
+myLookupTable := LookupTable [
+    "Key" "Value",
+10,
+20,
+30
+];
+_ := ForEach myLookupTable {{
+    key := Step;
+    value := GetLookupTableValue myLookupTable key;
+    message := CreateString "(Key: <v1>, Value: <v2>)" {{
+        NumberValue key 1;
+        NumberValue value 2;
+    }};
+    _ := Print { initialMessage = message } {{ }};
+}};
+</code>
 ===== Iterating over Table rows =====
-Table rows are iterated the same way, but need one extra functor: ''GetTableKeys'' returns a table mapping unique indices to the keys of the input table's first key column. When the key column is already Real-typed, those indices and the keys are the same numbers, so the mapping is trivial. When the key column is String-typed, the indices are distinct numeric placeholders, and a ''GetTableValue'' call inside the loop is needed to map the current index back to its actual String key — this indirection is //why// String-typed key columns are usually avoided when a table will be iterated (see [[table_type|Table Type]]).
+Table rows are iterated the same way, but need one extra functor: [[Get Table Keys]] returns a table mapping unique indices to the keys of the input table's first key column. When the key column is already Real-typed, those indices and the keys are the same numbers, so the mapping is trivial. When the key column is String-typed, the indices are distinct numeric placeholders, and a ''GetTableValue'' call inside the loop is needed to map the current index back to its actual String key — this indirection is //why// String-typed key columns are usually avoided when a table will be iterated (see [[table_type|Table Type]]).
-A table with more than one key column can only be iterated one key column at a time this way. To examine every key column, nest loops — see Sub-Tables below.
+A table with more than one key column can only be iterated one key column at a time this way. To examine every key column, nest loops — see [[#sub_tables|Sub-Tables]] below.
+**Example** — printing every entry of a Table with a Real-typed key column. General tables are wrapped in [[Table]] rather than [[Lookup Table]]:
+<code>
+myTable := Table [
+    "CityId*", "Population",
+, 667137,
+, 39398
+];
+allKeys := GetTableKeys myTable;
+_ := ForEach allKeys {{
+    key := Step;
+    value := GetTableValue myTable key "Population";
+    message := CreateString "(Key: <v1>, Value: <v2>)" {{
+        NumberValue key 1;
+        NumberValue value 2;
+    }};
+    _ := Print { initialMessage = message } {{ }};
+}};
+</code>
+**Example** — the same, but with a String-typed key column. This is the extra-indirection case described above: ''GetTableKeys'' returns indices, not the original keys, so an extra ''GetTableValue'' inside the loop maps each index back to its String key before it can be used:
+<code>
+// #string is redundant here — quoted values like "Boston" already infer as String —
+// it's included only to make the key column's type explicit at a glance.
+myStringKeyedTable := Table [
+    "CityName*#string", "Population",
+    "Boston", 667137,
+    "Chelsea", 39398
+];
+indexToKey := GetTableKeys myStringKeyedTable;
+_ := ForEach indexToKey {{
+    index := Step;
+    key := GetTableValue indexToKey index 2;
+    value := GetTableValue myStringKeyedTable key "Population";
+    message := CreateString "(Key: <s1>, Value: <v1>)" {{
+        NumberString key 1;
+        NumberValue value 1;
+    }};
+    _ := Print { initialMessage = message } {{ }};
+}};
+</code>
+**Example** — a table with more than one value column. Nothing new is needed: call ''GetTableValue'' once per value column and combine the results:
+<code>
+myTable := Table [
+    "CityId*", "Population", "Area",
+, 667137, 125,
+, 39398, 6
+];
+allKeys := GetTableKeys myTable;
+_ := ForEach allKeys {{
+    key := Step;
+    population := GetTableValue myTable key "Population";
+    area := GetTableValue myTable key "Area";
+    message := CreateString "(CityId: <v1>, Population: <v2>, Area: <v3>)" {{
+        NumberValue key 1;
+        NumberValue population 2;
+        NumberValue area 3;
+    }};
+    _ := Print { initialMessage = message } {{ }};
+}};
+</code>
 ===== Sub-Tables =====
@@ Line 36: / Line 198: @@
 A **sub-table** is a table containing only the rows matching one specific value of a key, with that key column removed from the result. Sub-tables are how Dinamica handles tables with more than one key column: peel off one key at a time, working with what remains.
-^ Functor ^ Inputs ^ Output ^ Notes ^
+=== GetTableFromKey ===
-| ''GetTableFromKey'' | ''table'', ''keys'' (Tuple) | The matching sub-table | Retrieves rows for the given key(s), with those key columns dropped. |
-| ''SetTableByKey'' | ''table'', ''keys'' (Tuple), ''subTable'' | The updated table | Inserts or replaces the rows for the given key(s). The sub-table's column names and types must match the target table. |
-Both functors only operate on the table's **leftmost** key column(s) — they can't reach into the middle of a composite key. If the key you need isn't leftmost, reorder the columns first with ''ReorderTableColumn'', which moves one column (key or value) to a new index; key and value columns can't be moved across each other.
+Retrieves the rows matching the given key(s), with those key columns dropped from the result.
+^ Parameter ^ Type ^ Required? ^ Description ^
+| ''table'' | Table | Yes | The table to read from. |
+| ''keys'' | Tuple | Yes | The leftmost key(s) identifying the sub-table. |
+Output: the matching sub-table.
+=== SetTableByKey ===
+Inserts or replaces the rows matching the given key(s).
+^ Parameter ^ Type ^ Required? ^ Description ^
+| ''table'' | Table | Yes | The table to update. |
+| ''keys'' | Tuple | Yes | The leftmost key(s) identifying where the sub-table goes. |
+| ''subTable'' | Table | Yes | The replacement rows. Column names and types must match ''table''. |
+Output: the updated table.
+Both [[Get Table From Key]] and [[Set Table By Key]] only operate on the table's **leftmost** key column(s) — they can't reach into the middle of a composite key. If the key you need isn't leftmost, reorder the columns first with [[Reorder Table Column]], which moves one column (key or value) to a new index; key and value columns can't be moved across each other.
 **Worked example.** Take a table of commodity prices, keyed by ''Year'' and ''City'':
@@ Line 56: / Line 235: @@
 | 5483552 | 233 |
-To instead retrieve by ''City'' first, ''Year'' would need to be reordered ahead of it, since ''GetTableFromKey'' can only key off the leftmost column(s). With three key columns, the same idea nests: peel off the leftmost key to get a sub-table, then peel off the next leftmost key of //that// sub-table, and so on — which is exactly how nested ''For Each'' loops iterate a multi-key table one column at a time.
+To instead retrieve by ''City'' first, ''Year'' would need to be reordered ahead of it, since ''GetTableFromKey'' can only key off the leftmost column(s). With three key columns, the same idea nests: peel off the leftmost key to get a sub-table, then peel off the next leftmost key of //that// sub-table, and so on — which is exactly how nested ''ForEach'' loops iterate a multi-key table one column at a time; see [[ego_script#container_functors|Container functors]] for how nesting containers this way affects execution order.
-===== Choosing between Tables and Lookup Tables =====
+**Example** — building the table above, retrieving the 2007 sub-table, updating one of its prices with [[Set Table Cell Value]], writing it back, and finally reordering ''City'' ahead of ''Year'' to key by ''City'' instead:
-A Lookup Table's fixed shape — one Real key, one Real value — makes it faster to query and iterate than a general Table, and it supports proximity-based lookups (nearest key, linear interpolation) that Tables don't. Prefer a Lookup Table whenever the data actually fits that shape, including inside map/value expressions, where Lookup Table operands add less evaluation overhead than Table operands.
+<code>
+priceTable := Table [
+    "Year*", "City*", "Price",
+, 4534272, 1200,
+, 5483552, 1453,
+, 4534272, 4332,
+, 5483552, 233
+];
-Reach for a general Table instead when a single value per key isn't enough — when a row needs more than one associated value, or a String value, or when rows need to be indexed by more than one key at once.
+// Retrieve the City*/Price sub-table for Year 2007.
+pricesIn2007 := GetTableFromKey priceTable 2007;
-===== Examples =====
+// Replace the price for city 5483552 within that sub-table.
+updatedPricesIn2007 := SetTableCellValue pricesIn2007 "Price" 5483552 999;
-Both examples below use ''Print'', ''Step'', and ''CreateString'' to log each entry to the message console. ''Print'' is itself a container — its ''initialMessage'' is printed before whatever it contains runs, so an empty ''<nowiki>{{ }}</nowiki>'' block is enough when the only goal is to print something. ''CreateString'' builds a message from a format string and the values connected inside it, referenced the same way a Code expression references a hook — by a numbered, type-prefixed tag (''<v1>'' for the first connected value, and so on).
+// Write the modified sub-table back under the same key.
+priceTable2 := SetTableByKey priceTable 2007 updatedPricesIn2007;
-**Printing every entry of a Lookup Table:**
+// Move City (currently index 2) ahead of Year (index 1), so sub-tables can
+// instead be retrieved by City first.
+priceTableByCity := ReorderTableColumn priceTable2 "City" 1;
+// citySubTable will be the Year*/Price pairs for city 4534272.
+citySubTable := GetTableFromKey priceTableByCity 4534272;
+</code>
+**Example** — printing every entry of a table with more than one key column. [[Get Table Keys]] only ever iterates the //first// key column, so a table with several needs one nested loop per extra key: peel off a sub-table for each ''Year'', then iterate the ''City'' key within it:
 <code>
-_ := For Each myLookupTable {{
+priceTable := Table [
-    key := Step;
+    "Year*", "City*", "Price",
-    value := GetLookupTableValue myLookupTable key;
+, 4534272, 1200,
+, 5483552, 1453,
+, 4534272, 4332,
+, 5483552, 233
+];
-    message := CreateString "(Key: <v1>, Value: <v2>)" {{
+yearKeys := GetTableKeys priceTable;
-        NumberValue key 1;
-        NumberValue value 2;
+_ := ForEach yearKeys {{
+    year := Step;
+    pricesInYear := GetTableFromKey priceTable year;
+    cityKeys := GetTableKeys pricesInYear;
+    _ := ForEach cityKeys {{
+        city := Step;
+        price := GetTableValue pricesInYear city "Price";
+        message := CreateString "(Year: <v1>, City: <v2>, Price: <v3>)" {{
+            NumberValue year 1;
+            NumberValue city 2;
+            NumberValue price 3;
+        }};
+        _ := Print { initialMessage = message } {{ }};
     }};
-    _ := Print { initialMessage = message } {{ }};
 }};
 </code>
-**Printing every entry of a Table** (with a Real-typed key column and a value column named ''Population''):
+===== Storing results across a loop =====
+A [[Mux Table]] or [[Mux Lookup Table]] can carry a Table or Lookup Table across the iterations of a loop, the same way [[Mux Value]] carries a single value — see [[ego_script#carrying_and_selecting_values_across_iterations|Carrying and selecting values across iterations]]. Each iteration reads the mux's current output, adds a row to it with ''AddTableRow'', and feeds the result back in as the mux's ''feedback'' input for the next iteration, building up a result table one row at a time.
+The accumulated table is read after the loop the same way any container's internal result is read from outside it: a functor after the loop simply takes the accumulator's feedback variable as an input. There's nothing special about this — the loop is guaranteed to finish before anything depending on it runs, per [[basic_data_flow|Basic Data Flow]].
 <code>
-allKeys := GetTableKeys myTable;
+sourceLookup := LookupTable [
+    "Key" "Value",
+667137,
+39398,
+181045
+];
-_ := For Each allKeys {{
+emptyResults := Table [
-    key := Step;
+    "CityId*#real", "DoubledPopulation#real"
-    value := GetTableValue myTable key "Population";
+];
-    message := CreateString "(Key: <v1>, Value: <v2>)" {{
+_ := ForEach sourceLookup {{
-        NumberValue key 1;
+    accumulated := MuxTable emptyResults nextAccumulated;
-        NumberValue value 2;
-    }};
-    _ := Print { initialMessage = message } {{ }};
+    key := Step;
+    population := GetLookupTableValue sourceLookup key;
+    doubled := $ [ $population * 2 ];
+    newRow := AddTupleValue key doubled;
+    nextAccumulated := AddTableRow accumulated newRow;
 }};
+// finalResults holds every row added across all iterations. Use nextAccumulated,
+// not accumulated (the mux's own output), which lags one iteration behind.
+// The Table carrier passes it through, since := always binds a functor call.
+finalResults := Table nextAccumulated;
 </code>
-If ''myTable'''s key column were String-typed instead of Real, ''allKeys'' would hold numeric placeholder indices rather than the real keys, and an extra ''GetTableValue'' call would be needed inside the loop to map each index back to its actual key — see Iterating over Table rows above.
+> **Note:** This is also why ''accumulated'' should never be read again after ''AddTableRow'' consumes it in the same iteration. When exactly one reference to a table's current version remains, Dinamica can update it destructively — modifying the existing storage in place. A second live reference to ''accumulated'' (reading it directly somewhere else, instead of only through ''nextAccumulated'') forces Dinamica to copy the table instead, since the old version now has to stay intact for that other reference. That copy cost repeats every iteration — see [[basic_data_flow|Basic Data Flow]] for this same rule stated generally, beyond just tables.
+**Why this isn't the best approach.** [[basic_data_flow|Basic Data Flow]] documents three conditions under which a loop's iterations can run simultaneously: no mux directly inside the loop, nothing produced inside the loop consumed outside it, and no loop member used as a submodel's output port. A mux-based accumulator like the one above breaks the first condition outright — the mux ties every iteration to the one before it, so the loop can never run as anything but sequential, even when the per-iteration work is otherwise completely independent, as it is above (each row's value depends only on that row's own key).
+When the transformation is this simple — one output row per input row, computed independently — the calculator shorthand already covered in [[calculate_functors#5_lookup_table_operators|Lookup Table Operators]] produces the same result without a loop, a mux, or the sequential cost that comes with one:
+<code>
+doubledResults := % [ %sourceLookup[line] * 2 ] "CityId" "DoubledPopulation" sourceLookup;
+</code>
+===== Choosing between Tables and Lookup Tables =====
+A Lookup Table's fixed shape — one Real key, one Real value — makes it faster to query and iterate than a general Table, and it supports proximity-based lookups (nearest key, linear interpolation) that Tables don't. Prefer a Lookup Table whenever the data actually fits that shape, including inside map/value expressions, where Lookup Table operands add less evaluation overhead than Table operands — see [[calculate_functors#5_lookup_table_operators|Lookup Table Operators]] and [[calculate_functors#6_multi-column_table_operators|Multi-Column Table Operators]] for how each is queried from within an expression.
+Reach for a general Table instead when a single value per key isn't enough — when a row needs more than one associated value, or a String value, or when rows need to be indexed by more than one key at once.