Chomik: Comparing Integers

In previous articles, we explored some of Chomik’s built-in types, such as boolean. Today, we’ll reveal another one — compare_result — which is used when comparing integers.

The compare_result type

The compare_result type consists of exactly three identifiers:

• lower

• equal

• greater

You can see them for yourself by printing the entire set:

<print (X:compare_result)>;
When you run this code, you’ll get:

lower
equal
greater

These values are used to indicate the outcome of a comparison.

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Comparing two integers

To compare integers in Chomik, you use a built-in code variable whose name begins with compare “integer”.

Here’s an example. Let’s compare the value of variable x with the integer 1000:

let x = value integer 123;
<compare "integer" <x> 1000>;
<print <the compare result>>;

Here’s what’s going on:

1. x is assigned the integer value 123.

2. <compare "integer" <x> 1000> performs the comparison.

3. The result is stored in the predefined variable the compare result, which is of type compare_result.

4. Finally, we print the comparison result.

In this case, the output will be lower.

Acting on comparison results

Since the compare result is just another variable, you can use it dynamically. A common pattern in Chomik is to define code variables for each possible outcome:

variable my reaction to (C:compare_result):code;

let my reaction to lower = value code { <print "it was lower!">; };
let my reaction to equal = value code { <print "it was equal!">; };
let my reaction to greater = value code { <print "it was greater!">; };

let x = value integer 123;
<compare "integer" <x> 1000>;
<my reaction to <the compare result>>;

How it works:

• We declare a variable family my reaction to (C:compare_result), meaning there will be a different code block for each of lower, equal, and greater.

• We define what happens in each case by assigning a block of code.

• After comparing, we execute the corresponding block by calling <my reaction to <the compare result>>.

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Why this is powerful

Instead of writing long if or switch statements, Chomik uses its dynamic variable naming feature to select the correct behavior directly. This makes code cleaner, more modular, and easier to extend — especially in cases where there might be many possible outcomes.