GAP (ref) - Chapter 77: Replaced and Removed Command Names

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77 Replaced and Removed Command Names
77.1 Group Actions – Name Changes
77.2 Package Interface – Obsolete Functions and Name Changes
77.3 Normal Forms of Integer Matrices – Name Changes
77.4 Miscellaneous Name Changes or Removed Names
77.4-1 InfoObsolete
77.5 The former .gaprc file
77.6 Semigroup properties

### 77 Replaced and Removed Command Names

In general we try to keep GAP 4 compatible with former releases as much as possible. Nevertheless, from time to time it seems appropriate to remove some commands or to change the names of some commands or variables. There are various reasons for that: Some functionality was improved and got another (hopefully better) interface, names turned out to be too special or too general for the underlying functionality, or names are found to be unintuitive or inconsistent with other names.

In this chapter we collect such old names while pointing to the sections which explain how to substitute them. Usually, old names will be available for several releases; they may be removed when they don't seem to be used any more.

Information about obsolete names is printed by `Info` (7.4-6) using the `InfoObsolete` (77.4-1) Info class. By default `InfoObsolete` (77.4-1) is set to 1. Newly obsoleted identifiers should at first be outputted at info level 2. Once they have been removed from all packages, they should then be moved to info level 1, so they are visible to normal users, for at least one major release before being removed.

The functions `DeclareObsoleteSynonym` and `DeclareObsoleteSynonymAttr` take an optional final parameter, specifying the info level at which the given obsolete symbol should be reported. It defaults to 2 and 1, respectively.

The obsolete GAP code is collected in two library files, `lib/obsolete.gd` and `lib/obsolete.gi`. By default, these files are read when GAP is started. It may be useful to omit reading these files, for example in order to make sure that one's own GAP code does not rely on the obsolete variables. For that, one can use the `-O` command line option (see 3.1) or set the user preference `ReadObsolete` in the file `gap.ini` to `false` (see 3.2). Note that the `-O` command line option overrides `ReadObsolete`.

(Note that the condition whether the library files with the obsolete GAP code shall be read has changed. In GAP 4.3 and 4.4, the global variables `GAP_OBSOLESCENT` and `GAPInfo.ReadObsolete` –to be set in the user's `.gaprc` file– were used to control this behaviour.)

#### 77.1 Group Actions – Name Changes

The concept of a group action is sometimes referred to as a group operation. In GAP 3 as well as in older versions of GAP 4 the term `Operation` was used instead of `Action`. We decided to change the names to avoid confusion with the term operation as in `DeclareOperation` (78.1-5) and operations for Xyz.

Here are some examples of such name changes.

OLD | NOW USE
`Operation` | `Action` (41.7-2)
`RepresentativeOperation` | `RepresentativeAction` (41.6-1)
`OperationHomomorphism` | `ActionHomomorphism` (41.7-1)
`FunctionOperation` | `FunctionAction` (41.12-4)
`IsLexicographicallyLess` | `\<` (31.11-1)

#### 77.2 Package Interface – Obsolete Functions and Name Changes

With GAP 4.4 the package interface was changed. Thereby some functions became obsolete and the names of some others were made more consistent.

The following functions are no longer needed: `DeclarePackage`, `DeclareAutoPackage`, `DeclarePackageDocumentation` and `DeclarePackageAutoDocumentation`. They are substituted by entries in the packages' `PackageInfo.g` files, see 76.3-15.

Furthermore, the global variable `PACKAGES_VERSIONS` is no longer needed, since this information is now contained in the `GAPInfo.PackagesInfo` record (see 3.5-1). The global variable `Revisions` is also no longer needed, since the function `DisplayRevision` was made obsolete in GAP 4.5 and removed in GAP 4.7.

The following function names were changed.

OLD | NOW USE
`RequirePackage` | `LoadPackage` (76.2-1)
`ReadPkg` | `ReadPackage` (76.3-1)
`RereadPkg` | `RereadPackage` (76.3-1)

#### 77.3 Normal Forms of Integer Matrices – Name Changes

Former versions of GAP 4 documented several functions for computing the Smith or Hermite normal form of integer matrices. Some of them were never implemented and it was unclear which commands to use. The functionality of all of these commands is now available with `NormalFormIntMat` (25.2-9) and a few interface functions.

#### 77.4 Miscellaneous Name Changes or Removed Names

In former releases of GAP 4 there were some global variable names bound to general information about the running GAP, such as path names or command line options. Although they were not officially documented they were used by several users and in some packages. We mention here `BANNER` and `QUIET`. This type of information is now collected in the global record `GAPInfo` (3.5-1).

Here are some further name changes.

OLD | NOW USE
`MonomialTotalDegreeLess` | `MonomialExtGrlexLess` (66.17-14)
`MultRowVector` | `MultVectorLeft` (23.4-3)
`MutableCopyMat` | `MutableCopyMatrix` (26.11-4)
`MutableIdentityMat` | `IdentityMat` (24.5-1)
`MutableNullMat` | `NullMat` (24.5-2)
`NormedVectors` | `NormedRowVectors` (61.9-11)
`RadicalGroup` | `SolvableRadical` (39.12-9)

- The operation `PositionFirstComponent` has been deprecated in GAP 4.8 due to issues with its documentation and implementation, and was removed in GAP 4.10. Instead of `PositionFirstComponent(list,obj)`, you may use `PositionSorted(list,[obj])` or `PositionProperty(list,x->x[1]=obj)` as a replacement, depending on your specific use case.

- The five argument version of the operation `MultRowVector` has been deprecated in GAP 4.10 since it was unused and only available for coefficient lists. Note that `MultRowVector` was also renamed to `MultVectorLeft`.

- The function `TemporaryGlobalVarName` has been deprecated in GAP 4.11. Code using it typically can be restructured to not need it, e.g. by using `EvalString` (27.9-5).

- A bunch of synonyms have been deprecated in GAP 4.13. The alternative names have always existed and so are safe to use even in code which is meant to run in older GAP versions.

  Deprecated | Recommended alternative
  `OneSM` | `OneSameMutability` (31.10-2)
  `InverseSM` | `InverseSameMutability` (31.10-8)
  `ZeroSM` | `ZeroSameMutability` (31.10-3)
  `AdditiveInverseSM` | `AdditiveInverseSameMutability` (31.10-9)
  `OneAttr` | `One` (31.10-2), `OneImmutable` (31.10-2)
  `InverseAttr` | `Inverse` (31.10-8), `InverseImmutable` (31.10-8)
  `ZeroAttr` | `Zero` (31.10-3), `ZeroImmutable` (31.10-3)
  `AdditiveInverseAttr` | `AdditiveInverse` (31.10-9), `AdditiveInverseImmutable` (31.10-9)

##### 77.4-1 InfoObsolete

`‣ InfoObsolete` | ( info class )

is an info class to display warnings when an obsolete variable is used. By default, the info level for this class is set to 1, which will only show variables which will be removed in the next major version of GAP. Setting it to 2 will trigger further warnings, for variables which have alternative names, or may be removed in future. This class can be set to 0 to disable all obsolete warnings.

To check that the GAP code does not use any obsolete variables at parsing time, and not at a runtime, use the `-O` command line option, see 3.1.

#### 77.5 The former .gaprc file

Up to GAP 4.4, a file `.gaprc` in the user's home directory (if available, and GAP was started without `-r` option) was read automatically during startup, early enough for influencing the autoloading of packages and late enough for being allowed to execute any GAP code. On Windows machines this file was called `gap.rc`.

In GAP 4.5 the startup mechanism has changed, see 3.2 for details. These new configuration files are now contained in a directory `GAPInfo.UserGapRoot`.

For the sake of partial backwards compatibility, also the former file `~/.gaprc` is still supported for such initializations, but this file is read only if the directory `GAPInfo.UserGapRoot` does not exist. In that case the `~/.gaprc` is read at the same time as `gaprc` would be read, i. e., too late for influencing the startup of GAP.

As before, the command line option `-r` disables reading `~/.gaprc`, see 3.1.

To migrate from the old setup to the new one introduced with GAP 4.5, first have a look at the function `WriteGapIniFile` (3.2-3). Many users will find that all or most of what was set in the old `~/.gaprc` file can now be done via the user preferences in a `gap.ini` file. If you had code for new functions or abbreviations in your old `~/.gaprc` file or you were reading additional files, then move this into the file `gaprc` (without the leading dot, same name for all operating systems) in the directory `GAPInfo.UserGapRoot`.

#### 77.6 Semigroup properties

Until Version 4.8 of GAP there was inconsistent use of the following properties of semigroups: `IsGroupAsSemigroup`, `IsMonoidAsSemigroup`, and `IsSemilatticeAsSemigroup`. `IsGroupAsSemigroup` was true for semigroups that mathematically defined a group, and for semigroups in the category `IsGroup` (39.2-7); `IsMonoidAsSemigroup` was true for semigroups that mathematically defined monoids, but did not belong to the category `IsMonoid` (51.2-1); and `IsSemilatticeAsSemigroup` was simply a property of semigroups, there is no category `IsSemilattice`.

From Version 4.8 onwards, `IsMonoidAsSemigroup` returns `true` for semigroups in the category `IsMonoid` (51.2-1), and `IsSemilatticeAsSemigroup` has been moved to the Semigroups under the new name `IsSemilattice` (Semigroups: IsSemilattice).

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