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#### 7.8.1 Technical Note

This note provides a bit more detail for Java programmers on what is going on here; only read on if you want to understand how the use of functions in TOPCAT algebraic expressions relates to normal Java code.

The expressions which you write are compiled to Java bytecode when you enter them (if there is a 'compilation error' it will be reported straight away). The functions listed in the previous subsections are all the `public static` methods of the classes which are made available by default. The classes listed are all in the packages `uk.ac.starlink.ttools.func` and `uk.ac.starlink.topcat.func` (`uk.ac.starlink.topcat.func.Strings` etc). However, the public static methods are all imported into an anonymous namespace for bytecode compilation, so that you write `sqrt(x)` and not `Maths.sqrt(x)`. The same happens to other classes that are imported (which can be in any package or none) - their public static methods all go into the anonymous namespace. Thus, method name clashes are a possibility.

This cleverness is all made possible by the rather wonderful JEL.

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TOPCAT - Tool for OPerations on Catalogues And Tables
Starlink User Note253
TOPCAT web page: http://www.starlink.ac.uk/topcat/
Author email: m.b.taylor@bristol.ac.uk
Mailing list: topcat-user@jiscmail.ac.uk