{ $description "Generates a new data type in the current vocabulary named " { $snippet { $emphasis "class" } "-array" } " for holding instances of " { $snippet "class" } ", which must be a tuple class word. Together with the class itself, this also generates words named " { $snippet "<" { $emphasis "class" } "-array>" } " and " { $snippet ">" { $emphasis "class" } "-array" } ", for creating new instances of this tuple array type." } ;
"The " { $vocab-link "tuple-arrays" } " vocabulary implements space-efficient unboxed tuple arrays. Whereas an ordinary array of tuples would consist of references to heap-allocated objects, a tuple array stores its elements as values."
"Calling " { $link nth } " copies an element into a new tuple, and calling " { $link set-nth } " copies an existing tuple's slots into an array."
$nl
"Since value semantics are incompatible with inheritance, the base type of a tuple array must be declared " { $link POSTPONE:final } ". A best practice that is not enforced is to have all slots in the tuple declared " { $link read-only } "."
$nl
"Tuple arrays do not get updated if tuples are redefined to add or remove slots, so caution should be exercised when doing interactive development on code that uses tuple arrays."
