listless
In {functional programming}, a property of a {function} which allows it to be combined with other functions
in a way that eliminates intermediate data structures,
especially lists.
{Phil Wadler}'s thesis gives the conditions for a function to
be in listless form: each input list is traversed only once,
one element at a time, from left to right. Each output list
is generated once, one element at a time, from left to right.
No other lists are generated or traversed.
Not all functions can be expressed in listless form
(e.g. reverse).
(1995-02-22)