Generators

A generator is a entity that you can call at any time to request the next value in some sequence. For simplicity, this post will focus on a particular generator: one for Fibonacci numbers.

Generators as objects

In an object-oriented language, one can create a specific generator with a property holding state and a method to return the next value. In JavaScript:

var fibonacciGenerator = { 
    a: 0, 
    b: 1, 
    next: function () { 
        var result = this.b; 
        this.b += this.a; 
        return this.a = result; 
    } 
};

Normally, you want to protect the generator state from tampering. One way to do this is to use a module that supports private variables. In Ruby:

Similarly, in a classical (as opposed to prototypal) OO language, you can make a class for your generator. Then different instances can be constructed, possibly with different starting points or different rules. Again in Ruby:

Implementing Generators with Closures

Generators in C

Language Support for Generators