Compile recursive function modifying global variables

How to compile recursive formula when it relies on more than a few global variables (global to the topmost compiled function)? It is unreasonable to pass on all such variables to each recursive subroutine (there are more than one), as:

• that would require a lot of tensor copying which would cause a slowdown;
• even if passing globals would be possible, returning all affected globals from each subroutine would be tedious as each function must return a regular tensor of uniform data type.

Consider the following toy problem to calculate the factorial:

fact[x_] := Module[{sub, global = 1},
sub[y_] := If[y > 0, global = global*y; sub[y - 1]];
sub@x;
global];


How to compile it without passing global to sub? While this code works nicely in the general Mathematica interface, the following compiled version will call MainEvaluate as there is a SetDelayed expression which the compiler cannot handle:

factC = Compile[{{x, _Integer}}, Module[{global = 1, sub},
sub[y_] := If[y > 0, global = global*y; sub[y - 1]];
sub@x;
global]];


Is there any way to overcome this problem?

• Related mathgroup post: Pass by reference for compiled functions No solution general enough though. – ssch Aug 26 '13 at 21:37
• @ssch This pretty much tells me that what I want is impossible at the moment. I might be more successful writing code directly in C and than calling from under Mathematica... – István Zachar Aug 26 '13 at 21:52
• Yea :( Perhaps passing the globals in the Compiled functions and then replace them with pointers in the CCodeStringGenerate can save some (writing) time. – ssch Aug 26 '13 at 22:00