Re: Trivia: Ada packages are great!

[gautier_niouzes@hotmail.com]

Actually some Ada compilers let you organize files as you want.
For instance the following file compiles successfully with ObjectAda 10.0 (the latest version), right now:
----8<----8<----8<----8<
package u1 is
end;
package u2 is
end;
package u3 is
end;
package u4 is
  procedure p4;
end;
package body u4 is  --  a body!
  oh: constant := 3;
  procedure p4 is begin null; end;
end;
procedure p5 is begin null; end;  --  a body!
function f6 return Integer;
----8<----8<----8<----8<

IIRC it is possible with DEC Ada as well.
Anyway, you can reorganize automatically your files with GNAT's convention using gnatchop: copy all files into one (copy *.ad* big.txt), then move big.txt in an empty sandbox, then: gnatchop big.txt. That's it...

Now, the discussion about files has overshadowed the initial point of this thread: in Ada, *everything* must be inside a unit (package, procedure or function) with a name, and *that* is an extremely useful feature compared to "flat" languages!

_________________________ 
Gautier's Ada programming 
http://gautiersblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Ada 
NB: follow the above link for a valid e-mail address