Re: Main subprogram at library level (was: library level required or not?)

["Randy Brukardt" <randy@rrsoftware.com>]

"Jeffrey Carter" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:FlS0c.14848$yZ1.11477@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> Randy Brukardt wrote:
>
> > *Types* derived from Controlled have to be at library-level.
>
> I have just had an idea. Suppose we had a standard pragma that declared
> that a library-level subprogram was a main subprogram. The subprogram
> could then only be a main subprogram and could not be called by itself
> or another subprogram, only by the environment task.
>
> The declarative region of such a subprogram would then be considered to
> be at the library level, allowing controlled types to be declared there.
>
> This would make Ada a little easier for newcomers without impacting
> existing code, which would not have the pragma and hence would not allow
> controlled types there.
>
> Has anything like this been proposed before? Any thoughts as to whether
> it is likely to fly if submitted as an AI?

AI-344 proposes to remove the restriction altogether. Certainly a better
idea than eliminating it in one weird place...

(But I don't know what will happen with that AI - it has not been discussed
much to date.)

                 Randy.