Re: Reprise: 'in out' parameters for functions

["okellogg" <okellogg@freenet.de>]

On Apr 8 2004, 1:32 pm, Randy Brukardt wrote:
>
> "Georg Bauhaus" <sb463ba@l1-hrz.uni-duisburg.de> wrote in message
> news:c546fd$lkb$3@a1-hrz.uni-duisburg.de...
> > Stephen Leake <stephen_leake@acm.org> wrote:
> >
> > :   Token       : in out Token_List.List_Iterator)
> > Is
> >     Token       : access Token_List.List_Iterator)
> > not an option?
>
> It's rarely an option, because it (a) forces a particular declaration
> ('aliased') on users that have no need to know and (b) makes a messy
call
> with the need to use '[Unchecked_]Access in every call.
>

This triggers a different question:

With Ada2005's support for object-dot-operation notation, will it be
possible to write the following?

package test is
type obj_t is tagged private;
function f (self : access obj_t) return integer;
-- need 'access' mode here because f modifies self
private
-- ...
end test;

with test;
procedure main is
object : test.obj_t;
retval : integer;
begin
retval := object.f;
end main;


My point here is whether main.object need be declared aliased or not.
I would much prefer if it needn't be.

Thanks,

Oliver M. Kellogg