Re: Ada interface to Excel file

[Gautier write-only address <gautier_niouzes@hotmail.com>]

The simplest way by far is to generate the Ada sources
from within Excel by using VBA (a BASIC with a strong Ada flavour,
but still a BASIC) which is part of Excel.
From Excel, you activate VBA with the Alt-F11 shortcut.

You have "modules" which are just editor files and visible from
everywhere else (you have like implicit "with"'s and "use"'s); you
have functions called "Function" and procedures called "Sub".
You can associate a button in the Excel sheet to a Sub.
You declare each variable with "Dim x As Type".
You can also forget to declare variables, with funny outcomes.
The behavious of the type system around parameter passing is also funny.

You find below a few examples.
Now, if you already have your CSV-to-Ada generator, you can export a CSV; that's also easy with VBA.

G.

[somewhere (some module)]
Sub Generate_for_Production()
  Dim anchor As String  '  VBA String is Ada's Unbounded_String
  '  File handles
  Dim fh_ada_spec As Integer
  Dim fh_ada_body As Integer
  ...
  Open ThisWorkbook.Path & "\src\" & pkg_name & _
       ".ads" For Output As #fh_ada_spec
  ...
  For Each ws In Worksheets          '  Scan all worksheets
    For Each r In ws.UsedRange.Rows  '  Scan all used rows
      anchor = r.Cells(1, 1).Value
      If anchor <> "" Then
        ...
      End If
    Next r
  Next ws
  ...
  Close #fh_ada_spec
End Sub

[somewhere else (perhaps another module)]

  Print #fh, "with Ada.Calendar;"
  Print #fh, "with Ada.Unchecked_Conversion;"
  Print #fh, "with Interfaces;"
  Print #fh,
  Print #fh, "package " & name & " is"

[somewhere else]

  If simple_record Then
    Print #fh_ada_spec, "   --  Simple record."
    Print #fh_ada_spec,
    Print #fh_ada_spec, "   type Xyz is record  --  " & paragraph
  Else
    Print #fh_ada_spec, "   type Xyz is new " & parent_name & _
                        "Abc with record  --  " & paragraph
  End If

[somewhere else]

  For i = min_row_offset To max_row_offset
    '  Convert name in cell to Ada name
    field = Ada_Name(r.Cells(i, 3).Value)
    If field = "" Then
      Exit For
    End If
    amount = r.Cells(i, 6).Value
  ...
  Print #fh_ada_body, "      for index in 1 .. " & amount & " loop"
  Print #fh_ada_body, "         declare"