Re: File name conventions for Ada units

[palo@rikka.enet.dec.com (Rik Palo)]

In article <EMERY.90Oct1105615@aries.linus.mitre.org>, emery@linus.mitre.org
(David Emery) writes:
;From: emery@linus.mitre.org (David Emery)
;Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
;Subject: Re: File name conventions for Ada units
;
;The following come from the DEC Ada compiler:
;>
;>	package spec:	package_.ada
;>	package body:	package.ada
;>	subunit:	package__subunit.ada
;Without a doubt, this is the UGLIEST, WORST naming convention I can
;imagine.  I don't know who/why DEC thought this up, but s/he should be
;shot, hung, drawn and quartered (and not necessarily in that
;order...)!  There are several things that make it offensive:
;	1.  the spec name is modified (with the trailing underscore),
;while the body name remains "pure".
;	2.  the syntax for the spec and subunit is not an Ada identifier
;	3.  it's just ugly.
;	4.  the body preceeds the spec in "lexical sorting order"
;

Actually, since Digital's format is an internal format for the compiler's copy
of the files.
It works fine and doesn't impose anything on the user.  As a matter of fact, if
the project
can live without the RECOMPILE command, and keeps the source files in some
repository visible for DEBUG, then the Ada copied files can be disabled
altogether saving the disk space -- this implies that the users wish to do more
work than is necessary keeping track of source files or use Digital's Code
Management System (CMS).  The VAX Ada compiler understands how to get files from
it, so the above is actually quite reasonable -- but not everybody wishes (or
can afford) all the tools all the time.  That's why the default operation works
in the minimum environment.

On the other hand, using a consistent naming convention *is* important. 
Rational's approach is great because it permits forgetting all about a mapping
from source file to target unit;  Digital, with its compilation system [pre]load
function, is aiming for a similar result - namely let the compiler "find"
compilation units in whatever source files they happen to reside. This even
allows *all* units to be in one file!  This would/could allow this time lost
quibbling over file naming to be spent where *I* feel is more important -- the
naming of units and types, a whole other can of worms in a Coding Standard
philosophy.

	regards

		rikki