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From: Chad Bremmon <chad.bremmon@comm.hq.af.mil>
Subject: Re: What's the point?
Date: 1996/08/08
Message-ID: <3209CDC8.8A4@comm.hq.af.mil>#1/1
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references: <32064473.59F6@freenet.scri.fsu.edu>
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Date: 1996-08-08T00:00:00+00:00
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The Quelisher wrote:
> 

It worked exactly the same way in the language 
formerly known as Ada.

There is, however, a reason.

__________________

For example: 

Pointer_a := pointer_b;

does that mean the contents of pointer a := the 
contents of pointer b or does it mean they now 
point to the same thing.  In Ada, it means that 
pointer_a and pointer_b now point to the same 
thing.  It cannot be automatically dereferenced.

However, if I want to dereference in this 
situation, I must use ".all" to dereference 
explicitly. 

Pointer_a.all := Pointer_B.all;

This will copy the contents of Pointer_b into the 
contents of pointer_a.

Chad


> If Ada95 allows dereferencing the ".all" call for pointer variables,
> then what's the point of even having a ".all" call in the first place?
> Is this a carryover from Ada83 or something?
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