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From: cupak@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com (John J Cupak Jr CCP)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Main (function) program with exit(status)
Date: 16 Sep 1994 15:05:30 GMT
Organization: Lockheed Sanders, Inc.
Sender: cupak@rapnet (John J Cupak Jr CCP)
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <35cc7q$9it@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com>
Reply-To: cupak@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com (John J Cupak Jr CCP)
NNTP-Posting-Host: rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com
Date: 1994-09-16T15:05:30+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


In a recent code review, I saw the following code for an Ada main program 
(LOTS of real code omitted!):

	function Example return Integer is
	begin
	  return (-1); 
	end Example;

It was the intent of the developer to return a non-zero status to the
unix shell in the event of an internal error. (btw, it works!)

Most coding standards, and even the LRM, state that the main program
must be a parameterless procedure. However, it seems that there's
nothing to prevent the main program from being a parameterless function!

I suggested that the programmer insert a call to the unix exit()
function (with appropriate interface pragmas) instead.

I wrote a short test program under VAX/VMS Ada, and discovered that DCL
will trap/check the return status of an Ada main program also. However,
the status must have values according to the VMS Status Word.

Has anyone encountered/used this technique before? What do you 'netters
think on this one?

John J. Cupak, Jr., CCP       Lockheed DECNet: NHQVAX::CUPAK
Lockheed Sanders, Inc.        Internet       : cupak@rapnet.sanders.LOCKHEED.COM
95 Canal Street / MER15-2403  CompuServe     : 72411.3176@compuserve.com 
Nashua, NH 03061-0868         Telephone      : (603) 885-2142     FAX: 885-1480