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From: "Tom Hargraves" <tharg@vtcinet.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel,comp.lang.ada
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Subject: Re: The best thing/greatest feature summary
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 06:44:20 -0800
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Date: 2000-10-31T06:44:20-08:00
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I'd like to agree with Lothar Re...

"Lothar Scholz" <llothar@mailandnews.de> wrote in message > Let
>
>   X := Eiffel
>  Y := Java
>
> than the wish is
>
>  Introspection,  e.g.  java.lang.reflexion (i think that was the
> package)
>
>
--------------------------
Let
 X := Ada
 Y := Java

then the wish is

to add java.lang.reflect 'style' routines to the ada language

Here's a simple example where I'd find it useful:

Quite often in user written Ada error handling packages, it is nice to be
able to increase the detail in the error message, and be able to print or
log the name of the routine or class in which it occured. A 'debug' mode so
to speak.

In ada I've seen this done by declaring constant strings which match (at the
time of writing) the text to be displayed or logged. However there is
nothing to link the content of these strings to the items they refer, so
during the life of an application mismatches can occur.

java.lang.reflect has getName, getDeclaringClass, to name but two.

OK, at first sight, it won't be THE Best/Greatest feature of the language,
but small practical improvements do help to popularise a language.

PS. Maybe there is an equivalent 'Name attribute for a routine, or
'Parent_Class_Name attribute, which I've not been able to find. Please
advise!