Re: Unchecked_Conversion

["Marc A. Criley" <mcqada@earthlink.net>]

Lele wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> I'm a misterious reader...just because I've read for a month this NG without
> take part.
> I'm a beginner ADA programmer (what a wonderful language!) and I've a
> problem...
> 
> I should convert data types and record data types from one type to another,
> since now I've
> used the address attribute to point the same memory space and so accede to
> from one type
> to another. Ada provides features for bypassing certain language
> restrictions and these
> features are unchecked; it is the programmer's responsibility to make sure
> that they do
> not violate the assumptions of the rest of the program. Are there particular
> risks about using Unchecked_Conversion? Is it a better approach  the address
> attribute?
> 
> Thanks!

Unchecked_Conversion is almost always a better approach than using the
'Address attribute.  However, the need to do a significant amount of
converting from one type to another suggests that perhaps a second look
at the implementation approach is warranted.

Forcing conversions between types is usually appropriate only in certain
very specific domains, such as interfacing to operating system
functions.  The great majority of software written in Ada contains no
such conversions.

What kind of software are you writing?

Marc A. Criley
Senior Staff Engineer
Quadrus Corporation
www.quadruscorp.com