Embedding Text Data in Source (Was Re: String to Integer)

[jm59@prism.gatech.edu (John M. Mills)]

I have a question which diverges slightly from the original topic, but is
somewhat related.  Please redirect me to "Read The Fine Manual" if that
is appropriate, but be specific if you can.

I now provide object parameters for a program in the form of a number of small
files whose names are passed to the <ObjectType1>.Create(ParamFileName1, ...)
procedures for each of the objects in my model.  This works fine.  I would
also like to have a set of default parameters compiled into the code.  Hard-
coding this would be simple, but I want instead to include as the default
a specified file from my source tree, verbatim, then use the same parsing
routines to process either the file image embedded in the code or one read
under a file name, as transparently as possible using approaches similar to
the earlier suggestions in this thread: String'Value( ParamStr ) ... etc.

The present form of my parameter files is similar to this:

! comment description
VersionIDString    ! string to match for error checking
! comment lines as desired
RealValueString    ! parameter value
! descriptive comment(s)
IntegerValueString ! parameter value
EnumValueString    ! and so forth, with '*ValueString's in fixed order
...

There is no guarantee that a line will have a specific length, but the
sequence and grouping of parameters by [non-comment] line is well-defined.

THE QUESTION:
How can I embed those files' contents in my code automatically at compilation
so they can be parsed as strings?

Hope I managed to explain that .. &:^P   I am using GNAT on a variety of
UNIX platforms.

Thanks -- john mills --

-- 
John M. Mills, Senior Research Engineer   --   john.m.mills@gtri.gatech.edu
   Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332-0834
        Phone contacts: 404.894.0151 (voice), 404.894.6258 (FAX)
 "The 'Quick and Dirty' approach can generally be relied on to be dirty."-RlF