A little more data

[Kevin Wells <wellsk@worldnet.att.net>]

BTW - I'm using the EDS Ada compiler targeted for a 1750A processor
hosted on a DEC Alpha platform. If anyone needs any code snippets to
help me out, let me know...

Thanks again,
Kevin Wells

Kevin Wells wrote:

> When specifying data in an Ada package that is pre-initialized such as
> ----------------------------------------
> package Generate_Matrix is
>   Scale_Factor : float := 10.903;
>   .
> end Generate_Matrix; -- spec
> ----------------------------------------
>
> 1. Is it normal for the compiler to generate code that sets the value in
> memory
>     (that gets executed when the runtime system is initialized)?
> 2. Is there a way to get around this?
>
> I am trying to create pre-initialized data arrays in memory such as
> ----------------------------------------
> type Array_Type is array (1 .. 5) of integer;
> Small_Array : Array_Type := (1, 10, 5, 9, -50);
> ----------------------------------------
> but the compiler generates a bunch of code to set those 5 memory
> locations.
> (The actual code generated is about 3 to 5 times the size of the data
> area
> of the array). This really isn't a problem, except we only have a 64K
> machine
> with about 48K of it being used already. To make matters worse, a
> reserve
> of about 25% must be maintained for future changes. (That leaves me with
>
> about 0 words of memory to add things :) ) I have about 3100 words of
> data that is initialized at compile time.
>
> I have been coding for about 7-1/2 years now. The first 5-1/2 developing
> C
> and assembly applications..only the last 2 have been in Ada. I feel I
> know Ada
> pretty good (and I really appreciate the 'control' it gives me in
> developing
> safe and tolerant code over other langauges). However, I'm not too sure
> about how to handle this - In C, a seperate 'pre-initialized data
> segment was
> kept separately (along with other segments).
>
> Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions about doing this that fits
> within
> Ada's elegant realm of development (No external overlays) and allows the
>
> actual preinitialized data (without the code) to be saved in the final
> executable?
>
> Thanks much,
> Kevin Wells, Software Engineer, Boeing
> wellsk@netcom.com