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From: Chris Morgan <mihalis@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: renaming Interfaces.Java.Ada_To_Java_String to the + operator
Date: 1998/01/11
Message-ID: <871zyej2sg.fsf@ix.netcom.com>#1/1
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Sender: cm@mihalis
References: <01bd1e34$1632c2c0$24326489@Westley-PC.calspan.com>
 <dewar.884489205@merv>
Organization: Linux Hackers Unlimited
X-NETCOM-Date: Sun Jan 11  8:14:16 AM CST 1998
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1998-01-11T08:14:16-06:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar) writes:

> 
> Terry asks
> 
> <<Does anyone know who's idea it was to rename the
> Interfaces.Java.Ada_To_Java_String function to the "+"
> operator in the Intermetrics Java bindings?  I'm
> using the Aonix ObjectAda translator but assume that
> the Java class library came from Intermetrics.
> >>
> 
> This is an old, old idea (the use of unary + as a reasonably un-noisy
> conversion operator). Jean Ichbiah was always a fan of this idea, which
> I think was firmly in mind at the time of the original Ada design.
> 

In the Intermetrics X11 and Motif bindings there is a generic &
operator which is used to approximate the variable argument list C
functions in the original interface, allowing you to write stuff like
this :

    Button1 := Xt.Intrinsic.XtVaCreateManagedWidget(
	"redraw", Motif.Pushb.xmPushButtonWidgetClass_obj, Form , 
	Stdarg.Empty & Motif.xmstrdefs.XmNlabelString & label & 
		       Motif.Xmstrdefs.Xmntopattachment & 
		       Motif.Xm.Xmattach_Form &
		       Motif.Xmstrdefs.Xmntopoffset & 2 &
		       Motif.Xmstrdefs.Xmnleftattachment & 
		       Motif.Xm.Xmattach_Form & 
		       Motif.Xmstrdefs.Xmnleftoffset & 2 &
						    Nulst);


Whilst I'm not complaining this is elegant it reads close enough to
the C that it's reasonably comprehensible to experience C/Motif
programmers. Once I got the hang of it was fine. I thought Mitch did a
good job with this.

Chris

-- 
Chris Morgan <mihalis at ix.netcom.com>
     "I'm considering throwing myself out of the window.  It
      wouldn't do me much damage because we're on the ground 
      floor, but it might make for a bit of variety."  - Lizzy Bryant