Re: Parameterised 'Image Attributes

[Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com>]

Rod Kay <rodakay5@gmail.com> writes:
>    There has been some recent discussion on #ada irc regarding
>    formatted output.
>
>    Would it be possible/desirable to allow the 'Image attribute to
>    have formatting parameters ? Something along the lines of ...
>
>
>    put_Line (some_Integer'Image (Width => 5, Padding => '0'));
>
>
> ... and similar 'Image attribute parameters for other types.
>
>
>    If the parameters have defaults, then there should not be any
>    backwards compatibility issues (I think).

TeleSoft's compiler (which I worked on) had 'Extended_Image and
'Extended_Value attributes that worked like that.  I found them quite
useful -- especially as an easy way to drop the leading space on
Integer'Image.

One small problem was that we had different parameters for integer
and enumeration types, which introduced an ambiguity for discrete
formal types.

-- 
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
Will write code for food.
void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */