Two AdaIC databases available on-line

Two AdaIC databases available on-line

[Michele L. Kee, AdaIC]

             TWO ADAIC DATABASES AVAILABLE ON-LINE:
                      ADA PRODUCTS & TOOLS
                       ADA PRAGMA SUPPORT


The Ada Information Clearinghouse has opened a new service for
users of the AdaIC Bulletin Board.  The service, called Doors,
allows users to search two databases on line:  the AdaIC database
of Ada products and tools, and the AdaIC database of pragmas that
are supported by validated Ada compilers.  Doors is accessible on
both AdaIC bulletin-board lines (703/614-0215 and 301/459-3865).

In order to access the service, next time you log onto the bulletin
board, choose [D]oors from the main menu.  You will automatically
exit into the database section, and will be able to search them one
at a time.


PRODUCTS & TOOLS DATABASE

One of the Doors opens up the AdaIC Products and Tools Database. 
It currently lists more than 200 vendors, their 300-plus Ada
products, and the hardware on which they run.

It's easy to search the database.  There are no complicated search
commands to learn -- the menu-driven interface does all the work
for you.  The menu will ask you to choose key words from the
product categories.  The interface will create the appropriate
search strategy and give you the information you requested.

The Products and Tools Database first lists 13 categories, 12 of
which have subcategories that can also be searched.  For example,
"Reusable Components" can be searched on "Avionics", "File
Management", "Math", "Benchmark", "Real-Time", and "Embedded" -- as
well as "Artificial Intelligence", "Bindings", "Communications",
and "Interfaces", which all have still further subcategories.

If you search on the first level, "Reusable Components", 37 vendors
will currently be listed.  Afterwards, you can also query which
hosts and targets are supported by those products that are
architecture-specific.

Again, you can conduct the search from the opposite side, by asking
which products a vendor lists.  Not all vendors' entries are
complete -- fill out those surveys today!


THE PRAGMA SUPPORT DATABASE

Ada pragmas let a programmer finetune the behavior of the compiler;
they affect aspects of compilation that in other languages might be
handled by instructions to the operating system.  (Pragma PACK, for
instance tells the compiler to pack memory arrays as densely as
possible.)  The Ada Language Reference Manual defines 14 pragmas,
and allows compiler vendors to create a certain range of
implementation-dependent pragmas.

Because pragma support varies among vendors, the Ada Joint Program
Office (AJPO) sponsors a continuing survey on the topic.  The
Pragma Support Database shows the results for vendors of compilers
validated under the current version (1.1) of the validation test
suite, the Ada Compiler Validation Capability (ACVC).

The database lists the currently validated Ada compilers, and
records whether they support the standard, or "language-defined",
pragmas: CONTROLLED, ELABORATE, INLINE, INTERFACE, LIST,
MEMORY_SIZE, OPTIMIZE, PACK, PAGE, PRIORITY, SHARED, STORAGE_UNIT,
SUPPRESS, and SYSTEM_NAME.  Any pragmas that are specific to the
compiler are also listed.

You can search the database to determine whether a validated
compiler provides full, partial, or no support for any of the above
pragmas.

You shouldn't have any difficulty finding the information you need;
the database has a menu-driven interface that will guide you
through each step of the search process.

You can query for which compilers support one pragma or multiple
pragmas. (This looks for compilers that support pragma #1 AND
pragma #2, not pragma #1 OR pragma #2.)

You can specify the host/target combination that you need in a
compiler; you can currently choose from a list of 48 hosts and 27
targets; and you can ask for "Any target".  Or you can conduct the
search from the opposite side, by specifying a compiler and finding
out which pragmas and host/target combinations it supports.

For example, if you were to look at MIPS-Ada, Version 3.0 (Texas
Instruments), you would see that it supports: ELABORATE, INLINE,
INTERFACE, LIST, PACK, PAGE, PRIORITY, SUPPRESS, INLINE_ONLY,
BUILT_IN, SHARE_CODE, NO_IMAGE, EXTERNAL_NAME, INTERFACE_NAME,
IMPLICIT_CODE, LINK_WITH, NON_REENTRANT, PASSIVE, and VOLATILE.

Each kind (predefined and implementation dependent) is listed
alphabetically: the first eight are language defined, while the
last 11 are specific to the compiler.  To find out the function of
the first group, you can look it up in the Ada Language Reference
Manual.  For the last group, you would have to call the vendor.

At the end of every search, "Doors" asks you if you would like to
see the vendor's contact name, address, and telephone number.

The AdaIC surveyed all vendors of validated Ada compilers to find
out about their software's support of pragmas.  As indicated above,
not all have responded.  As a result, when searching the database
you may see a message that the information is not available for
that compiler.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ...

In case you do not have a modem or if you prefer not to search the
database yourself, the AdaIC staff can create customized searches
for you.  The AdaIC telephone number is 1-800/AdaIC-11, or
703/685-1477.

_____________________________________________________________________________
		Ada Information Clearinghouse (AdaIC)
	    703/685-1477, 800/AdaIC-11, FAX 703/685-7019
		       adainfo@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu

IIT Research Institute operates the AdaIC for the Ada Joint Program Office.