From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_DATE autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,68f318e142f40431 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1994-11-17 15:27:16 PST Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Path: nntp.gmd.de!urmel.informatik.rwth-aachen.de!newsserver.rrzn.uni-hannover.de!aix11.hrz.uni-oldenburg.de!nordwest.germany.eu.net!pophh!Germany.EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!trib.apple.com!amd!netcomsv!telesoft!kst From: kst@alsys.com (Keith Thompson) Subject: Re: GNAT-Problem / Please Help !! Message-ID: Originator: kst@pulsar Sender: news@alsys.com (USENET News Admin @flash) Organization: Alsys, San Diego, CA, USA References: <39lbil$euf@tucs6.rz.tu-cottbus.de> Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 23:27:16 GMT Date: 1994-11-17T23:27:16+00:00 List-Id: In <39lbil$euf@tucs6.rz.tu-cottbus.de> ak@informatik.tu-cottbus.de (Andreas Krohn) writes: > I've a problem with the Set_Col() and Set_Line() Functions. > Everytime I use a number the call works, but when i use a variable > in the call the compiler says "invalid parameter list in call". We've spent so much time discussing the evils and benefits of strong typing that we've neglected the real problem -- an unhelpful error message. Someone should probably send a note to the GNAT bugs mailing list about the error message. A message about a type mismatch for the specific parameter involved would be more helpful than a complaint that the entire parameter list is invalid. I'd send it in myself, but I don't remember the address and I don't have a copy of GNAT to reproduce the problem. Of course, this kind of thing can be very difficult to do in the presence of overloading and default parameters. Given a call whose parameters don't match any of the visible overloaded subprograms of a given name, the compiler would have to "guess" which one the user had in mind and which parameter is of the wrong type (sort of like automated spelling correction but with more degrees of freedom -- if that makes any sense). It might be worthwhile to have special-case recovery for non-overloaded subprograms. In any case, I wouldn't expect the GNAT team to spend too much time on fancy error detection and recovery when there are still language features to implement. -- Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) kst@alsys.com TeleSoft^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Alsys, Inc. 10251 Vista Sorrento Parkway, Suite 300, San Diego, CA, USA, 92121-2718 /user/kst/.signature: I/O error (core dumped)