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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham
	autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 103376,e7eb1c5f294e17be
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1995-02-06 18:23:52 PST
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Path: 
 nntp.gmd.de!newsserver.jvnc.net!nntpserver.pppl.gov!princeton!rutgers!koriel!decwrl!pagesat.net!news.cerf.net!shrike.irvine.com!adam
From: adam@irvine.com (Adam Beneschan)
Subject: Re: Assignment of limited private types...
References: <D30u73.5oA@dcs.gla.ac.uk> <3gjce1$1he@theopolis.orl.mmc.com>
Sender: usenet@irvine.com (News Administration)
Organization: /z/news/newsctl/organization
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 1995 02:23:52 GMT
Message-ID: <D3Lyns.5yC@irvine.com>
Date: 1995-02-07T02:23:52+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

"Theodore E. Dennison" <dennison@escmail.mmc.orl.com> writes:
>stevem@dcs.gla.ac.uk (Steve McGowan) wrote:
> >
> > I'd like to pass in a 'file_type' identifier into a task, make a local
> > copy of this identifier within the task, and then write text to this
> > file stream inside the task.
> > 
> > But I cannot do this since 'file_type' is limited private.
> > 
> > Any ideas how I can pass in this identifier, and to write to it
> > locally?
> > 
> 
> The reason people make types "limited private" is so users CAN'T 
> make local copies of the objects. If the designer wanted you to
> be able to make copies of file_type objects, she would have made
> the type "private".
> 
> If for some reason you HAVE to make a copy, you could use an 
> unchecked_conversion, but DO NOT DO THIS! Odds are very high that 
> you will not get the results you desire. Try something else.

I usually solve problems of this type by using pointers.  E.g.

        type file_type_p is access file_type;

Now, when you want to open and access a file:

        my_file := new file_type_p;
        text_io.open (my_file.all, ...);
        text_io.get_line (my_file.all, ...);
        etc.
        text_io.close (my_file.all);

and you can assign file_type_p objects and pass them as parameters to
your heart's content.

Hope this helps,
                                -- Adam