Re: parameters in bindings

[mg@asp.camb.inmet.com (Mitch Gart)]

Robert Dewar (dewar@cs.nyu.edu) wrote:
: "This works but to me it seems ugly because extra access types are
: introduced which are otherwise unnecessary."

: That's odd, it's a bit like saying, I need some arrays, but I seem to have
: to introduce some array types which are otherwise unnecessary.

Here's a slightly different example.  Method 1 of declaring P:

    type thing is record ... end record;
    procedure P (param: access thing);
    x: aliased thing;
  begin
    p(x'access);

method 2:

    type thing is record ... end record;
    type thing_access is access all thing;
    procedure P (param: thing_access);
    x: aliased thing;
  begin
    p(x'access);

The type thing_access is an extra junk type that has no other use 
in the program.  No actual objects of type thing_access are ever
declared or used.  It is just there to allow the parameter to be
declared.  This extra type is not needed with method 1 of declaring P.

To me the declaration of thing_access is extra useless baggage.

- Mitch