Re: Converting C++ class to Ada

[jsa@alexandria (Jon S Anthony)]

In article <32AF3A52.1340@watson.ibm.com> "Norman H. Cohen" <ncohen@watson.ibm.com> writes:

>    type Object_Type (<>) is limited private;
>    type Reference_Type is access Object_Type;
>    function New_Object (...) return Reference_Type;
> 
> Outside of its defining package, Object_Type is indefinite, so an object
> of the type can only be created if an initial value is specified for it
> (in an object declaration or allocator), but Object_Type is also
> limited, so no initial value can be specified for an object of this
> type!  In other words, an Object_Type object cannot be declared or
> allocated outside its defining package.  The corresponding full type
> need not be either limited or indefinite, so inside the package body you
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> are free to allocate objects of the type and return the resulting access
> values to the caller.  (Another example of this approach can be found on
> pages 489-490 of Ada as a Second Language.)

Note that this is _not_ true if the type is tagged...

/Jon
-- 
Jon Anthony
Organon Motives, Inc.
Belmont, MA 02178
617.484.3383
jsa@organon.com