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From: "Ken Garlington" <Ken.Garlington@computer.org>
Subject: Re: if statements
Date: 2000/11/09
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"Robert Dewar" <robert_dewar@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8udce8$1qi$1@nnrp1.deja.com...

: I would write the above as:
:
:    procedure Conditional_Swap (A, B : in out Integer) is
:    begin
:       if A < B then
:          declare
:             Temp : constant Integer := A;
:          begin
:             A := B;
:             B := Temp;
:          end;
:       end if;
:    end Conditional_Swap;

This causes the *smaller* value to end up in A and the *larger* value to end
up in B? Now I REALLY feel like a beginning student!

Here's the problem statement as I understand it:

: >   "Exercise 4.1: Write an if statement which will swap the values of
: >    variables A and B if necessary so that the smaller value ends up in
: >    A and the larger value ends up in B."

I always thought that a test such as "A < B" was true only if A was
*already* smaller than B (in which case you shouldn't do a swap, right?).

: I don't think that will make the plane crash :-)

Well, if my requirement is to deploy a spin chute if the spin rate is larger
than X degrees/sec, and I write

  if Spin_Rate < X then
    Deploy_Chute;
  end if;

I certainly *might* crash a plane! :)

: Though it
: may be considered pedantic. As I say, bringing out the full
: weight of careful style considerations for such a simple
: program is overkill, but you have to start somewhere.

Actually, I would also nitpick the choice of "Temp," when better options are
available (Initial_A, or the really expressive Initial_Value_of_A).