Re: Slice and Unbounded String

[dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)]

Robert Duff says

"See A.4.5(82), A.4.4(101), A.4.4(1) "whose low bound is 1", A.4.3(2),
and AI-128.  The correct result is 1..3.
"


Hmmm! I don't have AI-128 here, but I don't think the RM references are
conclusive. A.4.4(1) refers only to bounded string values (and that is
also true of the "whose low bound is 1" phrase), so it does not apply.
A.4.5(82) merely points us to A.4.4(101), which to my reading suggests
the other interpretation (low bound not necessarily 1), but only suggests ..

A.4.3(2) is conclusive, but applies to Fixed_Strings.

Now it maybe that AI-128 does indeed clear this up, but the wording should
be checked. It seems a bit anomolous that Slice returns a String rather than
an unbounded String ....


P.S. In Strings.Unbounded, what on earth is

7      type String_Access is access all String;
       procedure Free (X : in out String_Access);


these declarations are not referenced elsewhere in the package and are,
as far as I can see, completely irrelevant rubbish -- perhaps thjey had
some historical significance.

I could see providing these standard delcarations in Ada.Strings, but
not in Ada.Strings.Unbounded.