"Jacob Sparre Andersen" <sparre@nbi.dk> wrote in message
news:rlsfz4jdjuj.fsf@jacob.crs4.it...
> Steve wrote:
>
> > What I would like to see is a fancy programming editor that allows
> > you to include text, graphics, spreadsheets, etc., in comments.
>
> Why in the comments?
>
Because it makes the writing the tool simple, and minimizes on the amount of
garbage in the source code.

For example, the code might look something like

  ... some code...
end List_Finder;

-- M0410151846

procedure Optimize_Memory_Block( spender : Dirt_Cheap ) is
begin
   ... some more code ...


The editing tool would not show the number, just the comment.  The only time
you would see the number is if you were editing with some other tool (such
as a plain text editor).

Steve
(The Duck)

> But yes.  I have recently missed the possibility of having nice
> integrated mathematical analysis and source code implementing the
> result.
>
> > A way to do this is to maintain the source code as text with special
> > markers referencing the comments, and maintain the comments in a
> > separate file or database.
>
> Why not simply do it by keeping the linking completely separate from
> the source code, just using file names and completely specified Ada
> identifiers?  That will keep the source code nice, clean and readable
> for those who don't use the/a integration tool, and still allow exact
> cross linking between source code and non-source code objects.
>
> For production of documentation, <your preferred type-setting system>
> together with a method for referencing and extracting specific
> sections of Ada source code might do the job.
>
> For integrated editing in multiple formats, something more advanced is
> required, but please don't put non-plain text (including XML, texinfo,
> etc. marker) comments in source code I am going to read.  I actually
> prefer that there is only information that the compiler checks in the
> source code [1].
>
> Greetings,
>
> Jacob
>
> [1] Which makes comments parsed by a SPARK tool acceptable (if I get
>     one ;-)
> -- 
> �I'm perfectly happy with my current delusional system.�
>                                            -- Mirabel Tanner