Re: package body functionality

[Kilgallen@eisner.decus.org.nospam (Larry Kilgallen)]

In article <9eoeiv$h8$1@eol.dd.chalmers.se>, f97stdi@dd.chalmers.se (Staffan Dittmer) writes:
> the question might be a bit obscure but 
> considering the two package bodies below
> 
> package body A is
>  variable: some_type:=call_some_function_outside_A;
> end A;
> 
> package body B is
>  variable: some_type;
> begin
>  variable:=call_some_function_outside_B;
> end B;
> 
> I know that in B the variable will be assigned
> every time a program using the package is run,
> but is this also true for A, or will the variable in 
> this case only be assigned at compile time ?

call_some_function_outside_A has a body unknown to A,
and the results of that call could be time-variant,
such as computed differently on weekends.  A has no
way of knowing this, so the results cannot be computed
"at compile time".