Re: My bug or else regarding Visibility Rules

["Randy Brukardt" <randy@rrsoftware.com>]

"Anh Vo" <anhvofrcaus@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:89292c53-1d4e-48a7-b2ae-a10983ef4168@googlegroups.com...
> On Thursday, March 28, 2013 3:03:13 PM UTC-7, Randy Brukardt wrote:
>> "Adam Beneschan" <adam@irvine.com> wrote in message
>> news:25ee066d-3270-4efd-829f-ed40b04c0655@googlegroups.com...
>> > On Thursday, March 28, 2013 12:54:26 PM UTC-7, Anh Vo wrote:
>> >> For the codes below GNAT complains that In_Index, Buffer, and 
>> >> Out_Index
>> >> are undefined.
>> > However, if I comment out private key word, GNAT is happy. Did I 
>> > violate
>> > Ada syntax rules? Thanks.
>> >
>> > 13.1.1(11): The usage names in an aspect_definition [ are not resolved 
>> > at
>> > the point of the
>> >associated declaration, but rather] are resolved at the end of the
>> >immediately enclosing declaration list.
>> >
>> > In your example, the "immediately enclosing declaration list" ends at 
>> > the
>> > keyword PRIVATE
>> > when that keyword is present; but if you take it out, the declaration 
>> > list
>> > ends at "end Circular_Queue;".
>>
>> Which is the long way to say that the expression of a public aspect has 
>> to
>> be made up only of public functions and objects. Otherwise, how would a
>> caller be able to figure out the meaning of a precondition that they are
>> required to meet? Clients can never be required to look in a private 
>> part.
>
> Actually, this part only involves post-conditions (implementer), not 
> preconditions (clients).

Clients need to know about postconditions as well, so that they know what 
properties are guaranteed after a call. Typically, that will show that some 
or all of a following precondition is going to be satisfied. Remember, both 
of these matter to both sides of a call:

A precondition is a requirement on a caller and a promise to an 
implementation; a postcondition is a promise to a caller and a requirement 
on an implementation.

                                      Randy.