Re: Binary and XML serialization of types

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

<adambeneschan@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:0301ad03-929d-4c9b-8849-494f7f78c777@googlegroups.com...
> On Thursday, January 23, 2014 2:44:16 PM UTC-8, Simon Wright wrote:
>
>> > What's going on is that if some client package says "with A.Types" and
>> > uses the Guid_Write type, and uses Guid_Write'Write(...) or
>> > Guid_Write'Output(...), the client has to know that there's a Write
>> > routine that isn't the default.  That's why the "for Guid_Write'Write
>> > use ..." has to be in the visible part of A.Types, so that other
>> > clients are allowed to know about it.
>>
>> The type was called Guid.
>
>> But, more importantly, are you sure about this? GNAT's
>> Ada.Containers.Vectors, for example, declares the stream-related stuff
>> in the private part.
>
> Sorry, I think I must have had caffeine deficiency syndrome when I wrote 
> that.
>
> You're right.  Here's what I should have said:
>
> What's going on is that "for Guid'Write" specifies a property, or 
> "aspect", of the type Guid,
> and that needs to be done in the same place where Guid is defined, which 
> in this case is
> the package specification (although it could be in the private part).

To clarify (or confuse?) this more, it does have to be visible if Guid is a 
limited type, because in that case it won't have a usable 'Write unless it 
is explicitly defined. For other types, it can be in the private part.

                                  Randy.