From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00
	autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
Path: 
 eternal-september.org!reader01.eternal-september.org!reader02.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!mx02.eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!gandalf.srv.welterde.de!news.jacob-sparre.dk!loke.jacob-sparre.dk!pnx.dk!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: "Randy Brukardt" <randy@rrsoftware.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: operation can be dispatching in only one type
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2015 16:29:01 -0600
Organization: JSA Research & Innovation
Message-ID: <n3iije$bvo$1@loke.gir.dk>
References: 
 <b4aee46c-7dbb-4906-99c5-f4f8e9876fc6@googlegroups.com><n2viun$sb0$1@dont-email.me><04eb6626-644b-4b16-a329-c35659a9fbe2@googlegroups.com><n325f8$kq0$1@dont-email.me>
 <dbjve4F188rU1@mid.individual.net><n32lqq$sqm$1@dont-email.me><1ephv5ugr5mib$.9ehadf3dddct$.dlg@40tude.net><c3827fcd-6b2e-4c64-8901-1e91030f1c84@googlegroups.com><1nf8wc05tjtvf$.1ctjb9hsr0qsp.dlg@40tude.net><8132c558-aec2-41f4-8024-4a75a2d497ae@googlegroups.com><17c8a7kqoxvff.aa1raqev6xlu$.dlg@40tude.net>
 <87two4d6uk.fsf@adaheads.sparre-andersen.dk>
NNTP-Posting-Host: rrsoftware.com
X-Trace: loke.gir.dk 1448922542 12280 24.196.82.226 (30 Nov 2015 22:29:02 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: news@jacob-sparre.dk
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2015 22:29:02 +0000 (UTC)
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.5931
X-RFC2646: Format=Flowed; Original
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.6157
Xref: news.eternal-september.org comp.lang.ada:28606
Date: 2015-11-30T16:29:01-06:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

"Jacob Sparre Andersen" <sparre@nbi.dk> wrote in message 
news:87two4d6uk.fsf@adaheads.sparre-andersen.dk...
> Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:
>
>> type T is record
>>    X : Integer;
>> end record;
>>
>> The compiler generated setter is something like inventing Ada-like
>> notation:
>>
>>    procedure ".X" (Left : in out T; Right : Integer);
>>
>> Called as follows:
>>
>>    Y : T;
>> begin
>>    Y.X := 10;
>
> Wouldn't it be much easier to add the simple bit of syntactic sugar
> saying that given:
>
>   procedure Setter (Object : in out T;
>                     Field  : in     U);
>
> For a variable object, V, of (a tagged) type T, and an expression, E, of
> type U, the statement:
>
>   V.Setter := E;
>
> is equivalent to the statement:
>
>   V.Setter (E);
>
> (Not because it is shorter - it isn't - but because it nicely mirrors
> matching "getter" functions, and because it makes it clear that the
> procedure call copies a value into an object and modifies it.)

Certainly. That's what Dmitry meant when he said "... a kludge invented with 
aspects ...". We can argue just how kludgy it really is (a user-defined 
anything ultimately maps into a subprogram call, after all, and the syntax 
of a call isn't engraved in stone), but I think Dmitry has an ideal vision 
where all of these sorts of operations are given the same first-class level. 
That won't ever happen for Ada, but it might make sense for a new language 
design.

                                 Randy.