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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID
	autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 103376,4873305131bf4d94
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
X-Google-Thread: 1014db,4873305131bf4d94
X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public
From: Jon S Anthony <jsa@synquiry.com>
Subject: Re: Porting (was ADA and Pascal etc)
Date: 1997/11/03
Message-ID: <uf4t5twl5j.fsf@synquiry.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 286843107
Distribution: world
References: <34557f2b.1934172@news.mindspring.com>
 <ufsotiyesk.fsf@synquiry.com> <63bhta$g2e@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>
 <345AB871.413A@dynamite.com.au> <63d5l4$tub$1@helios.crest.nt.com>
 <878495810snz@genesis.demon.co.uk>
Organization: PSINet
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c
Date: 1997-11-03T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


fred@genesis.demon.co.uk (Lawrence Kirby) writes:

> In article <63d5l4$tub$1@helios.crest.nt.com>
>            kaz@helios.crest.nt.com "Kaz Kylheku" writes:
... 
> >Ada makes so much more sense by requiring data declarations to precede the
> >function body. Only scatter-brained programmers see a stylistic advantage in
> >declarations interspersed with statements.
> 
> Perhaps I'm scatter-brained. I see advantage for locality of scope. This
> also helps in specifying invariants with careful use of const.

Actually, Ada supports this just fine.  But it does require that you
explicitly note such declarations:

function Foo (...) return ... is

    -- some local declarations preceding the body...

begin
    ... blah blah blah using the above declarations

    declare
        -- some declarations used for only the following code block...
    begin
        ... use the more localized declarations and
        ... possibly the outer ones as well
    end;
    ... the above declare block decls no longer available

end Foo;

The declarations in the declare block can be basically anything,
including generic instantiations, packages, tasks, dynamically sized
objects, etc.


> Of course it is not necessary but it can be very beneficial when used
> sensibly.

Fair enough.  Just note it is completely supported in Ada...

/Jon

-- 
Jon Anthony
Synquiry Technologies, Ltd., Belmont, MA 02178, 617.484.3383
"Nightmares - Ha!  The way my life's been going lately,
 Who'd notice?"  -- Londo Mollari