how to init static standalone library with GNAT

how to init static standalone library with GNAT

[Agyaras]

I am learning Ada right now and wrote a little standalone library as an 
exercise. I am using the GNAT system (2007, GPL version from AdaCore) 
under SuSE Linux 10.1. The library presents a private type to its 
clients, and this type contains a standard map. Here are the relevant 
parts of the spec:-

with Ada.Containers.Ordered_Maps;
...
package Lib is
   type T is private;
   ...
   private
      Map_Pkg is new Ada.Containers.Ordered_Maps(Key_Type, Element_Type);
      type T is record
         M: Map_Pkg.Map;
         ...
      end record;
end Lib;

When I compile & link the library as dynamic standalone with 
auto-initialization, then it works nicely. When I use static linking, 
then it crashes when the map is accessed in T. Obviously the map needs 
some initialization and auto-init is not done for static libraries (says 
so in the manual). 

Now, I prefer to use static libraries as in my experience (with other 
languages) linking and distributing dynamic libs was always a hassle. My 
question is:- can one initialize a standalone static library in the GNAT 
system? If yes, then how? Is that solution portable to other compilers?

Thanks for any hints & pointers,
Agyaras

-- 
"Non est volentis, neque currentis, sed miserentis Dei"

Re: how to init static standalone library with GNAT

[Rob Norris]

On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:24:08 +0200, Agyaras <agyaras@kerekerdoe.hu> wrote:

>When I compile & link the library as dynamic standalone with 
>auto-initialization, then it works nicely. When I use static linking, 
>then it crashes when the map is accessed in T. Obviously the map needs 
>some initialization and auto-init is not done for static libraries (says 
>so in the manual). 
>
>Now, I prefer to use static libraries as in my experience (with other 
>languages) linking and distributing dynamic libs was always a hassle. My 
>question is:- can one initialize a standalone static library in the GNAT 
>system? If yes, then how? Is that solution portable to other compilers?
>
>Thanks for any hints & pointers,
>Agyaras

Perhaps you'll have to add routines Initialise and Is_Initialised.

Then clients *have* to ensure the library initialised before real use.

Not the most elegant solution, but should force things to work.

The initialise rotuine would have to call the internal auto-initiialise (however that is done*).
The Is_Initialised function would have to determine the state somehow*.

*Implementation details left as an exercise for the reader (because I don't know how).