Re: Syntax question

[stt@dsd.camb.inmet.com (Tucker Taft)]

In article <Cx6pG3.IEp@ucc.su.oz.au>, Adrian Cho <adrian@acm.org> wrote:
>I am writing a chart comparing the syntax of a number of 
>languages for an English sentence.
>For example:
>
>English:    Jack, put the box on the table
>
>Smalltalk:  Jack putThe: box onThe: table
>
>C:          putOn( Jack, box, table )
>
>C++:        Jack.putOn( box, table )

Ada 83/9X:      Please(Jack, Put => Box, On => Table);

   (courtesy counts ;-)

>Would someone in this newsgroup be kind 
>enough to e-mail to me (adrian@acm.org)
>the equivalent for the language of this 
>newsgroup.  I think the above example
>is self-explanatory.  Jack, box, and 
>table are entities or objects and 'put on' is 
>an action or verb.   Please use the correct case.

I will e-mail this as well.

Of course, there are an infinite number of alternatives; the 
"courteous" one above takes advantage of the ability to use formal
parameter names to resolve overloading.  Probably the more
natural (or more "demanding" ;-) thing would be:

Ada 83/9X:      Put(Object => Box, On => Table, By => Jack);

Note that in Ada 9X, the "controlling" operand (presumably Jack
given the way you coded it in Smalltalk and C++) need not be
the first operand, and even if it is declared first, it can
be placed later in a call if named parameter notation is 
used (as above).  Also, there can be multiple controlling operands
(such as in "Shake_Hands(Jack, Jim)"); in such a case, all 
controlling operands are treated symmetrically.

>Any help is much appreciated.

I hope the above helps.

>Thanks
>
>Adrian
>
>adrian@acm.org

S. Tucker Taft   stt@inmet.com
Ada 9X Mapping/Revision Team
Intermetrics, Inc.
Cambridge, MA  02138