Re: Gnat bug or mistaken program?

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

"Niklas Holsti" <niklas.holsti@tidorum.invalid> wrote in message 
news:imaos8Fii64U1@mid.individual.net...
>I disagree with Jeffrey's opinion on what is a reasonable solution here. 
>More in-line below.

You're being too hard on Jeff. See below.

....
>> * Use package: this makes everything in the package visible
>>
>> Use pkg is clearly overkill for this case,
>
> I disagree. If the code uses several operators from the package, a "use 
> package" is apt (because "use type" does not apply here), but should of 
> course be as local as possible.

For general advice, this makes some sense, but in this specific case, there 
is only one operator in this package so one of the other options makes more 
sense than dragging in several dozen other names. Indeed, if there are 
multiple uses of the operator, I'd probably use an expression function to 
make the operator locally visible (this is similar to renames, using the 
fullly qualified name). I'd only use a use package if there are many 
routines in the package that are commonly used and well-understood from the 
prespective of the system (GEF may be that for some systems, so perhaps I'm 
being too hard on you. :-).

Side-issue: declaring operators that aren't primitive (so use-type doesn't 
work) is suspicious. In most cases, operators belong with the type so that 
they have the same visibility. The "**" for floats doesn't really belong in 
GEF, it was put there for practical reasons (rather than good design) -- as 
it is rather complex to describe and implement and isn't commonly used.

                 Randy.