Xref: utzoo comp.lang.fortran:2378 comp.os.vms:17014
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!gatech!mcnc!ecsvax!urjlew
From: urjlew@ecsvax.UUCP (Rostyk Lewyckyj)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran,comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Question about variables local to subroutine
Summary: How about this one?
Keywords: Local variables, subroutines
Message-ID: <7554@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: 23 Aug 89 19:05:18 GMT
References: <24891@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <123145@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Followup-To: comp.lang.fortran,poster
Organization: UNC Educational Computing Service
Lines: 29



In a similar vein to saving values of local variables in subroutines
across invocations. What does the standard and experience say
about saving of array shape parameters passed in through an ENTRY
statement
    Subroutine xyz
    dimension  a(m,n)
     ......
     x=a(i,j)
     .....
     return
     ENTRY setup(a,m,n)
     return
     end
Setup is called once from some point in the program.
xyz is called many times from various points in the program,
not  necessarily from the same routine that calls setup.
THis works on IBM 370 type systems, MVS, VM with VS Fortran
compiler, at least in programs where xyz is not overlaid/reloaded.
This is/was a way of improving performance by eliminating the
need to pass a,m,n through all the paths needed to include it
in the xyz call, and also avoiding the additional complexity of
getting it done correctly. 
-----------------------------------------------
  Reply-To:  Rostyslaw Jarema Lewyckyj
             urjlew@ecsvax.UUCP ,  urjlew@unc.bitnet
       or    urjlew@uncvm1.acs.unc.edu    (ARPA,SURA,NSF etc. internet)
       tel.  (919)-962-9107