Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!mit-amt!mit-caf!the
From: the@mit-caf.MIT.EDU (Siang-Chun The)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Turbo Pascal absolute variables crossing units
Keywords: absolute variables units Borland Turbo Pascal TP4.0
Message-ID: <3757@mit-caf.MIT.EDU>
Date: 19 Jan 90 18:19:32 GMT
Reply-To: the@mit-caf.UUCP (Siang-Chun The)
Organization: Microsystems Technology Laboratories, MIT
Lines: 33

I have one Turbo Pascal unit that I want to completely hide within
another unit.  The inner unit to be hidden has an automatically updated
status variable that I want to be accessible to users of the outer unit,
eg.

	unit inner;
	interface
	var
	  stat : integer;
	implementation
	  (*
	   * inner details...
	   *)
	end.

and the outer unit is

	unit outer;
	interface
	var
	   status : integer absolute inner.stat;
	implementation
	   (*
	    * details..
	    *)
	end.

But this fails to compile: I think the compiler just hangs (it's been
some time since I last tried this experiment).  Has anyone else tried to
do anything similar, with success?  Why does it fail?

				Siang-Chun The
				the@caf.mit.edu