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From: cdshaw%watdragon%waterloo.CSNET@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA (Chris Shaw)
Newsgroups: net.lang.mod2
Subject: Re: IO (Re: Overloading)
Message-ID: <8603130302.AA24244@watdragon.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Mar-86 22:02:26 EST
Article-I.D.: watdrago.8603130302.AA24244
Posted: Wed Mar 12 22:02:26 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Mar-86 06:07:47 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 37

>Geoff Wyant
>    DEFINITION MODULE FormattedWordIo ;
>
>        EXPORT QUALIFIED Write2, Write6, Write10 ;
>
>        PROCEDURE Write2(formatString: ARRAY OF CHAR; 
>                         w1, w2: WORD) ;
>        PROCEDURE Write6(formatString: ARRAY OF CHAR; 
>                        w1, w2, w3, w4, w5, w6: WORD) ;
>        PROCEDURE Write10(formatString: ARRAY OF CHAR; 
>                          w1, w2, w3, w4,..., w10: WORD) ;
>   END ;

Although this isn't the greaqtest, it keeps Modula-2 as is.. one thing that
could be done (enter kludge mode) is to have the modula equivalent of the C
preprocessor, which changes

FormattedWordIo.Write( "% is equal %", x, y);
to
FormattedWordIo.Write2( "% is equal %", x, y);
and

FormattedWordIo.Write( "%, %, and % are less than %", w, x, y, z);
to
FormattedWordIo.Write4( "%, %, and % are less than %", w, x, y, z);

That way, you satisfy the need for general I/O, and the requirement for type
checking. Obviously, the M2 pre-processor would check number of % 's against
number of args, and report an error.
The disadvantage is the extra pre-process step.

What do people think??


Chris Shaw    watmath!watrose!cdshaw  or  cdshaw@watmath
University of Waterloo
He said... Bogus as HELL !!!