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From: kpk@gitpyr.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.mod2
Subject: Re: functions returning structured types
Message-ID: <1880@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Jun-86 22:44:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.1880
Posted: Sun Jun 15 22:44:15 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Jun-86 11:08:55 EDT
References: <331@telesoft.UUCP>
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 17

In article <331@telesoft.UUCP>, bruceb@telesoft.UUCP (Bruce Bergman @favorite) writes:
> In "Programming in Modula-2" by Wirth (3rd edition) [1], I am told
> that procedure functions may return any type that is UNSTRUCTURED.
> That is, anything like INTEGER, an enumeration, etc., while not
> allowing records, ARRAYs OF CHAR, etc.
> 
> While this is okay with me (even though I'd like it otherwise),
> Richard Gleaves, in his book "Modula-2 for Pascal Programmers" [2]
> says that procedure functions can return ANY type.  He doesn't
> bother to go into detail in any examples (all return simple types),
> so I can only assume that he means that the version of compiler
> that he was using can support functions that return any type.
> 
Gleaves book is based on some chapters from the Volition Systems
Modula-2 reference manual.  (He wrote theses chapters while
working for Volition Systems.)  Thus his descriptions are biased
in favor of his company's compiler.