3.3 Objects and Named Numbers
[Objects are created at run time and contain a value
of a given type.
An object can be created and initialized
as part of elaborating a declaration, evaluating an
allocator,
aggregate,
or
function_call,
or passing a parameter by copy. Prior to reclaiming the storage for an
object, it is finalized if necessary (see
7.6.1).]
Static Semantics
All
of the following are objects:
Glossary entry: An object is either a
constant or a variable. An object contains a value. An object is created
by an
object_declaration
or by an
allocator.
A formal parameter is (a view of) an object. A subcomponent of an object
is an object.
a formal parameter of a subprogram, entry, or generic
subprogram;
a generic formal object;
a loop parameter;
the result of dereferencing an access-to-object
value (see
4.1);
a component, slice, or view conversion of another
object.
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An
object is either a
constant object or a
variable object.
Similarly, a view of an object is either a
constant or a
variable.
All views of a constant elementary object are constant. All views of
a constant composite object are constant, except for parts that are of
controlled or immutably limited types; variable views of those parts
and their subcomponents may exist. In this sense, objects of controlled
and immutably limited types are
inherently mutable.
A constant view of an object cannot be used to modify its value. The
terms constant and variable by themselves refer to constant and variable
views of objects.
The value of an object is
read
when the value of any part of the object is evaluated, or when the value
of an enclosing object is evaluated.
The value of
a variable is
updated when an assignment is performed to any part
of the variable, or when an assignment is performed to an enclosing object.
Ramification: Reading and updating are
intended to include read/write references of any kind, even if they are
not associated with the evaluation of a particular construct. Consider,
for example, the expression “X.all(F)”, where X is
an access-to-array object, and F is a function. The implementation is
allowed to first evaluate “X.all” and then F. Finally,
a read is performed to get the value of the F'th component of the array.
Note that the array is not necessarily read as part of the evaluation
of “X.all”. This is important, because if F were to
free X using Unchecked_Deallocation, we want the execution of the final
read to be erroneous.
Whether a view of an
object is constant or variable is determined by the definition of the
view. The following (and no others) represent constants:
X : access constant T;
is not a constant.
a formal parameter or generic formal object of
mode in;
a discriminant;
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a loop parameter unless specified to be a variable for a generalized
loop (see
5.5.2);
the dereference of an access-to-constant value;
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within the body of a protected function (or a function declared immediately
within a
protected_body),
the current instance of the enclosing protected unit;
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At the place where a view of an object is defined,
a
nominal subtype is associated with the view.
The
object's
actual subtype (that is, its subtype) can be more restrictive
than the nominal subtype of the view; it always is if the nominal subtype
is an
indefinite subtype.
A
subtype is an indefinite subtype if it is an unconstrained array subtype,
or if it has unknown discriminants or unconstrained discriminants without
defaults (see
3.7); otherwise, the subtype
is a
definite subtype [(all elementary subtypes are definite subtypes)].
[A class-wide subtype is defined to have unknown discriminants, and is
therefore an indefinite subtype. An indefinite subtype does not by itself
provide enough information to create an object; an additional
constraint
or explicit initialization
expression
is necessary (see
3.3.1). A component cannot
have an indefinite nominal subtype.]
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A view of a composite object is
known to be constrained if:
its nominal subtype is constrained, and is not
an untagged partial view; or
its nominal subtype is indefinite; or
it is part of a stand-alone constant (including
a generic formal object of mode in); or
it is part of a formal parameter of mode in;
or
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it is a dereference of a pool-specific access type, and there is no ancestor
of its type that has a constrained partial view.
Discussion: We do not include dereferences
of general access types because they might denote stand-alone aliased
unconstrained variables. That's true even for access-to-constant types
(the denoted object does not have to be a constant).
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There are other cases that could have been included in this definition
(view conversions, the current instance of a type, objects of a formal
discriminated private type), but these are not relevant to the places
this term is used, so they were not included. If this term is used in
additional places, the definition should be checked to see if any of
these additional cases are relevant and appropriate wording added if
necessary.
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For the purposes of determining within a generic body whether an object
is known to be constrained:
if a subtype is a descendant of an untagged generic
formal private or derived type, and the subtype is not an unconstrained
array subtype, it is not considered indefinite and is considered to have
a constrained partial view;
if a subtype is a descendant of a formal access
type, it is not considered pool-specific.
A
named number provides
a name for a numeric value known at compile time. It is declared by a
number_declaration.
10 A constant cannot be the target of an
assignment operation, nor be passed as an in out or out
parameter, between its initialization and finalization, if any.
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The value of a constant object cannot be changed after its initialization,
except in some cases where the object has a controlled or immutably limited
part (see
7.5,
7.6,
and
13.9.1).
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The nominal and actual subtypes of an elementary object are always the
same. For a discriminated or array object, if the nominal subtype is
constrained, then so is the actual subtype.
Extensions to Ada 83
There are additional kinds
of objects (choice parameters and entry indices of entry bodies).
The result of a function and of evaluating an
aggregate are considered (constant) objects. This is necessary to explain
the action of finalization on such things. Because a
function_call
is also syntactically a
name
(see
4.1), the result of a
function_call
can be renamed, thereby allowing repeated use of the result without calling
the function again.
Wording Changes from Ada 83
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This subclause now follows the subclauses on types and subtypes, to cut
down on the number of forward references.
The term nominal subtype is new. It is used
to distinguish what is known at compile time about an object's constraint,
versus what its "true" run-time constraint is.
The terms definite and indefinite (which apply
to subtypes) are new. They are used to aid in the description of generic
formal type matching, and to specify when an explicit initial value is
required in an
object_declaration.
We have moved the syntax for
object_declaration
and
number_declaration
down into their respective subclauses, to keep the syntax close to the
description of the associated semantics.
We talk about variables and constants here,
since the discussion is not specific to
object_declarations,
and it seems better to have the list of the kinds of constants juxtaposed
with the kinds of objects.
We no longer talk about indirect updating due
to parameter passing. Parameter passing is handled in 6.2 and 6.4.1 in
a way that there is no need to mention it here in the definition of read
and update. Reading and updating now includes the case of evaluating
or assigning to an enclosing object.
Wording Changes from Ada 95
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Clarified that the return object is the object created by a function
call.
Extensions to Ada 2005
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Added wording to allow return objects to be declared
as constants, and corrected the definition of return objects as objects.
Wording Changes from Ada 2005
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Correction: We now recognize the fact that not all declared constant
objects are immutable; for those that a variable view can be constructed,
they can be changed via that view.
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Correction: Added the current instance of a protected object to
the list of constant views; since the list claims to include all possibilities,
it had better include that one.
Ada 2005 and 2012 Editions sponsored in part by Ada-Europe
