8.3.1 Overriding Indicators

An overriding_indicator is used to declare that an operation is intended to override (or not override) an inherited operation. 

If an abstract_subprogram_declaration, null_procedure_declaration, expression_function_declaration, subprogram_body, subprogram_body_stub, subprogram_renaming_declaration, generic_instantiation of a subprogram, or subprogram_declaration other than a protected subprogram has an overriding_indicator, then:

In addition to the places where Legality Rules normally apply, these rules also apply in the private part of an instance of a generic unit.

The use of overriding_indicators allows the detection of errors at compile-time that otherwise might not be detected at all. For instance, we might declare a security queue derived from the Queue interface of 3.9.4 as:

The first four subprogram declarations guarantee that these subprograms will override the four subprograms inherited from the Queue interface. A misspelling in one of these subprograms will be detected by the implementation. Conversely, the declaration of Arrest guarantees that this is a new operation.