(j3.2006) Public Comment J32034

[Robert Corbett]

Van Snyder wrote:
> On Wed, 2008-07-16 at 19:28 -0600, Jim Giles wrote:
> 
>>ASSOCIATE isn't a new consruct, so I didn't comment on it at all.
>>Actually I find it appalling.
> 
> 
> It's just an inline internal procedure.  What's appalling about that?

In what sense is the ASSOCIATE construct an inline internal procedure?
It is more like an assignment to a simple variable, with references
to that variable in the body of the construct than an internal
procedure.  If the selector is a variable, it is like a pointer
assignment, otherwise, it is like an ordinary assignment.

> It's a degenerate case of SELECT TYPE, with prettier and less confusing
> spelling than
> 
>   SELECT TYPE ( A => <messy designator> )
>   CLASS DEFAULT
>     stuff involving A instead of <messy designator>
>   END SELECT
> 
> We really did find SELECT TYPE to be indispensible to a complete
> object-oriented programming system.
> 
> In both cases, the <associate-name> is modeled on a dummy argument, and
> the relationship between the <associate-name> and the <selector> is
> modeled on argument association.

OK.  In what sense is that like an inline internal procedure?

Bob Corbett