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Section 10: Program Structure and Compilation Issues
1
[The overall structure of programs and the facilities
for separate compilation are described in this section. A program
is a set of partitions, each of which may execute in a separate
address space, possibly on a separate computer.
1.a
Glossary entry: {Program}
A program is a set of partitions, each of which may execute
in a separate address space, possibly on a separate computer. A partition
consists of a set of library units.
1.b
Glossary entry: {Partition}
A partition is a part of a program. Each partition consists of
a set of library units. Each partition may run in a separate address
space, possibly on a separate computer. A program may contain just one
partition. A distributed program typically contains multiple partitions,
which can execute concurrently.
2
{library unit (informal introduction)}
{library_item (informal introduction)}
{library (informal introduction)}
As explained below, a partition is constructed from
library units. Syntactically, the declaration of a library unit
is a
library_item, as is the body
of a library unit. An implementation may support a concept of a
program
library (or simply, a ``library''), which contains
library_items
and their subunits.
{program library: See library}
Library units may be organized into a hierarchy of
children, grandchildren, and so on.]
3
This section has two clauses:
10.1,
``
Separate Compilation'' discusses compile-time
issues related to separate compilation.
10.2,
``
Program Execution'' discusses issues related
to what is traditionally known as ``link time'' and ``run time'' -- building
and executing partitions.
Language Design Principles
3.a
{avoid overspecifying environmental
issues} We should avoid specifying details that
are outside the domain of the language itself. The standard is intended
(at least in part) to promote portability of Ada programs at the source
level. It is not intended to standardize extra-language issues such as
how one invokes the compiler (or other tools), how one's source is represented
and organized, version management, the format of error messages, etc.
3.b
{safe separate compilation}
{separate compilation (safe)} The
rules of the language should be enforced even in the presence of separate
compilation. Using separate compilation should not make a program less
safe.
3.c
{legality determinable via
semantic dependences} It should be possible to
determine the legality of a compilation unit by looking only at the compilation
unit itself and the compilation units upon which it depends semantically.
As an example, it should be possible to analyze the legality of two compilation
units in parallel if they do not depend semantically upon each other.
3.d
On the other hand, it may be
necessary to look outside that set in order to generate code -- this
is generally true for generic instantiation and inlining, for example.
Also on the other hand, it is generally necessary to look outside that
set in order to check Post-Compilation Rules.
3.e
Wording Changes from Ada 83
3.f
The section organization mentioned
above is different from that of RM83.
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