Version 1.3 of ai05s/ai05-0051-1.txt
!standard 6.5(21/2) 07-10-31 AI05-0051-1/03
!class binding interpretation 07-05-04
!status work item 07-05-04
!status received 07-04-19
!priority Medium
!difficulty Easy
!qualifier Clarification
!subject Accessibility of dispatching function calls (aka another Baird question)
!summary
(see recommendation)
!question
How do the various accessibility rules pertaining to function results
apply in the case of a dispatching call to a function where the accessibility
level of the function named in the call differs from the accessibility
level of the function whose body is executed?
!recommendation
The accessibility level against which to perform run-time accessibility
checks at the return statement of a dispatching function is determined by the
level of the function named at the call-site, even if that is different
from the accessibility level of the function body reached by the dispatching
call. If the function has an access result, and the expression of the
return statement is an (anonymous) allocator, then this accessibility level
in turn determines the lifetime of the allocated object.
Similar rules would apply for calls through an access-to-subprogram
value. The caller's view would determine the accessibility level
to use for run-time accessibility checks.
!wording
Add after 3.10.2(10.1):
Within a return statement that applies to a function with an
access result, the accessibility level of the anonymous result
access type is determined by the accessibility level of the view
of the function named at the point of call. For the purposes of
determining whether this level is statically deeper than another,
it is presumed to be the same as the level of the function
containing the return statement. [Redundant: Note that for a
dispatching call or a call through an access-to-subprogram value,
the level of the function named at the point of call might be
different from that of the function containing the return
statement.]
Modify 3.10.2(15) as follows:
The accessibility level of a view of an object or subprogram
denoted by a dereference of an access value is the same as that of
the access type{, except in the case where the dereference is the
name or prefix of a function_call, and the access-to-subprogram
value is an access parameter. In this case, the accessibility
level of the view of the function denoted by the dereference is
that of the master containing the access parameter}.
AARM NOTE:
This is important so that a call through an access-to-subprogram
parameter on a function with an access result, a classwide
result, or a result with access discriminants, has some
reasonable, non-infinitely-deep, accessibility level. We gave
such access-to-subprogram parameters infinitely deep
accessibility levels to prevent the access values from being
converted to named access-to-subprogram types, but once they
have been called and return a value, we need to have something
useful in the way of an accessibility level to use when their
results have an associated level. Since the
access-to-subprogram parameter is clearly denoting a function
from some scope dynamically enclosing the master containing the
access parameter, it is safe to give it an accessibility level
of that master.
Modify 6.5(8/2) as follows:
If the result type of a function is a specific tagged type, the
tag of the return object is that of the result type. If the result
type is class-wide, the tag of the return object is that of the
value of the expression. A check is made that the accessibility
level of the type identified by the tag of the result is not
deeper than that of the [master that elaborated the function
body.] {view of the function named at the point of call.
[Redundant: Note that for a dispatching call or a call through an
access-to-subprogram value, this level might be different from
that of the function containing the return statement.]} If this
check fails, Program_Error is raised.
Modify 6.5(21/2) as follows:
If the result subtype of a function has one or more unconstrained
access discriminants, a check is made that the accessibility level
of the anonymous access type of each access discriminant, as
determined by the expression or the return_subtype_indication of
the function, is not deeper than that of the [master that
elaborated the function body.] {view of the function named at the
point of call. [Redundant: Note that for a dispatching call or a
call through an access-to-subprogram value, this level might be
different from that of the function containing the return
statement.]} If this check fails, Program_Error is raised.
Modify 7.6.1(11/2) as follows:
The order in which the finalization of a master performs
finalization of objects is as follows: Objects created by
declarations in the master are finalized in the reverse order of
their creation. For objects that were created by allocators for
[an] {a named} access type whose ultimate ancestor is declared in
the master, this rule is applied as though each such object that
still exists had been created in an arbitrary order at the first
freezing point (see 13.14) of the ultimate ancestor type; the
finalization of these objects is called the finalization of the
collection. {Objects created by allocators for an anonymous access
type that are not coextensions of some other object, are finalized
in an arbitrary order during the finalization of their associated
master.} After the finalization of a master is complete, the
objects finalized as part of its finalization cease to exist, as
do any types and subtypes defined and created within the master.
!discussion
In most cases, the dynamic semantics of access result types follow easily
from an informal equivalence rule. The declaration
function Foo ( ...) return access T;
is pretty much equivalent to
type T_Ref is access all T;
function Foo (...) return T_Ref;
, and that's that.
If the function in question overrides an inherited dispatching operation
and if the controlling type of the function is declared in a more nested
scope than its parent type, then this equivalence breaks down.
If the function returns an allocator, then what is the lifetime and
accessibility level of the allocated object in the case where the
function has been invoked via a dispatching call to the operation of
the parent type?
This is an instance of a more general problem
associated with uses of the accessibility level of a function body
in the case where this level does not match the accessibility level
of the function named in the (dispatching) call.
A function with an access result type may return a reference to an object
whose accessibility level matches that of the function body:
X : aliased Integer;
function F1 return access Integer is
begin
return X'access;
end F1;
A function with a class-wide result type may return a
result whose type's accessibility level matches that of
the function body:
type Derived is new Some_Tagged_Type with null record;
function F2 return Some_Tagged_Type'Class is
begin
return Derived'(...);
end F2;
A function whose result type has anonymous access discriminants
may return a result with a discriminant that references an
object whose accessibility level matches that of the function body:
type Discriminated (Disc : access Integer) is limited null record;
X : aliased Integer;
function F3 return Discriminated is
begin
return (Disc => X'access);
end F3;
Each of these three scenarios becomes problematic if the function
overrides an inherited dispatching operation and the controlling
type of the function is declared in a more nested scope than its
parent type.
Consider:
declare
type Tagged_Type is tagged null record;
type Discriminated (D : access Integer)
is tagged limited null record;
package Pkg_1 is
type Parent_Type is abstract tagged null record;
function F1 (X : Parent_Type) return access Integer is abstract;
function F2 (X : Parent_Type) return Tagged_Type'Class is abstract;
function F3 (X : Parent_Type) return Discriminated is abstract;
function F4 (X : Parent_Type)
return access Some_Designated_Type is abstract;
end Pkg_1;
procedure Call_Functions
(X : Pkg_1.Parent_Type'Class) is
begin
<Call X.F1, X.F2, and X.F3>
--
--
--
--
--
end Call_Functions;
procedure Nested is
package Pkg_2 is
type Extension is new Pkg_1.Parent_Type with null record;
function F1 (X : Extension) return access Integer;
function F2 (X : Extension) return Tagged_Type'Class;
function F3 (X : Extension) return Discriminated;
function F4 (X : Extension) return access Some_Designated_Type;
end Pkg_2;
package Other_Locals is
I : aliased Integer;
type Extension is new Tagged_Type with null record;
end Locals;
package body Pkg_2 is
function F1 (X : Extension) return access Integer
is begin return Other_Locals.I'access; end F1;
function F2 (X : Extension) return Tagged_Type'Class
is begin return Other_Locals.Extension'(null record); end F2;
function F3 (X : Extension) return Discriminated
is begin return Discriminated'(D => Other_Locals.I'access); end F3;
function F4 (X : Extension) return access Some_Designated_Type
is begin return new Some_Designated_Type'(...); end F4;
end Pkg_2;
X : Pkg_2.Extension;
begin
Call_Functions (X);
end Nested;
begin
Nested;
end;
This AI presumes an implementation model where these problematic dispatching
operations of nested extensions expect an accessibility level to be
passed in to indicate the accessibility level of the function declaration
named in the call; that level is then used for anonymous-typed allocators
at the point of return, and for accessibility checks.
Once we accept that we need to pass in an accessibility level to any
function that has a class-wide, access-discriminated, or access result
return type, and is, or might become through renaming, a dispatching
operation, we conclude that this model might as well be adopted
universally for functions with such a result type. In particular,
because with a call through an access-to-subprogram, it is hard to
know whether you might reach a dispatching function, some sort of
level would need to passed whenever making a call through an
access-to-subprogram. And since essentially any function might be
called through an access-to-subprogram value, all functions with such
a result type will need to expect a passed-in accessibility level.
Once we accept we are always passing in a level for these kinds of
functions, we need to decide what are the implications for calls
through access-to-subprogram values. Since the level of the function
named by the dereference of an access-to-subprogram value is always at
least as deep as that of the actual designated function, passing in a
deeper level will never cause a failure of a run-time accessibility
check when a corresponding static accessibility check passed. For the
cases where there is no static accessibility check, such as with an
access parameter, this may eliminate run-time check failures exactly
in cases where they are safe, since code calling through a more deeply
nested access-to-subprogram type is set up to handle more deeply
nested results.
Here is an example of where these dynamic levels would make
a difference:
procedure Getting_Fancy(
Y : access T;
ATF : access function(X : access T) return access T) is
G : access T;
begin
G := ATF.all(Y);
--
end Getting_Fancy;
...
function Identity(X : access T) return access T is
begin
return X; --
--
--
end Identity;
For access-to-subprogram parameters, which have by definition an
infinitely deep accessibility level, we specify (in 3.10.2(15)) that
the level of a dereference used to name a function in a call is that
of the level of the master containing the access parameter. This is
essentially the same rule when you take 'Access of a tagged parameter.
It is treated like a local variable of the subprogram. So in a
corresponding way, we treat the call as though it were via an
access-to-subprogram type declared local to the subprogram containing
the access parameter.
We need to make the dynamic accessibility level of an access result
type reflect this same set of rules, so we add a paragraph in 3.10.2
to specify that the accessibility level comes from the caller's view
of things. This is important because if the return expression is an
(anonymous) allocator, we need to know its accessibility level.
We relax the rules for order of finalization of objects (other than
coextensions) created by anonymous allocators, since tying them to a
particular freezing point is tricky, and doesn't seem to be of great
value to the user. All that really matters is that they get finalized
in the master determined by their accessibility level, and that is
already specified by 7.6.1(4). For named access types, there is the
concern that their collections be finalized before any corresponding
storage pool object gets finalized, but there is no similar
consideration for non-coextension anonymous allocations, since they
always use the "default" storage pool.
Note that in some of this wording, we have stopped using the phrase
"the master that elaborated the function body" and simply talked about
the level of the (view of the) function. By definition, the level of
a declared entity is that of the master that elaborates it, so talking
about the master that elaborates the function body is a long-winded
way of saying the level of the function. By simplifying the wording,
it is easier to talk about the function "named" at the point of the
call.
!ACATS test
!appendix
From: Stephen W. Baird
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 12:04 PM
!question
How do the various accessibility rules pertaining to function results
apply in the case of a dispatching call to a function where the accessibility
level of the function named in the call differs from the accessibility
level of the function whose body is executed?
!discussion
In most cases, the dynamic semantics of access result types follow easily
from an informal equivalence rule. The declaration
function Foo ( ...) return access T;
is pretty much equivalent to
type T_Ref is access all T;
function Foo (...) return T_Ref;
, and that's that.
If the function in question overrides an inherited dispatching operation
and if the controlling type of the function is declared in a more nested
scope than its parent type, then this equivalence breaks down.
If the function returns an allocator, then what is the lifetime and
accessibility level of the allocated object in the case where the
function has been invoked via a dispatching call to the operation of
the parent type?
Tuck has pointed out that this is an instance of a more general problem
associated with uses of the accessibility level of a function body
in the case where this level does not match the accessibility level
of the function named in the (dispatching) call.
A function with an access result type may return a reference to an object
whose accessibility level matches that of the function body:
X : aliased Integer;
function F1 return access Integer is
begin
return X'Access;
end F1;
A function with a class-wide result type may return a
result whose type's accessibility level matches that of
the function body:
type Derived is new Some_Tagged_Type with null record;
function F2 return Some_Tagged_Type'Class is
begin
return Derived'(...);
end F2;
A function whose result type has anonymous access discriminants
may return a result with a discriminant that references an
object whose accessibility level matches that of the function body:
type Discriminated (Disc : access Integer) is limited null record;
X : aliased Integer;
function F3 return Discriminated is
begin
return (Disc => X'Access);
end F3;
Each of these three scenarios becomes problematic if the function
overrides an inherited dispatching operation and the controlling
type of the function is declared in a more nested scope than its
parent type.
Consider:
declare
type Tagged_Type is tagged null record;
type Discriminated (D : access Integer)
is tagged limited null record;
package Pkg_1 is
type Parent_Type is abstract tagged null record;
function F1 (X : Parent_Type) return access Integer is abstract;
function F2 (X : Parent_Type) return Tagged_Type'Class is abstract;
function F3 (X : Parent_Type) return Discriminated is abstract;
function F4 (X : Parent_Type)
return access Some_Designated_Type is abstract;
end Pkg_1;
procedure Call_Functions
(X : Pkg_1.Parent_Type'Class) is
begin
<Call X.F1, X.F2, and X.F3>
--
-- Each call should fail, right?
-- Otherwise we've got the potential for dangling references.
--
-- The situation with X.F4 is even less clear.
end Call_Functions;
procedure Nested is
package Pkg_2 is
type Extension is new Pkg_1.Parent_Type with null record;
function F1 (X : Extension) return access Integer;
function F2 (X : Extension) return Tagged_Type'Class;
function F3 (X : Extension) return Discriminated;
function F4 (X : Extension) return access Some_Designated_Type;
end Pkg_2;
package Other_Locals is
I : aliased Integer;
type Extension is new Tagged_Type with null record;
end Locals;
package body Pkg_2 is
function F1 (X : Extension) return access Integer
is begin return Other_Locals.I'access; end F1;
function F2 (X : Extension) return Tagged_Type'Class
is begin return Other_Locals.Extension'(null record); end F2;
function F3 (X : Extension) return Discriminated
is begin return Discriminated'(D => Other_Locals.I'Access); end F3;
function F4 (X : Extension) return access Some_Designated_Type
is begin return new Some_Designated_Type'(...); end F4;
end Pkg_2;
X : Pkg_2.Extension;
begin
Call_Functions (X);
end Nested;
begin
Nested;
end;
Tuck suggests an implementation model where these problematic dispatching
operations of nested extensions expect an accessibility level to be
passed in to indicate the accessibility level of the function declaration
named in the call; that level is then used for anonymous-typed allocators
at the point of return, and for accessibility checks.
This seems like a good approach, but it is not implicit in the current RM.
Wording changes would be needed - a "clarification" would not suffice.
Furthermore, there are some aspects of this problem that might still
need resolution even if this proposal were adopted:
1) In the case of a dispatching call to a function with an
access result type which returns an allocator, exactly when is the
allocated object finalized? This remains a valid (albeit obscure)
question even in the case where the parent type and the extension
type have the same accessibility level. 7.6.1(11.2) refers to
"the first freezing point of the ultimate ancestor type", but
is this the freezing point of the access type associated with the
function named in the call or with the function whose body is executed?
2) A wording change in 6.5(21/2) seems to be needed; in the case of
a class-wide result type, the specified check may need to be performed
even if the result type of the function has no access discriminants.
Consider the following example:
declare
type Root is tagged limited null record;
type Ext (D : access Integer) is new Root with null record;
function F return Root'Class is
Local_Var : aliased Integer;
function Local_Func return Ext is
begin
return (D => Local_Var'Access);
end Local_Func;
begin
return Local_Func;
end F;
procedure Do_Something (X : access Integer) is ... end;
begin
Do_Something (Ext (F).D);
end;
If this test executes without raising any exception, then a
dangling reference will be passed to Do_Something. It seems
that the check described in 6.5(21/2) needs to be performed
as part of returning from F, but the result subtype of F
lacks unconstrained access discriminants.
This will introduce distributed overhead in the sense that
a function which returns a limited classwide result may have
to check for the possibility that its result has a "bad"
access discriminant values even if there are no access
discriminants anywhere in the program.
We probably don't want two active AIs which both modify
6.5(21/2), but this issue might be split off into a separate
AI if that doesn't appear to be a problem.
From: Tucker Taft
Sent: March 27, 2007
Sent to Steve Baird, in response to (roughly) the question
about allocators that begins the !discussion section above.
Very nasty. It seems like we might have the same
problem with functions returning class-wide types,
and perhaps with functions returning objects with
access discriminants. In all three cases, there
is an accessibility check at the point of the return
statement, and in each case the check is against
the accessibility level of the function body itself.
But if the caller has reached the function body via
a dispatching call, the caller may be presuming
an accessibility level associated with the dispatching
operation identified at compile-time, rather than the body
determined at runtime.
There seem various possible solutions, none particularly
pleasant. I think my favorite would be essentially
a "wrapper" model, where dispatching operations of
nested extensions expect an accessibility level passed
*in* to indicate the accessibility level of the function
declaration named in the call, and that level is used
for anonymous allocators at the point of return, and
for accessibility checks. The "wrapper" aspect is that
to avoid distributed overhead, the extra implicit parameter
would be provided by a "wrapper" rather than by the
caller, so if calling operations of non-nested extensions,
there is no additional overhead. Note that any function
that might *become* a dispatching operation via renaming
would have to assume the worst, and allow for this
implicit parameter. Some kind of a wrapper may be needed
for these kinds of dispatching calls to deal with the
static link, so adding another implicit parameter might
be relatively straightforward.
This model also seems consistent with the wording in 3.10.2(10.1/2)
where we indicate that the accessibility of a return object
goes from being that of the return statement, to being that
determined by the point of call, with no interim "stop"
at the level of the function body.
I think passing *in* an accessibility level is preferable to
passing one *out* because we already have situations where
we pass one in (i.e. with access parameters, and probably also
with the new limited return types), and so we have
already figured out what that entails as far as passing
static vs. dynamic levels. On the other hand, the level we
pass in for access parameters is never used for the *target*
of a conversion, only for the *operand*, so the same logic
might not work... Hmmm...
****************************************************************
From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 12:34 AM
Here is an AI [version /03 - ED.] that Steve started, and
I finished, which attempts to deal with the case where, from
an accessibility level point of view, a caller
has one view of a function, and the return statement
has a different view. This can happen in four ways:
1) In a dispatching call, where the caller
is calling an operation of a parent
type T1, and is actually reaching an
overriding defined for a nested extension T2.
(caller view is not as deep as called function)
2) In a dispatching call, where the caller
is calling an operation of a nested
extension T2, and is actually reaching
an inherited operation from a parent T1.
(caller view is deeper than called function)
3) In a call through an access-to-subprogram
value, where the access type is declared at
a deeper level than the designated subprogram.
(caller view is deeper than called function)
4) In a call through an access-to-subprogram
value that is an access parameter, which
has an "infinite" accessibility level, clearly
deeper than the designated subprogram.
(caller view is *much* deeper than called function)
After much head scratching and trying various solutions,
we settled on uniformly using the caller's view for
the run-time accessibility checks performed at a return
statement. This also means that the caller has an
accurate view of the accessibility characteristics
of the returned object. In addition it means that
if an access parameter is passed by the caller, the
level of the access parameter can be meaningfully
compared with the "result" level passed in, in case
the access parameter is used as part of the result
in one way or another (e.g. as an access discriminant,
or as the access result).
Case (4) represented an existing hole in 3.10.2, where
we hadn't properly figured out the accessibility
characteristics of results returned from calls through
an access-to-subprogram parameter. In this AI, we
suggest that rather than the result of such a call
also having an "infinite" accessibility level, it
should have a level corresponding to the master containing
the access parameter, as though the access value were
of an access-to-subprogram type declared local to the
master with the access parameter.
Anyway, I am giving away too much in the cover letter.
Time to read the AI!
****************************************************************
From: Stephen W. Baird
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 6:12 PM
> The accessibility level against which to perform
> run-time accessibility checks at the return statement
> of a dispatching function is determined by the
> level of the function named at the call-site, even if
> that is different from the accessibility level of the
> function body reached by the dispatching call. If the
> function has an access result, and the expression of the
> return statement is an (anonymous) allocator, then this
> accessibility level in turn determines the lifetime of
> the allocated object.
I think this means that if a function with an anonymous
access result type returns an allocator, then the allocated
object may have a different master than if the function
had returned a recursive call which returned an allocator.
This makes me nervous. Is this what we want?
If a caller makes a dispatching call on a subprogram
declared in a less nested scope than the scope of the
executed function body and the callee then attempts to
return the result of a nondispatching recursive call,
is Program_Error raised because the recursive
call might have successfully returned a "bad" reference?
It seems odd to have a simple recursive call like
function F return access Integer is
begin
if ... then
return F;
end if;
...
end F;
failing the accessibility check associated with an
access type conversion. It seems like the source type
and the target type are the same, but this AI
suggests that they aren't (at least dynamically).
I suspect that I'm just confused; this stuff is tricky.
****************************************************************
From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 7:19 PM
> I think this means that if a function with an anonymous
> access result type returns an allocator, then the allocated
> object may have a different master than if the function
> had returned a recursive call which returned an allocator.
> This makes me nervous. Is this what we want?
Probably not.
I think we need to presume that when calling such
a function in a return statement, the level against
which the returned value is being checked must be
passed on to the called function. That is, in:
return Func(...);
if Func has a result type that is classwide,
access-discriminated, or an anonymous access
type, then if a level is passed into the
enclosing function, the same level should be
passed to Func. I suspect AI05-51 will need
some extra wording to that effect, though
conceivably it may be implied by something
already in the AI.
>
> If a caller makes a dispatching call on a subprogram
> declared in a less nested scope than the scope of the
> executed function body and the callee then attempts to
> return the result of a nondispatching recursive call,
> is Program_Error raised because the recursive
> call might have successfully returned a "bad" reference?
>
> It seems odd to have a simple recursive call like
> function F return access Integer is
> begin
> if ... then
> return F;
> end if;
> ...
> end F;
> failing the accessibility check associated with an
> access type conversion. It seems like the source type
> and the target type are the same, but this AI
> suggests that they aren't (at least dynamically).
I think your example would work as desired if the
return statement passes along the dynamic accessibility
level it received implicitly.
> I suspect that I'm just confused; this stuff is tricky.
I think you have identified an important additional
requirement, namely that the return statement passes
along the dynamic accessibility level.
****************************************************************
From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 8:38 PM
> ...
> I think we need to presume that when calling such
> a function in a return statement, the level against
> which the returned value is being checked must be
> passed on to the called function. That is, in:
>
> return Func(...);
>
> if Func has a result type that is classwide,
> access-discriminated, or an anonymous access
> type, then if a level is passed into the
> enclosing function, the same level should be
> passed to Func. I suspect AI05-51 will need
> some extra wording to that effect, though
> conceivably it may be implied by something
> already in the AI.
I think the paragraph proposed in the AI to follow
3.10.2(10.1) could be rewritten roughly as follows:
Within a return statement that applies to a
function with a result subtype that is an access
result, that is class-wide, or that has one or more
unconstrained access discriminants, the (dynamic)
accessibility level of this function, and other
functions with such a result subtype elaborated by
the same master, are considered to have the same
accessibility level as that of the view of the
function named at the point of call. [Redundant:
Note that for a dispatching call or a call through
an access-to-subprogram value, the level of the
function named at the point of call might be
different from that of the function containing the
return statement.]
The basic idea is that within the return statement,
the function and all other similar functions act
as though there were of the same accessibility
level as the function named at the call site.
That means that any function that has a level
passed in, and that is of the same level as
the function with the return statement, will
be passed in the same dynamic level.
****************************************************************
From: Stephen W. Baird
Sent: Thursday, November 1, 2007 4:07 PM
This seems like it is getting way too complicated. I don't like this
call-site sensitivity (if you call this function from here, it means
something different than if you call it from there).
Before looking at any of the details of this proposal,
let's back up and look at why access result types were introduced.
They were only intended to be a notational convenience, to spare the
user the inconvenience of declaring a named access type.
We were introducing anonymous access types in other places and
access result types for functions fit in nicely with these other changes.
They were not intended to have any interesting dynamic semantics,
nor was it realized at the time that they would have to.
Now we've realized that there are some fairly complicated problems in
this area, I'd like to at least consider the possibility of solving them
all
by statically disallowing the problematic cases. We could introduce a
rule that the profile of a dispatching function or of an
access-to-function type
cannot have an (anonymous) access result type. Or, if that is too
restrictive, we could impose more stringent restrictions on the use of the
'Access attribute for subprograms if the profile has an access result
type,
along with similar restrictions for nested extensions if there is a
primitive
operation with an access result type. The point is that we could devise
rules of some sort for statically disallowing the problematic cases.
What do folks think about this general approach?
Ok, now for a more specific point about this proposal.
In implementation terms, the general idea is that within a return
statement
that is returning from a function which was passed an
accessibility_level/storage_pool/whatever descriptor, you pass the
descriptor reference along whenever you call any function that also
takes such a descriptor parameter.
Consider the following example:
function F (Controlling_Operand : Some_Tagged_Type;
Flag : Boolean := False) return
access Designated is
begin
return Result : access Designated do
declare
task T;
task body T is
procedure P is
begin
if Flag then
Result := new Designated;
else
Result := F (not Flag);
end if;
end P;
begin
P;
end T;
begin
null;
end;
end return;
end F;
This example demonstrates (I think) that when you say "within a
return statement", you really mean it. The rule even applies inside
of nested procedures, tasks, etc. But that would mean that it would
even apply inside of a nested return statement (returning from a nested
function), and so now you have contradictory requrements (I think)
imposed by the two enclosing return statements. The simple
solution (let the innermost return statement win) doesn't work.
Consider modifying the example so that a recursive call to F
Result := new F (not Flag);
occurs within a return statement within a function declared within
the declare block that is declared within F's (one and only)
return statement.
I expect that we can work this particular corner case out, but it
seems likely that there are other dragons lurking in the vicinity.
****************************************************************
From: Stephen W. Baird
Sent: Thursday, November 1, 2007 5:05 PM
A correction to the example of my previous message on this thread:
The recursive call to F lacks a value for
the Controlling_Operand parameter. I intended
to pass along the existing parameter in
a nondispatching call:
Result := F (Controlling_Operand, not Flag);
****************************************************************
From: John Barnes
Sent: Thursday, November 1, 2007 4:35 PM
As time has gone on I am becoming to feel that anonymous access types in
general (that is universally) were perhaps a mistake. I know I had great
trouble weaving them into my book. Personnally I would now never use them.
Ada prides itself in being precise and anon types seem to have slid us down
a slippery slope of confusion leading to accessibility problems.
Of course anonymous access to subprogram parameters are important but they
are just essentially subprogram parameters as in Algol 60 so that is no
problem.
Anyway. So I am very sympathetic to Steve's view. Too late too late the
virgin cried no doubt!
See y'all next week. Or a subset thereof.
****************************************************************
From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Thursday, November 1, 2007 9:41 PM
> ... We could introduce a
> rule that the profile of a dispatching function or of an access-to-function type
> cannot have an (anonymous) access result type. Or, if that is too
> restrictive, we could impose more stringent restrictions on the use of the
> 'Access attribute for subprograms if the profile has an access result type,
> along with similar restrictions for nested extensions if there is a primitive
> operation with an access result type. The point is that we could devise
> rules of some sort for statically disallowing the problematic cases.
>
> What do folks think about this general approach?
I think it depends how draconian is the restriction.
Disallowing them altogether for dispatching functions
would seems pretty draconian. Disallowing nested
extensions of types with such functions is less
draconian. I think once you do that, then you
can eliminate the issue with calling through
access-to-subprogram values, because such functions
no longer need to be passed a level.
But remember, we also have the same issue for functions
returning class-wide types and types with unconstrained
access discriminants, though perhaps those aren't as bad.
> Ok, now for a more specific point about this proposal.
>
> In implementation terms, the general idea is that within a return
> statement that is returning from a function which was passed an
> accessibility_level/storage_pool/whatever descriptor, you pass the
> descriptor reference along whenever you call any function that also
> takes such a descriptor parameter.
Only if the function called in the return statement
is at the *same* level as the function to which
the return statement applies.
> Consider the following example:
>
> function F (Controlling_Operand : Some_Tagged_Type;
> Flag : Boolean := False) return
> access Designated is
> begin
> return Result : access Designated do
> declare
> task T;
> task body T is
> procedure P is
> begin
> if Flag then
> Result := new Designated;
> else
> Result := F (not Flag);
> end if;
> end P;
> begin
> P;
> end T;
> begin
> null;
> end;
> end return;
> end F;
>
> This example demonstrates (I think) that when you say "within a
> return statement", you really mean it. The rule even applies inside
> of nested procedures, tasks, etc. But that would mean that it would
> even apply inside of a nested return statement (returning from a nested
> function), and so now you have contradictory requrements (I think)
> imposed by the two enclosing return statements.
Not true, because the rule only applies if the called
function is at the same level as the function to which the
return statement applies. If you have a nested return
statement, clearly the function called could only match
at most one of them, and it is that one whose dynamic level
is passed along.
> ... The simple
> solution (let the innermost return statement win) doesn't work.
> Consider modifying the example so that a recursive call to F
> Result := new F (not Flag);
> occurs within a return statement within a function declared within
> the declare block that is declared within F's (one and only)
> return statement.
>
> I expect that we can work this particular corner case out, but it
> seems likely that there are other dragons lurking in the vicinity.
I don't think this particular one is a problem.
But I will never underestimate your amazing ability
to find bizarro cases.
****************************************************************
From: Pascal Leroy
Sent: Monday, November 5, 2007 3:10 PM
> > What do folks think about this general approach?
>
> I think it depends how draconian is the restriction.
> Disallowing them altogether for dispatching functions
> would seems pretty draconian. Disallowing nested
> extensions of types with such functions is less
> draconian. I think once you do that, then you
> can eliminate the issue with calling through
> access-to-subprogram values, because such functions
> no longer need to be passed a level.
I am sympathetic to the notion of finding a way to disallow the
problematic cases statically, if only because Tuck's proposed rule
caused my brain to explode. However, I foresee difficulties with
privacy and perhaps the contract model. If the function with an
anonymous access result is declared in a private part, how do you
disallow nested extensions outside of the package? Perhaps other
rules of the language prevent problems in this case, but I wouldn't
bet on it.
****************************************************************
From: Stephen W. Baird
Sent: Monday, November 5, 2007 3:51 PM
Another option would be to introduce a rule that the Storage_Size of an
access result type is "defined by the language to be zero" (4.8(5.3/2)).
This would only help with the allocator-related problems mentioned
in the AI, but it still might turn out to be a useful part of a more
complete solution if it isn't rejected as being too restrictive.
In any case, this rule doesn't seem to suffer from any of the contract
model difficulties that you describe.
****************************************************************
From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Monday, November 5, 2007 9:40 PM
> I am sympathetic to the notion of finding a way to disallow the
> problematic cases statically, if only because Tuck's proposed rule
> caused my brain to explode. ...
My brain was exploding when I proposed it as well.
How about this alternative:
A) Don't do anything special (at the call site)
for dispatching operations that return classwide
or access-discriminated result types. Instead,
just use the tag of the controlling operand to
determine the run-time accessibility level of the result
of calling such a dispatching function. For example:
type T is tagged null record;
type Has_Acc_Discrim(D : access Q) is null record;
function Gizmo(X : T) return Has_Acc_Discrim;
If Gizmo is a dispatching operation of T, then when
we make a dispatching call on it using an actual
parameter of type T'Class, we dispatch to a routine
that is associated with the type identified by the
tag of the actual. E.g:
Y : T2;
HAD_Obj : Has_Acc_Discrim renames Gizmo(T'Class(Y));
So what is the run-time accessibility level associated
with HAD_Obj? With this model, it is determined by the
run-time tag of the actual controlling operand, in this
case "T'Class(Y)", i.e. the level implied by T2'Tag.
We know that all controlling operands have the same tag,
so there is no ambiguity. If the corresponding operation
is actually inherited for the given descendant, that
is OK, because the actual accessibility level of the
return object is no deeper than that implied by the
controlling tag.
B) For dispatching operations with access result,
we need to worry about two things, one, what sort of
run-time accessibility check is performed, and two, what
storage pool is used if the return statement consists
of an allocator. I would propose we model an access result
like "return access Q" roughly like "return Has_Acc_Discrim".
That is, we treat the access result as though it
were an access discriminant of an imaginary "wrapper"
type. The context of the call-site would determine the
storage pool to be used for an anonymous allocator
in the return statement. The accessibility level
check would be the same as that given above for A,
namely we check against the level of the master
of the function body, and the caller presumes the
level is that of the actual controlling tag.
To be more precise what I mean by using the context
of the call-site to determine the storage pool,
if the result of the call is converted explicitly
or implicitly to another access type, the storage
pool of that target access type is passed in as the
storage pool for the access result. If the result of
the call is dereferenced, then it is treated the same
way a function returning an object with access
discrims, and the context of the usage of the
dereference determines the storage pool.
The reason I like this rule is that it means that there
is some chance you can avoid storage leaks associated
with access results, while also solving the problem
associated with calls on dispatching operations
on nested type extensions. The current rule pretty much
guarantees storage leaks, since the default storage pool
from which the anonymous allocator allocates does
not support reclamation, and it is at a level that
means the result will often live forever. By instead
determining the storage pool by the usage of the
result, we can avoid the storage leak, while still
remaining safe with respect to accessibility.
For example:
function Gizmo2(X : T) return access Q;
...
type Z is access Q;
R : Z := Gizmo2(blah);
-- pass in storage pool associated with Z
-- to be used by anonymous allocator
S : Z := new Q'(Gizmo2(blurfo).all);
-- again, here we pass in storage pool
-- associated with Z, as we would have
-- if Gizmo2 returned an object with
-- access discrims
V : access Q := Gizmo2(blech);
-- pass in a storage pool associated with
-- the implicit access type of V, essentially
-- the local frame
...
return Gizmo2(belch);
-- pass in the storage pool associated with
-- the result type, which if it is also "access Q"
-- means the same storage pool passed into the
-- enclosing function.
------------
I think the above approach gives an answer to the
interesting questions, such as:
1) what run-time accessibility check is performed
at a return statement when the result type is
classwide, access-discriminated, or an access result?
Answer: exactly what we currently say in Ada 2005 --
check against the level of the master that elab'ed
the function body.
2) what run-time accessibility level does the result of
a call on a dispatching function have?
Answer: the same as that of the controlling tag
of the call.
3) What storage pool should be used for access results?
Answer: a storage pool passed in from the caller,
determined by the context of the call, using a model
where we treat the result as though it were an
access discriminant of a "wrapper" result type.
****************************************************************
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