User-Defined Indexing

This aspect shall be specified by a name that denotes one or more functions declared immediately within the same declaration list in which T is declared. All such functions shall have at least two parameters, the first of which is of type T or T'Class, or is an access-to-constant parameter with designated type T or T'Class.

Aspect Description for Constant_Indexing: Defines function(s) to implement user-defined indexed_components.

This aspect shall be specified by a name that denotes one or more functions declared immediately within the same declaration list in which T is declared. All such functions shall have at least two parameters, the first of which is of type T or T'Class, or is an access parameter with designated type T or T'Class. All such functions shall have a return type that is a reference type (see 4.1.5), whose reference discriminant is of an access-to-variable type.

Reason: We require these functions to return a reference type so that the object returned from the function can act like a variable. We need no similar rule for Constant_Indexing, since all functions return constant objects.

Aspect Description for Variable_Indexing: Defines function(s) to implement user-defined indexed_components.

{AI12-0104-1} These aspects are inherited by descendants of T (including the class-wide type T'Class). [The aspects shall not be overridden, but the functions they denote may be.]

Ramification: Indexing can be provided for multiple index types by overloading routines with different parameter profiles. For instance, the map containers provide indexing on both cursors and keys by providing pairs of overloaded routines to the Constant_Indexing and Variable_Indexing aspects.

{AI05-0139-2} {AI05-0292-1} An indexable container type is (a view of) a tagged type with at least one of the aspects Constant_Indexing or Variable_Indexing specified. An indexable container object is an object of an indexable container type. [A generalized_indexing is a name that denotes the result of calling a function named by a Constant_Indexing or Variable_Indexing aspect.]

Glossary entry: An indexable container type is one that has user-defined behavior for indexing, via the Constant_Indexing or Variable_Indexing aspects.

Reason: This ensures that all descendants of an indexable container type have aspects with the same properties. This prevents generic contract problems with formal derived types.

{AI12-0104-1} {AI12-0138-1} A nonoverridable aspect allows the replacement of the implementation of an indexing function and the addition of a new indexing function for a derived type, but not the removal of an indexing function. This is necessary so that indexing can be used on objects of T'Class. So long as the tag of O is that of its nominal subtype, we do not want T'Class(O)(I) to mean something different than O(I). Thus we cannot allow a change in the function identified. As T'Class(O)(I) expands into a dispatching call, we need to ensure that there is a body for each such function -- but it is OK for that body to be changed from the original body (that's just normal dispatching).

Legality Rules

In addition to the places where Legality Rules normally apply (see 12.3), these rules apply also in the private part of an instance of a generic unit.

Ramification: In order to enforce these rules without breaking privacy, we cannot allow a tagged private type to have hidden indexing aspects. There is no problem if the private type is not tagged (as the indexing aspects cannot be specified on descendants in that case).

We don't need an assume-the-worst rule as deriving from formal tagged types is not allowed in generic bodies.

Syntax

Name Resolution Rules

{AI05-0139-2} {AI05-0292-1} The expected type for the indexable_container_object_prefix of a generalized_indexing is any indexable container type.

{AI05-0139-2} {AI05-0292-1} If the Constant_Indexing aspect is specified for the type of the indexable_container_object_prefix of a generalized_indexing, then the generalized_indexing is interpreted as a constant indexing under the following circumstances:

Ramification: This means it is not interpreted as a constant indexing for the variable_name in the LHS of an assignment (not inside a primary), nor for the name used for an out or in out parameter (not allowed to be a constant), nor for the name in an object renaming (not inside a primary), unless there is no Variable_Indexing aspect defined.

When a generalized_indexing is interpreted as a constant (or variable) indexing, it is equivalent to a call on a prefixed view of one of the functions named by the Constant_Indexing (or Variable_Indexing) aspect of the type of the indexable_container_object_prefix with the given actual_parameter_part, and with the indexable_container_object_prefix as the prefix of the prefixed view.

Ramification: In other words, the generalized_indexing is equivalent to:

{AI12-0005-1} where Indexing is the name specified for the Constant_Indexing or Variable_Indexing aspect. This equivalence is then resolved in the normal way; the aspect specifies a name, it does not denote declarations.

6 {AI12-0104-1} The Constant_Indexing and Variable_Indexing aspects cannot be redefined when inherited for a derived type, but the functions that they denote can be modified by overriding or overloading.

Examples

{AI05-0268-1} {AI05-0292-1} type Indexed_Barrel is tagged ...
  with Variable_Indexing => Find;
  -- Indexed_Barrel is an indexable container type,
  -- Find is the generalized indexing operation.

{AI05-0268-1} function Find (B : aliased in out Indexed_Barrel; Key : String) return Ref_Element;
-- Return a reference to an element of a barrel (see 4.1.5).

{AI05-0268-1} -- All of the following calls are then equivalent:
Find (IB,"pear").Data.all := Element'(...); -- Traditional call
IB.Find ("pear").Data.all := Element'(...); -- Call of prefixed view
IB.Find ("pear")          := Element'(...); -- Implicit dereference (see 4.1.5)
IB      ("pear")          := Element'(...); -- Implicit indexing and dereference
IB      ("pear").Data.all := Element'(...); -- Implicit indexing only

Extensions to Ada 2005

{AI05-0139-2} Aspects Constant_Indexing and Variable_Indexing, and the generalized_indexing syntax are new.

Wording Changes from Ada 2012

{AI12-0104-1} Corrigendum: Converted confusing and unnecessary normative wording about "overriding an aspect" into a note.

{AI12-0138-1} Corrigendum: Defined Constant_Indexing and Variable_Indexing to be nonoveridable. This is merely a new description for Legality Rules which already applied to these aspects.