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Organization: Information Systems, SRCC, MSU
From: "Sergey I. Rybin" <rybin@possum.srcc.msu.su>
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 97 12:35:22 +0300
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Subject: Text images of labels
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Content-Length: 1408
Status: OR

!topic Text/String images for labels
!reference  ASIS 95-15.2, 20.22, 3.11.3
!from  Sergey Rybin
!keywords A_Defining_Identifier, label, Defining_Name_Image,Element_Image
!discussion

In ASIS, statement labels are represented by Elements of
A_Defining_Identifier kind. The question is - what would be better to return
for A_Defining_Identifier Element representing a label as a String/Text
image of such an Element -

    Label_Identifier

or

   <<Label_Identifier>>?


I think, in the current ASIS definition the documentation of the queries
Asis.Declarations.Defining_Name_Image and Asis.Text.Element_Image
does not give the direct answer, and some clarification comments should
be added for the case of labels.

I would say, that now the ASIS definition gives more justification for
choosing the first alternative (that is, without "<< >>", but another
question is which alternative is better for applications? The second
one gives the possibility to make the difference between

  <<Label_Identifier>>

and

  <<  Label_Identifier  >>

or even

  <<  -- some crazy comment
      Label_Identifier    -- another crazy comment
  >>


Note, that the current ASIS definition does not give any ability to
get the location of "<<" and ">>" for labels. (More accurate, "<<"
can be located as the span beginning of labeled statement, but
this is true for the first statement only).

Any opinions?

Sergey Rybin