Assumed character length functions - PR15326

[Richard E Maine]

On Jun 10, 2005, at 8:32 AM, Paul Thomas wrote:

> I have been attempting to enable assumed character length functions
> (incidentally, should it not be automatic character length functions?)

Both assumed-length and automatic-length character functions exist in 
the standard. They are not the same thing. The examples you showed are 
automatic length. I suggest not referring to them as assumed length or 
you will cause horrible confusion. You have an assumed-length dummy 
argument, but the function result is automatic length.

Assumed length is (IMO) an abomination and quite quirky. It is formally 
obsolescent. It is the case where the result variable (not one of the 
dummy arguments) is declared with a length of * in the function. You 
have to declare the "actual" length in the calling procedure. Assumed 
length turns out to be incompatible with explicit interfaces because 
the whole point is that the declaration in the calling scope has to be 
different from that in the function itself - yukk.

-- 
Richard Maine                |  Good judgment comes from experience;
Richard.Maine@nasa.gov       |  experience comes from bad judgment.
                             |        -- Mark Twain