J3/99-223

Date:     25th August 1999
To:       J3
From:     Malcolm Cohen
Subject:  Interpretation Request on Pointer Assignment and Allocatable Arrays

NUMBER: 000079
TITLE: Pointer Assignment and Allocatable Arrays
KEYWORDS: Character, array constructor, zero-size
DEFECT TYPE: Erratum
STATUS: J3 consideration in progress

Consider
	PROGRAM p
	REAL,ALLOCATABLE,TARGET :: x(:)
	POINTER p(:)
	p => x
	ALLOCATE(x(10))
	PRINT *,SIZE(p)
	END

This appears to be a legal program - there seems to be no prohibition against
pointer assignment to an unallocated allocatable array and allocating the array
does not seem to alter the association status of any pointer associated with an
allocatable array.

Should there be a prohibition against pointer assignment to an unallocated
allocatable array?

ANSWER:
Yes; an edit is supplied to correct this oversight.

EDIT:

In clause 7.5.2, at the end of the paragraph that begins "The <target> shall"
[111:8+], insert:
    "If the <target> is an allocatable array it shall be currently allocated."

EDIT to 99-007r2:

[156:7+] add to end of paragraph:
    "If the <target> is allocatable it shall be currently allocated."

SUBMITTED BY: Malcolm Cohen
HISTORY: 99-223 m150 submitted 25th August 1999