J3/04-333 Date: 4 Jun 2004 To: J3 From: Richard Maine Subject: Pointer assignment and arrays NUMBER: TITLE: Pointer assignment and arrays KEYWORDS: pointer assignment, array, data-ref DEFECT TYPE: STATUS: J3 consideration in progress QUESTION: There appears to be no explicit requirement that the s in R736 and R741 be scalar. If data-pointer-object and proc-component ref were data-refs, then C614 would prohibit the s from being arrays. However, although the syntax looks like a special case of a data-ref, nothing appears to say that R736 and R741 actually constitute data-refs. The standard gives no interpretation as to what the meaning would be in the case of an array. Even when variable is a scalar, the standard does not appear to define what the properties (such as type and shape) of a data-pointer-object or proc-pointer-object are in the case where the syntax has a "%". All we have is a syntax with no established meaning. Q1. Is the in R736 or R741 allowed to be an array? Q2. Is the interpretation of the forms in R736 and R741 the same as that of a data-ref? ANSWER: A1. No. The standard provides no interpretation of what such a form would mean. Therefore, by the first sentence of 1.5, it is not standard-conforming. Edits are provided to make this prohibition more direct. A2. Yes. EDITS: To be supplied. SUBMITTED BY: Richard Maine HISTORY: 04-??? m169 Submitted