J3/04-421 Date: 09 Nov 2004 To: J3 From: Rob James Subject: Interp F03/0008 revised answer NUMBER: F03/0008 TITLE: Pointer assignment and arrays KEYWORDS: pointer assignment, array, data-ref DEFECT TYPE: Erratum 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: All edits refer to 04-007. [143:12,24,35,37] Insert "" before "", four times. SUBMITTED BY: Richard Maine HISTORY: 04-333 m169 Submitted 04-333r1 m169 Passed by J3 meeting 04-421 m170 Revised