J3/00-246

Date:    27 June 2000
To:      J3
From:    Van Snyder
Subject: Request for Interpretation of rules allowing duplicate names

NOTE: This is a ``request'' not a ``demand''.  /interp may decide there
is no need for a formal interpretation.

QUESTION:

Under what conditions can a name in class (1) as described in 14.1.2 be
used in more than one declaration?

The second complete paragraph after the list in 14.1.2, immediately
before note 14.2 [276:5-7 in 97-007r2] begins:

``Within a scoping unit, a name that identifies a local entity of one
class shall not be used to identify another local entity of the same
class, except in the case of generic names (12.3.2.1)....''

Is the intent here that a generic name may be used only to identify
another generic interface, or that a generic name may be used to identify
any other entity in class (1)?

ANSWER:

The answer is probably ``A generic name may only be used to identify
another generic interface block; it may not be used to identify any other
entity of class (1) in any scoping unit where it is accessible.''

EDITS TO IMPLEMENT PROBABLE ANSWER:

These suggested edits refer to the Fortran 95 standard.  More (or fewer
or different) edits may be necessary.

Replace the first sentence of the cited paragraph [276:5-7 in 97-007r2]
by:

``Within a scoping unit, a name that identifies a local entity of one
class shall not be used to identify another local entity of the same
class, except that the name of a generic interface block defined in a
scoping unit or accessed by host or use association may be the same as
the name of another generic interface block defined in the same scoping
unit or accessed by use association.''