J3/14-125r1
To: J3
From: Van Snyder
Subject: UTI concerning specifier value assignment
Date: 2014 February 13

[14-007:236:7+] Insert a UTI

  The final sentence of 9.10.1p1 says "All specifier value assignments
  are performed according to the rules for assignment statements."

  The reason for this is probably so that specifiers that require
  character variables get values assigned that are left adjusted, and
  either truncated or blank padded, as for intrinsic assignment.  For
  ones that require integer or logical variables, there isn't really a
  possibility of confusion.

  Firstly, the statement probably ought to be something more like "as if
  by an intrinsic assignment statement," or "according to the rules for
  intrinsic assignment."

  A broader problem is that we now have more statements that assign a
  value to a character variable corresponding to a specifier: The ERMSG
  or IOMSG specifier.

  Therefore, the same requirement as in the final sentence of 9.10.1p1
  needs to apply to all statements that assign a value to a character
  variable associated with a specifier.

  One way to do this is to track them all down and copy the sentence
  from 9.10.1p1 (as repaired).

  Another way is to introduce a general discussion of statement
  specifiers, maybe in Clause 2, and put the requirement there.

  A third way is to

    o extend INTENT to cover statement specifiers,

    o specify INTENT for all specifiers in all statements that have
      specifiers, and

    o add a specification, in the INTENT subclause, that values are
      assigned to INTENT(OUT) or INTENT(INOUT) statement specifiers
      either "according to the rules for intrinsic assignment" or "as if
      by an intrinsic assignment statement".