To: J3                                                     J3/18-200
From: Bill Long
Subject: Ballot Comment GB057
Date: 2018-June-12


Ballot Comment
--------------

In their DIS Ballot for draft N2146 of Fortran 2018, the GB comment
057 reads:

"Correction. The definition of "base_addr" is self-contradictory. The
value of an object can be defined simultaneously to be a null pointer
and not a null pointer."

with the suggested edit:

In the description of base_addr change "null pointer. If the object
has zero size" to "null pointer; otherwise, if the object has zero
size".


Discussion
----------

Even though an unallocated allocatable or disassociated pointer can't
be an object of zero size, we agree the edit is an improvement for
readability.


Edit to N2146
-------------
Page 492, 18.5.3 The CFI_cdesc_t structure type, p2

  In the description of base_addr,

  change "null pointer. If the object has zero size" to
  "null pointer; otherwise, if the object has zero size".

{The new description of base_addr now reads:

"void * base_addr; If the object is an unallocated allocatable
variable or a pointer that is disassociated, the value is a null
pointer; otherwise, if the object has zero size, the value is not a
null pointer but is otherwise processor dependent. Otherwise, the
value is the base address of the object being described. The base
address of a scalar is its C address.  The base address of an array is
the C address of the first element in Fortran array element order."  }