Keywords: pame

Subsections

- Exercises

# Mode declarations

Structure declarations are very common in Algol 68 programs because they are a convenient way of grouping disparate data elements, but writing out their modes every time a name needs declaring is error-prone. Using the mode declaration, a new mode indicant can be declared to act as an abbreviation. For example, the mode declaration

       MODE VEC = STRUCT(REAL x,y,z)

makes `VEC` synonymous for the mode specification on the right-hand side of the equals symbol. Henceforth, new values using `VEC` can be declared in the ordinary way:

       VEC vec = (1,2,3);
       VEC vn := vec;
       [10]VEC va;
       PROC(VEC v)VEC pv=CO a routine-denotation CO;
       STRUCT(VEC v,w,x) tensor

Here is a mode declaration for a structure which contains a reference mode:

       MODE RV = STRUCT(CHAR c,REF[]CHAR s)

but we shall consider such advanced modes in chapter 11. Using a mode declaration, you might be tempted to declare a mode such as

       MODE CIRCULAR =
             STRUCT(INT i,CIRCULAR c)  CO wrong CO

but this is not allowed. However, there is nothing wrong with such modes as

       MODE NODE  = STRUCT(STRING s,
                           REF NODE next),
            PNODE = STRUCT(STRING s,
                           PROC(PNODE)STRING proc)

because the `NODE` inside the `STRUCT` of its declaration is hidden by the `REF`. Likewise, the `PNODE` parameter for `proc` in the declaration of `PNODE` is hidden by the `PROC`.

Suppose you want a mode which refers to another mode which hasn't been declared, and the second mode will refer back to the first mode. Both mode declarations cannot be first. In Algol 68 proper, you simply declare both modes in the usual way. However, the a68toc compiler is a single-pass compiler (it reads the source program once only) and so all applied-occurrences must occur later in the source program than the defining-occurrences. In this case, one of the modes is declared using a stub declaration. Here is an example:

       MODE MODE2,
            MODE1 = STRUCT(CHAR c,REF MODE2 rb),
            MODE2 = STRUCT(INT i,REF MODE1 ra)

There is nothing circular about these declarations. This is another example of mutual recursion. Go ahead and experiment.

This raises the point of which modes are actually permissible. We shall deal with this in chapter 10. For now, just ensure that you don't declare modes like `CIRCULAR`, and avoid modes which can be strongly coerced into themselves, such as

    MODE WRONG = [1:5]WRONG

If you inadvertently declare a disallowed mode, the compiler will declare that the mode is not legal.

Mode declarations are not confined to structures. For example, the mode `STRING` is declared in the standard prelude as

       MODE STRING = FLEX[1:0]CHAR

and you can write declarations like

    MODE FDES     = INT,
         MULTIPLE = [30]REAL,
         ROUTINE  = PROC(INT)INT,
         MATRIX   = [n,n]REAL

Notice that the mode declarations have been abbreviated (by omitting `MODE` each time and using commas). In the declaration of `ROUTINE`, notice that no identifier is given for the parameter of the procedure. In the last declaration, the bounds will be determined at the time of the declaration of any value using the mode `MATRIX`. Here, for example, is a small program using `MATRIX`:

       PROGRAM tt CONTEXT VOID
       USE standard
       BEGIN
       INT n;
       MODE MATRIX = [n,n]REAL;

       WHILE
          print((newline,
                 "Enter an integer ",
                 "followed by a blank:"));
          read(n);
          n > 0
       DO
          MATRIX m;

          FOR i TO 1 UPB m
          DO
             FOR j TO 2 UPB m
             DO
                m[i,j]:=random*1000
             OD
          OD;

          FOR i TO 1 UPB m
          DO
             print((m[i,],newline))
          OD
       OD
       END
       FINISH

## Exercises

7.5
  Declare a mode for a structure containing two fields, one of mode `REAL` and one of mode `PROC(REAL)REAL`. Ans
7.6
  Declare a mode for a structure which contains three fields, the first being the mode of the previous exercise, the second a procedure which takes that mode as a parameter and yields `VOID`, and the third being of mode `CHAR`. Ans
7.7
  What is wrong with these two definitions?

         MODE AMODE = STRUCT(INT i,BMODE b),
              BMODE = STRUCT(CHAR c,AMODE a)

  Try writing a program containing these declarations, with names of modes `AMODE` and `BMODE` and finish the program with the unit `SKIP`. Ans