Message-ID: <49D208A7.1070807@bcs.org.uk>
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:12:23 +0100
From: Peter Knaggs <pjk@bcs.org.uk>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: RfD: Definition Name Length

20090331 Original Text

Problem
=======

The definition of a Definition name appears to be ambiguous.
It is clear from discussion elsewhere that some people have
taking a more restrictive view of a definition name than
was intended.

The existing text is:

    3.3.1.2 Definition names

       Definition names shall contain {1 ... 31} characters.
       A system may allow or prohibit the creation of
       definition names containing non-standard characters.

       Programs that use lower case for standard definition
       names or depend on the case-sensitivity properties of
       a system have an environmental dependency.

       A program shall not create definition names containing
       non-graphic characters.

This text does not indicate that a system may allow names
with more than 31 characters.   It is left to section 4
(documentation requirements) to infer this:

    4.1.1 Implementation-defined options
       maximum size of a definition name, in characters
       (3.3.1.2 Definition names);

    4.1.2 Ambiguous conditions
       a definition name exceeded the maximum length allowed
       (3.3.1.2 Definition names);

It is clear that the committee intended that a standard
system must allow for names of 31 characters, but that it
may allow for longer names.


Solution
========

Extend the definition in section 3.3.1.2 to explicitly
allow system to provide for names of more than 31 characters.
Although, a standard program may only define names of up to
31 characters.


Proposal
========

1. Append the following to the first paragraph of 3.3.1.2:

       A system may allow the creation of definition names
       longer than 31 characters.  Programs with definition
       names longer than 31 characters have an environmental
       dependancy.

2. Add the following Environmental Dependancies (4.2.1)

     - using definition names of more than 31 characters in
       length (3.3.1.2 Definition names);

     - using non standard characters in a definition name
       (3.3.1.2 Definition names);


Credits
=======
Peter Knaggs, pjk@bcs.org.uk
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics,
University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon EX4 7QF, England
tel: +44 (0)13 9226 4014
web: http://www.rigwit.co.uk