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7.1 Package Specifications and Declarations

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A package is generally provided in two parts: a package_specification and a package_body. Every package has a package_specification, but not all packages have a package_body.

Syntax

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package_declaration::= package_specification;

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package_specification::=
    package defining_program_unit_name is
      {basic_declarative_item}
   [private
      {basic_declarative_item}]
    end [[parent_unit_name.]identifier]

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If an identifier or parent_unit_name.identifier appears at the end of a package_specification, then this sequence of lexical elements shall repeat the defining_program_unit_name.
Legality Rules

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A package_declaration or generic_package_declaration requires a completion (a body) if it contains any basic_declarative_item that requires a completion, but whose completion is not in its package_specification.

Static Semantics

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The first list of basic_declarative_items of a package_specification of a package other than a generic formal package is called the visible part of the package. The optional list of basic_declarative_items after the reserved word private (of any package_specification) is called the private part of the package. If the reserved word private does not appear, the package has an implicit empty private part. Each list of basic_declarative_items of a package_specification forms a declaration list of the package.7
An entity declared in the private part of a package is visible only within the declarative region of the package itself (including any child units −− see 10.1.1). In contrast, expanded names denoting entities declared in the visible part can be used even outside the package; furthermore, direct visibility of such entities can be achieved by means of use_clauses (see 4.1.3 and 8.4).

Dynamic Semantics

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The elaboration of a package_declaration consists of the elaboration of its basic_declarative_items in the given order.

     NOTES

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 The visible part of a package contains all the information that another program unit is able to know about the package.

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 If a declaration occurs immediately within the specification of a package, and the declaration has a corresponding completion that is a body, then that body has to occur immediately within the body of the package.
Examples

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Example of a package declaration:

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     package Rational_Numbers is

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        type Rational is
           record
              Numerator   Integer;
              Denominator Positive;
           end record;

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        function "="(X,Y Rational) return Boolean;

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        function "/"  (X,Y Integer)  return Rational;  −−  to construct rational number

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        function "+"  (X,Y Rational) return Rational;
        function "−"  (X,Y Rational) return Rational;
        function "*"  (X,Y Rational) return Rational;
        function "/"  (X,Y Rational) return Rational;
     end Rational_Numbers;

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There are also many examples of package declarations in the predefined language environment (see Annex A).