[m-dev.] diff: update doc for c_pointer

[Thomas Conway]

On Tue, Feb 08, 2000 at 11:31:49PM EST, Tyson Dowd wrote:
> On 08-Feb-2000, Fergus Henderson <fjh at cs.mu.OZ.AU> wrote:
> > 
> > Personally I don't think the extra effort of defining special syntax
> > for this construct would be worth it, since it is only going to be
> > used in a few places within the implementation.  The major
> > argument in favour of it would be that we could then detect
> > types which are declared and not defined at compile time rather
> > than at link time.  But that is not a very strong argument, IMHO.
> 
> Nor do I, but if we define a new syntax for types defined externally
> in foreign languages, it would be good if it could provide this
> functionality too.

For example see the curses binding. There are a gazillion casts there.
It would be nice to be able to write something like:

:- interface.

:- type window.
...

:- implementation.

:- pragma c_type(window, "WindowPtr").

and have the C interface make the parameters `WindowPtr's rather
than `Word's.

-- 
 Thomas Conway )O+     Every sword has two edges.
     Mercurian            <conway at cs.mu.oz.au>
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