RE: [sv-ec] Definition of access for class parameters.

 
Jonathan,

the hiding of the parameters is something that I did not address. I put
a ballot comment for that issue that
we dicussed at the EC meeting and we decided to put if off. My ballot
comment was that localparams could be further
qualified as local or protected. That is an enhancement to my proposal
of 2575. It is surely something that can be added
later to do what you describe. For now, since currently unqualified, all
parameters are public. Note that the difference between 
localparams and parameters of a module is that localparams cannot be
overriden by a module instantiation or a class specialization.
In addition to that, localparams could be qualified as local or
protected so that their access from outside the
class where they are defined can be limited.

Francoise
    '
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sv-ec@eda.org [mailto:owner-sv-ec@eda.org] On Behalf Of
jonathan.bromley@doulos.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2009 4:49 AM
To: sv-ec@eda.org
Subject: RE: [sv-ec] Definition of access for class parameters.

[Gord]
> I don't see any reason to limit access to value parameters via ".".

[Arturo]
> I appreciate what you're saying, but allowing parameters does create 
> several subtle issues that don't exist with const properties. For 
> example, a parameter cannot be passed by reference [...]

Originally I was very much in favour of "handle.param" access to value
parameters, but Arturo's argument about pass-by-ref seems to me to be
compelling.  Users who want to read parameter values via a handle can
easily clone the parameter into a const or static const member.  I also
agree with Arturo that users will find it simpler to understand and
remember the rule that class parameters (of any kind) must be accessed
using ::.

I'm also (again speaking as a user) slightly disappointed to see the
proposal making all class [local]parameters be public.
I can easily imagine a situation where I want to create some localparam
in a class (so that I can use it to size arrays) but don't want client
code to see it.  On the other hand, this is something that could be
added as an extension later, and it certainly isn't a show-stopper.

Thanks
--
Jonathan Bromley
Consultant

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