In article <JASON.95Jun8150837@phydeaux.cygnus.com>, jason@cygnus.com (Jason Merrill) writes:
[..]
|> >   // file.h
|> >   namespace X {
|> >    namespace p {
|> >     extern int q; // declares X::q, not p::q !
|> >     extern int f (); // declares X::f, not p::f !
|> >    }
|>
|> Why must it?  Within p, p is the innermost enclosing namespace.

This, of course, is true. I must have been blind. Everything is alright
now. Thank you for opening my eyes.


Ulf Schuenemann

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ulf Sch   nemann
Fakult   t f   r Informatik, Technische Universit   t M   nchen, Germany.
email: schuenem@informatik.tu-muenchen.de

 How can I declare a namespace-member ?

7.3.1.4 Namespace member definitions [namespace.memdef] 4 says:
> When an entity declared with the extern specifier is not found to refer
> to some other declarartion, then that entity is a member of the innermost
> enclosing namespace.

It goes on to give an example with "extern" within the body of a namespace-
memberfunction. As the "When an entity declared with the extern specifier"
is not restricted to functionbodies, this rule must also apply to
namespace-membernamespace:

  // file.h
  namespace X {
   namespace p {
    extern int q; // declares X::q, not p::q !
    extern int f (); // declares X::f, not p::f !
   }
   int f ();   // declares X::f
  }
  // file.C
  #include "file.h"

  int X::f ()
  { return p::q; }  // error: q not yet declared !
  int X::p::f ()      // error: f is not a member of p !
  { return q; }  // referes to X::q !


I find this situation very unpleasent.
I can't believe that it was the intent of the committee to
prohibit the possibility of declaring variables as namespacemembers.
-> Please tell me, if I misunderstood or missed something. <-
It would be a shame, if namespaces where mainly designed for
functions (that dont need the keyword "extern" to form a declaration)
but not also for variables.

   HOW CAN I _DECLARE_ A NAMESPACE-MEMBERVARIABLE ???

IMHO the wording should be changed to something like:
> Within a scope that is not a namespace, when an entity declared with
> the extern specifier ...


Ulf Schuenemann

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ulf Sch   nemann
Fakult   t f   r Informatik, Technische Universit   t M   nchen, Germany.
email: schuenem@informatik.tu-muenchen.de

>>>>> Ulf Schuenemann <schuenem@informatik.tu-muenchen.de> writes:

>  How can I declare a namespace-member ?

> 7.3.1.4 Namespace member definitions [namespace.memdef] 4 says:
>> When an entity declared with the extern specifier is not found to refer
>> to some other declarartion, then that entity is a member of the innermost
>> enclosing namespace.

> It goes on to give an example with "extern" within the body of a namespace-
> memberfunction. As the "When an entity declared with the extern specifier"
> is not restricted to functionbodies, this rule must also apply to
> namespace-membernamespace:

>   // file.h
>   namespace X {
>    namespace p {
>     extern int q; // declares X::q, not p::q !
>     extern int f (); // declares X::f, not p::f !
>    }

Why must it?  Within p, p is the innermost enclosing namespace.

Jason