Conference noted::hackers_v1

    
    	We are willing to consider linking macro into our application.
    
    	Also, if this has been discussed elsewhere, please refer us
    	to it to aviod repetition of REPLYs.
    
    	Joe O.

    I can't think of an overly convenient way since fortran doesn't
    allow that sort of thing directly (outside of the symbolic debugger)
    however...
    
    An indirect way to do it would be to set up arrays (i.e. lists)
    of your variables. You would need at least three if not four arrays,
    one to contain your integers, one to contain reals, one to contain
    characters, and one to contain the names. Optionally you could get
    confusing and have the names array point to the index of the other
    data arrays. a small picture of what i'm talking about would be
    like this:
    
    name_pointer_array(x, y)
    	       	       |  +-->data type (1=char,2=integer,3=real, etc)
    	       	       +----->points to array containing names of variables.
                                                                     
    name_array(x, y)
               |  +---> pointer into actual variable index
               ----> actual names of variables
    
    character_array(x)
    		    +---> character elements, indexed
    
    integer_array(x)
                  +-----> integer elements, indexed
    
    real_array(x)
               +--------> real elements, indexed
    
    you then search the names array for your name match. When you find
    a name match, you must trace the links back to the value.
    
    Of course this means you must make every variable in your application
    an array element. And you must manage EVERYTHING inside of the program,
    like you must remember what array something is in. You could write
    a function to do that (chasing names back to locations) and it would
    make things easier. If you can follow this then you have a chance,
    if you can't maybe one of the other hackers has a better idea (like
    Ford?)... Like I said, I can't think of any easier way that FORTRAN
    (or any other higher level language other than LISP) can do this.
    
    

    Try this on for size:
    
    	structure /var_descriptor/
    	  character	name*31
    	  byte		type
    	  integer*2	length
    	  integer*4	pointer
    	end structure
    
    	record /var_descriptor/ vars(max_vars)
    
    Initialize all your variables (you might want them in alpha order
    so you can do binary search on vars(i).name)...
    
    vars(1).name = 'VAR1'
    vars(1).type = int		!define convenient parameters for types
    vars(1).length = 4		! most useful for strings
    vars(1).point = %loc(VAR1)
    
    Once you have the record index based on .name, do a branch based
    on .type and pass %VAL(vars(i).point) to a subroutine.  The only
    catch here is character data - you could keep a spare buffer around
    as large as the longest character variable and use LIB$SCOPY_R_DX
    to copy the pointer.  If this is not clear, send me MAIL
    (ANYWAY::GORDON) or give me a call.
    
    	I know it's ugly, and unwieldy (although less so that .-1) but
    you're asking a lot from poor FORTRAN.
    
    					--Doug

      In Fortran, perhaps you can put all the variables in which
      you are interested into a NAMELIST.  Then read the name of
      the variable you want displayed, and write out the value using
      a write statement specifying the namelist.
      
      I'm not sure this can really be done.  It's been years since
      I've done anything serious in Fortran.
      
      Dave C.

    	Why not lift the code from Debug that does what you want? Debug
    reads a symbol table for the image, and knows location and data
    type for every variable (provide you compile and link right). I
    haven't looked at the code, but I would expect that if you compile
    and link with "/DEBUG" then there would probably be a routine address
    that you could call with the right arguments.

This sounds a lot like topic 178 in TLE::DEBUG (q.v.), where someone else
said "I have to translate variable names to runtime addresses".  I would
summarize the answers by those in the know as "No, you only *think* you
have to do it".
				/AHM

    RE: .-2
    	And, if you can figure out how to get the debugger code ripped
    out and interfaced with a user program, I'll buy you dinner!

    re: .7  Promise :-)   I did it in VMS V2 days, but you'll have to
    come across the pond to pay...

    re: .-1
    	Well, OK, but seems foolish for you to buy me a ticket just
    for a free dinner...  ;-)  Course the other half of the deal was
    that I get the results of the work!!

Discussed in TLE::DEBUG  press KP7
I forget the note number though

- Giles

If you don't mind slow response...

	READ ... BUFFER
	OPEN (UNIT=1,...)
	WRITE (1,...) '	INCLUDE GLOBAL_SECTION'
	WRITE (1,...) '	PRINT ' // BUFFER
	WRITE (1,...) '	END'
	CLOSE (UNIT=1)
	CALL LIB$SPAWN ('@COMP_LINK_RUN_1',...)
	 . . .

(just kidding)
Nitsan