[fpc-devel] [] property overloads

[Ondrej Pokorny]

On 01.07.2019 21:04, Michael Van Canneyt wrote:
>> If the compiler encounters "Mytest.StringArray" it can be evaluated 
>> only as the non-indexed overload.
>
> Well... We can of course discuss forever, and still not agree.
> I suggest we let the compiler people have the last word on this. They 
> know best. And if you turn out to be right: so much the better.

Yes - either I don't see something obvious here or you :)

But I really don't know a situation where

Mytest.StringArray;

(without the []-brackets) is valid syntax for an array property:

   TTest = class
   public
     property StringArray[Index: Integer]: string read GetString;
   end;

- and if such a code is always invalid there is free space for the 
non-indexed overload. Or can you think of some valid code where an 
indexed (array) property can be accessed without the []-brackets?

It's basically the same as method overloads:

   TTest = class
   public
     procedure Test(index: integer);
     procedure Test;
   end;

Only the brackets change from [] to ().

Yes, there is the new situation when the non-indexed overload is an 
array itself (or is an object with a default property) - but this can be 
solved by simply saying that the indexed property has precedence before 
resolving the array of the non-indexed property.

Ondrej