[fpc-pascal] Re: Identifier not found "result"

[Rainer Stratmann]

Am Thursday 30 August 2012 16:50:30 schrieb Tomas Hajny:
> > The scenario occures when someone starts freepascal as I already
> > documented in
> > my first E-Mail.
> >
> > When someone wants to compile a TurboPascal or Delphi program with
> > freepascal.
> > Then he already knows that result is a function result, but freepascal
> > gives
> > an error about this.
>
> Identifier Result was not known/supported as function result in TP/BP,
> i.e. your statement applies to Delphi only. Still, people with Delphi
> background are obviously more likely to come across FPC nowadays, but
> these people usually need $MODE DELPHI anyway due to many other things
> they are used to and I miss to see how this one particular case improves
> the overall situation for them. On the other hand, pointing out all
> differences among the different modes by similar compiler messages is
> fairly likely to require considerable effort.
>
> Tomas

It is not about pointing out all differences.

It is _simply_ that what I guess occures often when a beginner starts with 
freepascal. The realization of this message is easy I think. TP for DOS at 
least supports a function result (as I remember) thus it is not Delphi only 
as you mention. Even if it is Delphi only the programmer who switched to 
freepascal sees the message 'identifier "result" not found' and is forced to 
study the documentation (which he already has to do much when starting with 
setting up the whole fpc environment). I have this thought that freepascal is 
not mature when I saw this the first time. And if there is a _simple_ message 
like described in other mails then the most obscurities are eliminated. In 
TP/BP there was not a syntax mode as far as I remember (or preconfigured 
one). The IDE worked out of the box!

What's wrong with such a message that is easy to implement and will help 
beginners to freepascal a lot?