The alias modifier allows the programmer to specify a different name for a procedure or function. This is mostly useful for referring to this procedure from assembly language constructs or from another object file. As an example, consider the following program:
Program Aliases;
Procedure Printit;alias : ’DOIT’; begin WriteLn (’In Printit (alias : "DOIT")’); end; begin asm call DOIT end; end. |
Remark: the specified alias is inserted straight into the assembly code, thus it is case sensitive.
The alias modifier does not make the symbol public to other modules, unless the routine is also declared in the interface part of a unit, or the public modifier is used to force it as public. Consider the following:
unit testalias; interface procedure testroutine; implementation procedure testroutine;alias:’ARoutine’; begin WriteLn(’Hello world’); end; end. |
This will make the routine testroutine available publicly to external object files uunder the label name ARoutine.