Formal comment #38 (defect)

Position-significance of declarations in scripts
Reported by:	Andre van Tonder

Component:	scripts
Version:	5.91

Page : 27 

Summary

Position of declarations in scripts is significant, since interspersed
declarations cannot be consistently applied to expand-time
computations. This is confusing. Description

The draft states: 

"All declarations at the script top level are moved to the front."

which gives the impression that such declarations will have the whole
body as their region.

However, the position of a declaration is significant, as in the
script:

(+ 5 6)
(define-syntax foo (let ((expand-time-calc (+ 1 2)))
                      (lambda (stx) (+ 3 4))))
(declare fast)

Here the declaration (+ 1 2) must be evaluated before the declaration
is expanded according to the rules on p. 27 (since the definition of
foo could determine whether (declare fast) is really a declaration).

Since FAST cannot apply to (+ 1 2), the position of the declaration is
significant. The fact that FAST /does/ apply both to the preceding (+
5 6) and the following (+ 3 4) is confusing.

Suggestion

Perhaps require declarations to be at the front as in bodies.

RESPONSE:

Declarations will be dropped from the report.  See the response
to formal comment #128, "Declarations do not belong in the report".