A.3.2 The Package Characters.Handling

Static Semantics

The library package Characters.Handling has the following declaration:

package Ada.Characters.Handling is
    pragma Preelaborate(Handling);

--Character classification functions

    function Is_Control           (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Graphic           (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Letter            (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Lower             (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Upper             (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Basic             (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Digit             (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Decimal_Digit     (Item : in Character) return Boolean 
                  renames Is_Digit; 
    function Is_Hexadecimal_Digit (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Alphanumeric      (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_Special           (Item : in Character) return Boolean;

--Conversion functions for Character and String

    function To_Lower (Item : in Character) return Character; 
    function To_Upper (Item : in Character) return Character; 
    function To_Basic (Item : in Character) return Character;

    function To_Lower (Item : in String) return String; 
    function To_Upper (Item : in String) return String; 
    function To_Basic (Item : in String) return String;

--Classifications of and conversions between Character and ISO 646

    subtype ISO_646 is 
        Character range Character'Val(0) .. Character'Val(127);

    function Is_ISO_646 (Item : in Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_ISO_646 (Item : in String)    return Boolean;

    function To_ISO_646 (Item       : in Character; 
                    Substitute : in ISO_646 := ' ')
        return ISO_646;

    function To_ISO_646 (Item       : in String;                     Substitute : in ISO_646 := ' ')
        return String;

--Classifications of and conversions between Wide_Character and Character.

    function Is_Character (Item : in Wide_Character) return Boolean; 
    function Is_String    (Item : in Wide_String)    return Boolean;

    function To_Character (Item       : in Wide_Character; 
                      Substitute : in Character := ' ')  
        return Character;

  function To_String    (Item       : in Wide_String;                       Substitute : in Character := ' ')  return String;

    function To_Wide_Character (Item : in Character) return Wide_Character;

    function To_Wide_String    (Item : in String)    return Wide_String;

end Ada.Characters.Handling;

In the description below for each function that returns a Boolean result, the effect is described in terms of the conditions under which the value True is returned. If these conditions are not met, then the function returns False.

Each of the following classification functions has a formal Character parameter, Item, and returns a Boolean result.

Is_Control: True if Item is a control character. A control character is a character whose position is in one of the ranges 0..31 or 127..159.

Is_Graphic: True if Item is a graphic character. A graphic character is a character whose position is in one of the ranges 32..126 or 160..255.

Is_Letter: True if Item is a letter. A letter is a character that is in one of the ranges 'A'..'Z' or 'a'..'z', or whose position is in one of the ranges 192..214, 216..246, or 248..255.

Is_Lower: True if Item is a lower-case letter. A lower-case letter is a character that is in the range 'a'..'z', or whose position is in one of the ranges 223..246 or 248..255.

Is_Upper: True if Item is an upper-case letter. An upper-case letter is a character that is in the range 'A'..'Z' or whose position is in one of the ranges 192..214 or 216.. 222.

Is_Basic: True if Item is a basic letter. A basic letter is a character that is in one of the ranges 'A'..'Z' and 'a'..'z', or that is one of the following: 'Æ', 'æ', 'Ð', 'ð', 'Þ', 'þ', or 'ß'.

Is_Digit: True if Item is a decimal digit. A decimal digit is a character in the range '0'..'9'.

Is_Decimal_Digit: A renaming of Is_Digit.

Is_Hexadecimal_Digit: True if Item is a hexadecimal digit. A hexadecimal digit is a character that is either a decimal digit or that is in one of the ranges 'A' .. 'F' or 'a' .. 'f'.

Is_Alphanumeric: True if Item is an alphanumeric character. An alphanumeric character is a character that is either a letter or a decimal digit.

Is_Special: True if Item is a special graphic character. A special graphic character is a graphic character that is not alphanumeric.

Each of the names To_Lower, To_Upper, and To_Basic refers to two functions: one that converts from Character to Character, and the other that converts from String to String. The result of each Character-to-Character function is described below, in terms of the conversion applied to Item, its formal Character parameter. The result of each String-to-String conversion is obtained by applying to each element of the function's String parameter the corresponding Character-to-Character conversion; the result is the null String if the value of the formal parameter is the null String. The lower bound of the result String is 1.

To_Lower: Returns the corresponding lower-case value for Item if Is_Upper(Item), and returns Item otherwise.

To_Upper: Returns the corresponding upper-case value for Item if Is_Lower(Item) and Item has an upper-case form, and returns Item otherwise. The lower case letters 'ß' and 'ÿ' do not have upper case forms.

To_Basic: Returns the letter corresponding to Item but with no diacritical mark, if Item is a letter but not a basic letter; returns Item otherwise.

The following set of functions test for membership in the ISO 646 character range, or convert between ISO 646 and Character.

Is_ISO_646: The function whose formal parameter, Item, is of type Character returns True if Item is in the subtype ISO_646.

Is_ISO_646: The function whose formal parameter, Item, is of type String returns True if Is_ISO_646(Item(I)) is True for each I in Item'Range.

To_ISO_646: The function whose first formal parameter, Item, is of type Character returns Item if Is_ISO_646(Item), and returns the Substitute ISO_646 character otherwise.

To_ISO_646: The function whose first formal parameter, Item, is of type String returns the String whose Range is 1..Item'Length and each of whose elements is given by To_ISO_646 of the corresponding element in Item.

The following set of functions test Wide_Character values for membership in Character, or convert between corresponding characters of Wide_Character and Character.

Is_Character: Returns True if Wide_Character'Pos(Item) <= Character'Pos(Character'Last).

Is_String: Returns True if Is_Character(Item(I)) is True for each I in Item'Range.

To_Character: Returns the Character corresponding to Item if Is_Character(Item), and returns the Substitute Character otherwise.

To_String: Returns the String whose range is 1..Item'Length and each of whose elements is given by To_Character of the corresponding element in Item.

To_Wide_Character: Returns the Wide_Character X such that Character'Pos(Item) = Wide_Character'Pos(X).

To_Wide_String: Returns the Wide_String whose range is 1..Item'Length and each of whose elements is given by To_Wide_Character of the corresponding element in Item.

Implementation Advice

If an implementation provides a localized definition of Character or Wide_Character, then the effects of the subprograms in Characters.Handling should reflect the localizations. See also 3.5.2.

Notes

5 A basic letter is a letter without a diacritical mark.

6 Except for the hexadecimal digits, basic letters, and ISO_646 characters, the categories identified in the classification functions form a strict hierarchy:

-- Control characters

-- Graphic characters

-- Alphanumeric characters

-- Letters

-- Upper-case letters

-- Lower-case letters

-- Decimal digits

-- Special graphic characters

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