pragma Warnings (On | Off [,REASON]);
pragma Warnings (On | Off, LOCAL_NAME [,REASON]);
pragma Warnings (static_string_EXPRESSION [,REASON]);
pragma Warnings (On | Off, static_string_EXPRESSION [,REASON]);
REASON ::= Reason => STRING_LITERAL {& STRING_LITERAL}
Normally warnings are enabled, with the output being controlled by
the command line switch. Warnings (Off) turns off generation of
warnings until a Warnings (On) is encountered or the end of the
current unit. If generation of warnings is turned off using this
pragma, then some or all of the warning messages are suppressed,
regardless of the setting of the command line switches.
The Reason parameter may optionally appear as the last argument
in any of the forms of this pragma. It is intended purely for the
purposes of documenting the reason for the Warnings pragma.
The compiler will check that the argument is a static string but
otherwise ignore this argument. Other tools may provide specialized
processing for this string.
The form with a single argument (or two arguments if Reason present),
where the first argument is ON or OFF
may be used as a configuration pragma.
If the LOCAL_NAME parameter is present, warnings are suppressed for
the specified entity. This suppression is effective from the point where
it occurs till the end of the extended scope of the variable (similar to
the scope of Suppress). This form cannot be used as a configuration
pragma.
The form with a single static_string_EXPRESSION argument (and possible reason) provides more precise control over which warnings are active. The string is a list of letters specifying which warnings are to be activated and which deactivated. The code for these letters is the same as the string used in the command line switch controlling warnings. For a brief summary, use the gnatmake command with no arguments, which will generate usage information containing the list of warnings switches supported. For full details see Warning Message Control. This form can also be used as a configuration pragma.
The warnings controlled by the -gnatw switch are generated by the
front end of the compiler. The GCC back end can provide additional warnings
and they are controlled by the -W switch. Such warnings can be
identified by the appearance of a string of the form [-Wxxx] in the
message which designates the -Wxxx switch that controls the message.
The form with a single static_string_EXPRESSION argument also works for these
warnings, but the string must be a single full -Wxxx switch in this
case. The above reference lists a few examples of these additional warnings.
The specified warnings will be in effect until the end of the program or another pragma Warnings is encountered. The effect of the pragma is cumulative. Initially the set of warnings is the standard default set as possibly modified by compiler switches. Then each pragma Warning modifies this set of warnings as specified. This form of the pragma may also be used as a configuration pragma.
The fourth form, with an On|Off parameter and a string, is used to
control individual messages, based on their text. The string argument
is a pattern that is used to match against the text of individual
warning messages (not including the initial "warning: " tag).
The pattern may contain asterisks, which match zero or more characters in
the message. For example, you can use
pragma Warnings (Off, "*bits of*unused") to suppress the warning
message warning: 960 bits of "a" unused. No other regular
expression notations are permitted. All characters other than asterisk in
these three specific cases are treated as literal characters in the match.
The match is case insensitive, for example XYZ matches xyz.
The above use of patterns to match the message applies only to warning messages generated by the front end. This form of the pragma with a string argument can also be used to control warnings provided by the back end and mentioned above. By using a single full -Wxxx switch in the pragma, such warnings can be turned on and off.
There are two ways to use the pragma in this form. The OFF form can be used as a configuration pragma. The effect is to suppress all warnings (if any) that match the pattern string throughout the compilation (or match the -W switch in the back end case).
The second usage is to suppress a warning locally, and in this case, two pragmas must appear in sequence:
pragma Warnings (Off, Pattern);
... code where given warning is to be suppressed
pragma Warnings (On, Pattern);
In this usage, the pattern string must match in the Off and On pragmas, and at least one matching warning must be suppressed.
Note: to write a string that will match any warning, use the string
"***". It will not work to use a single asterisk or two asterisks
since this looks like an operator name. This form with three asterisks
is similar in effect to specifying pragma Warnings (Off) except that a
matching pragma Warnings (On, "***") will be required. This can be
helpful in avoiding forgetting to turn warnings back on.
Note: the debug flag -gnatd.i (/NOWARNINGS_PRAGMAS in VMS) can be
used to cause the compiler to entirely ignore all WARNINGS pragmas. This can
be useful in checking whether obsolete pragmas in existing programs are hiding
real problems.
Note: pragma Warnings does not affect the processing of style messages. See separate entry for pragma Style_Checks for control of style messages.