🚀 go-pugleaf

> The following construction doesn't work (compile-time error) in either 
> ULTRIX f77 or VMS Fortran (on a Microvax).  Should it work?  Does it
> work on any machine/compiler you know of?  Does the f77 standard say
> anything about this?
> 
> 	PARAMETER ( Size = 10 )
> 
> 	CHARACTER * Size string

You have to write

	CHARACTER * (Size) string

From The Fortran 77 standard, page 8-6, lines 25ff:

	[the length is]

	(1) An unsigned, nonzero, integer constant

	(2) An integer constant expression (6.1.3.1)
	    enclosed in parentheses and with a positive
	    value

	(3) An asterisk in parentheses, (*)

The parentheses are necessary to avoid ambiguity.  Consider

	parameter (x = 1, xy = 2)
	character * xy z

Remember that spaces are irrelevant in Fortran.  Now: is this last
statement to be interpreted as written or as:

	character * x yz

?  Both are valid and there's no way to tell.