Question

I was asked question about what would happen if I try to retrieve a reference value and then try to change it within the same line of code. My answer was that nothing will happen because as I tried to do this before I did not encounter any compiler errors (at least in C# or Java).

What is the real answer to this?

This is example with the pseudo code:

Module main()
    Call changeNumber(10)
End Module

Module changeNumber(Integer Ref number)
    Set number = number * number
    Display number
End Module

(PS. Sorry for not formatting/creting this post correctly. I’m having bit of an issue here.)

Answer 1

There would be no unusual side effects, if that’s what you’re asking. The language specifications dictate a specific order of execution (number * number is evaluated, then set to number), which prevents any issues from occurring.