http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=59344
Bug ID: 59344 Summary: warning for needless pointer attribute Product: gcc Version: 4.9.0 Status: UNCONFIRMED Severity: enhancement Priority: P3 Component: fortran Assignee: unassigned at gcc dot gnu.org Reporter: Joost.VandeVondele at mat dot ethz.ch In many cases, using variables with a POINTER attribute is neither necessary nor beneficial. I wonder if the Fortran FE could generate a warning for variables with the POINTER attribute that could as well be ALLOCATABLE without changing the semantics of the program. my guess would be that it is sufficient to track if a local variables with the pointer attribute has been 1) part of a pointer assignment (lhs/rhs) 2) passed to a procedure with an explicit interface and pointer attribute 3) ? Such a warning would be useful to clean codes of pointer 'abuse'