Introduction

Over the course of several releases, Eiffel Software has introduced a number of options and settings which allow users of EiffelStudio and the Eiffel command line compiler to choose the appropriate level of forward progress and/or backward compatibility for a particular application.

The Eiffel Software compiler provides a set of options, available in Project Settings, which allows users to select a variant of the Eiffel programming language syntax that best suits their needs. The meanings of these options, and in fact the options themselves, are subject to change from one version to the next. Below you will find a table that defines the meaning of the syntax level variants for each version.

The specification of the Eiffel programming language has remained largely static over its life, arguably due to its sound initial design. Still, on occasion there will be significant value in evolving Eiffel and adapting it to new challenges. To accommodate this evolution, the Eiffel Software compiler provides a set of compilation variants which offer a balance of syntax support. This starts with compatibility with previously valid syntax, moves through the latest standard, and forward to language features which are currently supported but not yet etched into the standard.