VMS Help FORTRAN, Statements, BLOCK_DATA  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

  Begins a block data program unit.  Statement format:

     BLOCK DATA [nam]

     nam   Is the symbolic name used to identify the block.

  A BLOCK DATA statement and its associated specification statements
  are a special kind of program unit, called a block data subprogram.
  The block data subprogram has the following syntax rules:

     - Any of the following specification statements can appear
       in a block data subprogram:

       COMMON             RECORD
       DATA               SAVE
       DIMENSION          STATIC
       EQUIVALENCE        Structure declaration
       IMPLICIT           Type declaration statements
       PARAMETER

     - A block data subprogram must not contain any
       executable statements.

     - As with other types of program units, the last
       statement in a block data subprogram must be an
       END statement.

     - Within a block data subprogram, if a DATA statement
       initializes any entity in a named common block,
       the subprogram must have a complete set of speci-
       fication statements that establishes the common block.
       However, all the entities in the block do not have
       to be assigned initial values in a DATA statement.

     - One block data subprogram can establish and define
       initial values for more than one common block.

     - The name of a block data subprogram can appear in the
       EXTERNAL statement of a different program unit to force
       a search of object libraries for the BLOCK DATA program
       unit at link time.