An INTENT attribute or statement describes the intended use of an argument in a subroutine or function. It can reduce unnecessary internal copying if:
- array arguments are not altered in a routine
- initial values are not read
Another important benefit is that the compiler can spot instances where variables are being used in a way other than what was intended, e.g. it can verify that all the INTENT(IN) variables are not having their values changed within the routine. SUBROUTINE neuron(a,b,c,m,n)
REAL, DIMENSION(n,n), INTENT(IN) :: a
REAL, DIMENSION(m,m) :: b,c
INTENT(out) :: b
INTENT(inout) :: c
c = SQRT(c)
b = c + SUM(a)
END
Must use an INTERFACE block in the above case
