Annotation of 42BSD/lib/cpp/README, revision 1.1.1.1

1.1       root        1: #
                      2: # @(#)README 1.2 8/30/82
                      3: #
                      4: August 30, 1982
                      5: Fixed by Kurt Shoens, UCB
                      6: If the "#line n name" occurs, then all future references
                      7: to the current file are generated in terms of "name", instead
                      8: of the name of file given to cpp in its command argument
                      9: 
                     10: August 25, 1978
                     11: 
                     12: Files in this directory form the C preprocessor, which handles '#include'
                     13: files and macro definition and expansion for the C compiler.
                     14: This new version was written by John F. Reiser and is from 5 to 12
                     15: times faster (on UNIX systems) than the old.
                     16: 
                     17: To create the executable file 'cpp' in the current directory:
                     18:        make
                     19: 
                     20: To install the preprocessor 'cpp' so it will be used by the C compiler:
                     21:        : safety first: backup the existing version
                     22:        cp /lib/cpp /lib/ocpp
                     23:        : install the new version
                     24:        cp cpp /lib/cpp
                     25: 
                     26: Invocation
                     27:        cpp [-CEPR] [-Dname] ... [-Dname=def] ... [-Idirectory] ...
                     28:                [-Uname] ... [<infile>] [<outfile>]
                     29: 
                     30:        If there are two non-flag arguments then the first is the name of the
                     31:        input file and the second is the name of the output file.  If there is
                     32:        one non-flag argument then it is the name of the input file and the
                     33:        output is written on the standard output.  If there are no non-flag
                     34:        arguments then the input is taken from the standard input and the output
                     35:        is written on the standard output.  Flag arguments are:
                     36: 
                     37:                -C      retain comments in output
                     38:                -Dname  define name as "1"
                     39:                -Dname=def      define name as def
                     40:                -E      ignored
                     41:                -Idirectory     add directory to search list for #include files
                     42:                -P      don't insert lines "# 12 \"foo.c\"" into output
                     43:                -R      allow recursive macros
                     44:                -Uname  undefine name
                     45:                
                     46: Documentation clarifications:
                     47:        Symbols defined on the command line by "-Dfoo" are defined as "1",
                     48:                i.e., as if they had been defined by "#define foo 1" or "-Dfoo=1".
                     49:        The directory search order for #include files is
                     50:                1) the directory of the file which contains the #include request
                     51:                   (e.g. #include is relative to the file being scanned when
                     52:                   the request is made)
                     53:                2) the directories specified by -I, in left-to-right order
                     54:                3) the standard directory(s) (which for UNIX is /usr/include)
                     55:        An unescaped linefeed (the single character "\n") terminates a
                     56:                character constant or quoted string.
                     57:        An escaped linefeed (the two-character sequence "\\\n") may be
                     58:                used in the body of a '#define' statement to continue
                     59:                the definition onto the next line.  The escaped linefeed is
                     60:                not included in the macro body.
                     61:        Comments are uniformly removed (except if the argument -C is specified).
                     62:                They are also ignored, except that a comment terminates a token.
                     63:                Thus "foo/* la di da */bar" may expand 'foo' and 'bar' but
                     64:                will never expand 'foobar'.  If neither 'foo' nor 'bar' is a
                     65:                macro then the output is "foobar", even if 'foobar'
                     66:                is defined as something else.  The file
                     67:                        #define foo(a,b)b/**/a
                     68:                        foo(1,2)
                     69:                produces "21" because the comment causes a break which enables
                     70:                the recognition of 'b' and 'a' as formals in the string "b/**/a".
                     71:        Macro formal parameters are recognized in '#define' bodies even inside
                     72:                character constants and quoted strings.  The output from
                     73:                        #define foo(a) '\a'
                     74:                        foo(bar)
                     75:                is the seven characters " '\\bar'".  Macro names are not recognized
                     76:                inside character constants or quoted strings during the regular scan.
                     77:                Thus
                     78:                        #define foo bar
                     79:                        printf("foo");
                     80:                does not expand 'foo' in the second line, because it is inside
                     81:                a quoted string which is not part of a '#define' macro definition.
                     82:        Macros are not expanded while processing a '#define' or '#undef'.
                     83:                Thus
                     84:                        #define foo bletch
                     85:                        #define bar foo
                     86:                        #undef foo
                     87:                        bar
                     88:                produces "foo".  The token appearing immediately after a
                     89:                '#ifdef' or '#ifndef' is not expanded (of course!).
                     90:        Macros are not expanded during the scan which determines the actual
                     91:                parameters to another macro call.  Thus
                     92:                        #define foo(a,b)b a
                     93:                        #define bar hi
                     94:                        foo(bar,
                     95:                        #define bar bye
                     96:                        )
                     97:                produces " bye" (and warns about the redefinition of 'bar').
                     98: 
                     99: There are some differences between the new and the old preprocessor.
                    100: Bugs fixed:
                    101:        "1.e4" is recognized as a floating-point number, rather than as an
                    102:                opportunity to expand the possible macro name "e4".
                    103:        Any kind and amount of white space (space, tab, linefeed, vertical tab,
                    104:                formfeed, carriage return) is allowed between a macro name and
                    105:                the left parenthesis which introduces its actual parameters.
                    106:        The comma operator is legal in preprocessor '#if' statements.
                    107:        Macros with parameters are legal in preprocessor '#if' statements.
                    108:        Single-character character constants are legal in preprocessor '#if' statements.
                    109:        Linefeeds are put out in the proper place when a multiline comment
                    110:                is not passed through to the output.
                    111:        The following example expands to "# # #" :
                    112:                #define foo #
                    113:                foo foo foo
                    114:        If the -R flag is not specified then the invocation of some recursive
                    115:                macros is trapped and the recursion forcibly terminated with an
                    116:                error message.  The recursions that are trapped are the ones
                    117:                in which the nesting level is non-decreasing from some point on.
                    118:                In particular,
                    119:                        #define a a
                    120:                        a
                    121:                will be detected.  (Use "#undef a" if that is what you want.)
                    122:                The recursion
                    123:                        #define a c b
                    124:                        #define b c a
                    125:                        #define c foo
                    126:                        a
                    127:                will not be detected because the nesting level decreases after
                    128:                each expansion of "c".
                    129:        The -R flag specifically allows recursive macros and recursion will
                    130:                be strictly obeyed (to the extent that space is available).
                    131:                Assuming that -R is specified:
                    132:                        #define a a
                    133:                        a
                    134:                causes an infinite loop with very little output.  The tail recursion
                    135:                        #define a <b
                    136:                        #define b >a
                    137:                        a
                    138:                causes the string "<>" to be output infinitely many times.  The
                    139:                non-tail recursion
                    140:                        #define a b>
                    141:                        #define b a<
                    142:                        a
                    143:                complains "too much pushback", dumps the pushback, and continues
                    144:                (again, infinitely).
                    145:        
                    146: Stylistic choice:
                    147:        Nothing (not even linefeeds) is output while a false '#if', '#ifdef',
                    148:                or '#ifndef' is in effect.  Thus when all conditions become true
                    149:                a line of the form "# 12345 \"foo.c\"" is output (unless -P).
                    150:        Error and warning messages always appear on standard error (file
                    151:                descriptor 2).
                    152:        Mismatch between the number of formals and actuals in a macro call
                    153:                produces only a warning, and not an error.  Excess actuals
                    154:                are ignored; missing actuals are turned into null strings.
                    155: 
                    156: Incompatibility:
                    157:        The virgule '/' in "a=/*b" is interpreted as the first character of
                    158:                the pair "/*" which introduces a comment, rather than as the
                    159:                second character of the divide-and-replace operator "=/".
                    160:                This incompatibility reflects the recent change in the C language
                    161:                which made "a/=*b" the legal way to write such a statement
                    162:                if the meaning "a=a/ *b" is intended.

unix.superglobalmegacorp.com

This archive runs on limited infrastructure. Preserving old code on modern bandwidth. Automated agents are requested to crawl responsibly.