Files in this directory form the C preprocessor, which handles '#include' files and macro definition and expansion for the C compiler. This new version was written by John F. Reiser and is from 5 to 12 times faster than the old. To create the executable file 'cpp' in the current directory: make To install the preprocessor 'cpp' so it will be used by the C compiler: : backup the existing version cp /lib/cpp /lib/ocpp : install the new version cp cpp /lib/cpp Documentation clarifications: Symbols defined on the command line by "-Dfoo" are defined as "1", i.e., as if they had been defined by "#define foo 1" or "-Dfoo=1". An unescaped linefeed (the single character "\n") terminates a character constant or quoted string. An escaped linefeed (the two-character sequence "\\\n") may be used in the body of a '#define' statement to continue the definition onto the next line. The escaped linefeed is not included in the macro body. Comments are uniformly removed. They are also ignored, except that a comment terminates a token. Thus "foo/* la di da */bar" may expand 'foo' and 'bar' but will never expand 'foobar'. If neither 'foo' nor 'bar' is a macro then the output is "foobar", even if 'foobar' is defined as something else. The file #define foo(a,b)b/**/a foo(1,2) produces "21" because the comment causes a break which enables the recognition of 'b' and 'a' as formals in the string "b/**/a". Macro formals are recognized even inside character constants and quoted strings. The output from #define foo(a) '\a' foo(bar) is the seven characters " '\\bar'". Macros are not expanded while processing a '#define' or '#undef'. Thus #define foo bletch #define bar foo #undef foo bar produces "foo". Macros are not expanded during the scan which determines the actual parameters to another macro call. Thus #define foo(a,b)b a #define bar hi foo(bar, #define bar bye ) produces " bye" (and warns about the redefinition of 'bar'). There are some differences between the new and the old preprocessor. Bugs fixed: "1.e4" is recognized as a floating-point number, rather than as an opportunity to expand the possible macro name "e4". Any kind and amount of white space (space, tab, linefeed, vertical tab, formfeed, carriage return) is allowed between a macro name and the left parenthesis which introduces its actual parameters. The comma operator is legal in preprocessor '#if' statements. Macros with parameters are legal in preprocessor '#if' statements. Single-character character constants are legal in preprocessor '#if' statements. Linefeeds are put out in the proper place when a multiline comment is not passed through to the output. The following example expands to "# # #" : #define foo # foo foo foo Recursion in macro definitions is strictly obeyed (to the extent that space is available). In particular, #define a a a causes an infinite loop with very little output. The tail recursion #define a a a causes the string "<>" to be output infinitely many times. The non-tail recursion #define a b> #define b a< a complains "too much pushback", dumps the pushback, and continues (again, infinitely). Stylistic choice: Nothing (not even linefeeds) is output while a false '#if', '#ifdef', or '#ifndef' is in effect. Thus when all conditions become true a line of the form "# 12345 foo.c" is output. Error and warning messages always appear on standard error (file descriptor 2). Mismatch between the number of formals and actuals in a macro call produces only a warning, and not an error. Excess actuals are ignored; missing actuals are turned into null strings. Incompatibility: The virgule '/' in "a=/*b" is interpreted as the first character of the pair "/*" which introduces a comment, rather than as the second character of the divide-and-replace operator "=/". This incompatibility reflects the recent change in the C language which made "a/=*b" the legal way to write such a statement if the meaning "a=a/ *b" is intended.