Sender: "Rolf Campbell" <cp1v45 AT nortelnetworks DOT com>
Message-ID: <3769003C.F782545A@americasm01.nt.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 10:03:41 -0400
From: "Rolf Campbell" <cp1v45 AT nortelnetworks DOT com>
Organization: Nortel Networks
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Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: #define and lines
References: <199906162123 DOT XAA01508 AT acp3bf DOT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de>
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Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com

Hans-Bernhard Broeker wrote:

> In article <3768057F DOT 55A3A47A AT americasm01 DOT nt DOT com> you wrote:
> >     I am actually using the C preprocessor to process html files.
> Ah, so my private guess turns out to be correct: a lassical case of
> 'wrong tool for the task'. Spoken figuratively, you're using a
> chainsaw to hammer in nails, and now you come to us and complain that
> the chainsaw doesn't get them in as straight as you want them.

    You're right, but it does do everything I require, and it's a tool I'm
familiar with.  The house I build with the chainsaw will still stand even if
some of the nails are crooked.  I'm not really complaining, just asking.

> >     That's not entirely true.  You can use -DMAC=#define on a
> > command-line to make a macro that expands to a preprocessor
> > directive.
>
> No. With a standard-conforming compiler and preprocessor, you
> can't. Or, more precisely: you can generate the string, but it won't
> become a preprocessor command. I've checked this (with gcc on a Linux
> box), just be sure I didn't misread K&R2 (in the middle of section
> A.12.3) on this issue. In the words of the C9x draft standard:
>
> As to using '-Dmacro': that's 100% equivalent to adding a line
> '#define macro' at the very start of the source text.

    You're right on both topics, and the reason why I never noticed is
because the c compiler silently ignores lines beginning with "#define".
(which I think is a useful quality)

--
     -Rolf Campbell (39)3-6318