From: Nate Eldredge <neldredge AT hmc DOT edu>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: Typedefs for Dummies
Date: 20 Oct 2000 13:06:59 -0700
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To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
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see DOT sig AT for DOT email DOT address (Peter B. Steiger) writes:

> Can somebody translate this to English for me?  I grew up on Pascal
> and went from there to Clipper where I earn a living, so I have never
> been able to wrap my mind around C syntax.  This week I'm trying to
> write a C module to link in with my Clipper program, and the Clipper
> headers required for such a project make some definitions that were
> apparently written for the Evil Empire's compiler; gcc gags on them
> with "Parse error before *".  Here's an example:
> 
> typedef unsigned char BYTE;
> typedef BYTE far *BYTEP;
> typedef BYTEP PBYTE;
> 
> What the heck does that mean, and why doesn't gcc like it?

Essentially, it makes the type `BYTE' as another name for `unsigned
char'; the type `BYTEP' meaning far pointer to BYTE; and PBYTE meaning
the same as BYTEP.  Poor style, IMHO; I'd rather see just BYTE, and
the rest written BYTE * where necessary.

Anyway, the reason the compiler doesn't like it is `far'.  This is a
relic of 16-bit DOS compilers.  The FAQ explains how to handle it, but
the easiest thing to try is just to get rid of it; try

#define far /* nothing */

before including the header, and see if that works.

-- 

Nate Eldredge
neldredge AT hmc DOT edu