home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Datafile PD-CD 5
/
DATAFILE_PDCD5.iso
/
utilities
/
f
/
fortran
/
GCCmain
/
!gcc
/
docs
/
gccuser
< prev
Encoding:
Amiga
Atari
Commodore
DOS
FM Towns/JPY
Macintosh
Macintosh JP
Macintosh to JP
NeXTSTEP
RISC OS/Acorn
Shift JIS
UTF-8
Wrap
GNU Info File
|
1995-08-17
|
523.0 KB
|
12,660 lines
This is Info file use, produced by Makeinfo-1.63 from the input file
gcc.texi.
This file documents the use of the GNU compiler.
Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place - Suite 330
Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Free Software
Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
that the sections entitled "GNU General Public License," "Funding for
Free Software," and "Protect Your Freedom--Fight `Look And Feel'" are
included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire
resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
notice identical to this one.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that the sections entitled "GNU General Public
License," "Funding for Free Software," and "Protect Your Freedom--Fight
`Look And Feel'", and this permission notice, may be included in
translations approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in the
original English.
File: use, Node: Top, Next: Copying, Up: (DIR)
Introduction
************
This manual documents how to run and install the GNU compiler, as
well as its new features and incompatibilities, and how to report bugs.
It corresponds to GNU CC version 2.7.
* Menu:
* Copying:: GNU General Public License says
how you can copy and share GNU CC.
* Contributors:: People who have contributed to GNU CC.
* Funding:: How to help assure funding for free software.
* Look and Feel:: Protect your freedom--fight "look and feel".
* G++ and GCC:: You can compile C or C++ programs.
* Invoking GCC:: Command options supported by `gcc'.
* Installation:: How to configure, compile and install GNU CC.
* C Extensions:: GNU extensions to the C language family.
* C++ Extensions:: GNU extensions to the C++ language.
* Trouble:: If you have trouble installing GNU CC.
* Bugs:: How, why and where to report bugs.
* Service:: How to find suppliers of support for GNU CC.
* VMS:: Using GNU CC on VMS.
* Index:: Index of concepts and symbol names.
File: use, Node: Copying, Next: Contributors, Prev: Top, Up: Top
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
**************************
Version 2, June 1991
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
Preamble
========
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your
freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public
License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free
software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This
General Public License applies to most of the Free Software
Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to
using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by
the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to
your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not
price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you
have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for
this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it
if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in
new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights.
These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you
distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether
gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that
you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the
source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their
rights.
We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software,
and (2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy,
distribute and/or modify the software.
Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain
that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free
software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we
want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so
that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original
authors' reputations.
Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software
patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free
program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the
program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any
patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and
modification follow.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains a
notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed
under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program",
below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on
the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work under
copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a
portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or
translated into another language. (Hereinafter, translation is
included without limitation in the term "modification".) Each
licensee is addressed as "you".
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are
not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act
of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the
Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on
the Program (independent of having been made by running the
Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.
1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's
source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you
conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate
copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the
notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any
warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of
this License along with the Program.
You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy,
and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange
for a fee.
2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion
of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and
distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1
above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
a. You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices
stating that you changed the files and the date of any change.
b. You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that
in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program
or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge
to all third parties under the terms of this License.
c. If the modified program normally reads commands interactively
when run, you must cause it, when started running for such
interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display
an announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and
a notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you
provide a warranty) and that users may redistribute the
program under these conditions, and telling the user how to
view a copy of this License. (Exception: if the Program
itself is interactive but does not normally print such an
announcement, your work based on the Program is not required
to print an announcement.)
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If
identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the
Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate
works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not
apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate
works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a
whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of
the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions
for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each
and every part regardless of who wrote it.
Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or
contest your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the
intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of
derivative or collective works based on the Program.
In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the
Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on
a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the
other work under the scope of this License.
3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it,
under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms
of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the
following:
a. Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable
source code, which must be distributed under the terms of
Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for
software interchange; or,
b. Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three
years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your
cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete
machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be
distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a
medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
c. Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer
to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is
allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you
received the program in object code or executable form with
such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)
The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for
making modifications to it. For an executable work, complete
source code means all the source code for all modules it contains,
plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts
used to control compilation and installation of the executable.
However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need
not include anything that is normally distributed (in either
source or binary form) with the major components (compiler,
kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable
runs, unless that component itself accompanies the executable.
If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering
access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent
access to copy the source code from the same place counts as
distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not
compelled to copy the source along with the object code.
4. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program
except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt
otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is
void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this
License. However, parties who have received copies, or rights,
from you under this License will not have their licenses
terminated so long as such parties remain in full compliance.
5. You are not required to accept this License, since you have not
signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify
or distribute the Program or its derivative works. These actions
are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License.
Therefore, by modifying or distributing the Program (or any work
based on the Program), you indicate your acceptance of this
License to do so, and all its terms and conditions for copying,
distributing or modifying the Program or works based on it.
6. Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the
Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the
original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program
subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any
further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights
granted herein. You are not responsible for enforcing compliance
by third parties to this License.
7. If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent
infringement or for any other reason (not limited to patent
issues), conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order,
agreement or otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this
License, they do not excuse you from the conditions of this
License. If you cannot distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously
your obligations under this License and any other pertinent
obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute the
Program at all. For example, if a patent license would not permit
royalty-free redistribution of the Program by all those who
receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only
way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain
entirely from distribution of the Program.
If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable
under any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is
intended to apply and the section as a whole is intended to apply
in other circumstances.
It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any
patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of
any such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting
the integrity of the free software distribution system, which is
implemented by public license practices. Many people have made
generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed
through that system in reliance on consistent application of that
system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is
willing to distribute software through any other system and a
licensee cannot impose that choice.
This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed
to be a consequence of the rest of this License.
8. If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in
certain countries either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces,
the original copyright holder who places the Program under this
License may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation
excluding those countries, so that distribution is permitted only
in or among countries not thus excluded. In such case, this
License incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of
this License.
9. The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new
versions of the General Public License from time to time. Such
new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but
may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns.
Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the
Program specifies a version number of this License which applies
to it and "any later version", you have the option of following
the terms and conditions either of that version or of any later
version published by the Free Software Foundation. If the Program
does not specify a version number of this License, you may choose
any version ever published by the Free Software Foundation.
10. If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free
programs whose distribution conditions are different, write to the
author to ask for permission. For software which is copyrighted
by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free Software
Foundation; we sometimes make exceptions for this. Our decision
will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status of
all derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing
and reuse of software generally.
NO WARRANTY
11. BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO
WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE
LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT
HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE
PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY
SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
12. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN
WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY
MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF
DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU
OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY
OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs
=============================================
If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest
possible use to the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it
free software which everyone can redistribute and change under these
terms.
To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest
to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively
convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least
the "copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.
ONE LINE TO GIVE THE PROGRAM'S NAME AND A BRIEF IDEA OF WHAT IT DOES.
Copyright (C) 19YY NAME OF AUTHOR
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper
mail.
If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like
this when it starts in an interactive mode:
Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) 19YY NAME OF AUTHOR
Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details
type `show w'.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
under certain conditions; type `show c' for details.
The hypothetical commands `show w' and `show c' should show the
appropriate parts of the General Public License. Of course, the
commands you use may be called something other than `show w' and `show
c'; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items--whatever suits your
program.
You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or
your school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the program,
if necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:
Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program
`Gnomovision' (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.
SIGNATURE OF TY COON, 1 April 1989
Ty Coon, President of Vice
This General Public License does not permit incorporating your
program into proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine
library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary
applications with the library. If this is what you want to do, use the
GNU Library General Public License instead of this License.
File: use, Node: Contributors, Next: Funding, Prev: Copying, Up: Top
Contributors to GNU CC
**********************
In addition to Richard Stallman, several people have written parts
of GNU CC.
* The idea of using RTL and some of the optimization ideas came from
the program PO written at the University of Arizona by Jack
Davidson and Christopher Fraser. See "Register Allocation and
Exhaustive Peephole Optimization", Software Practice and
Experience 14 (9), Sept. 1984, 857-866.
* Paul Rubin wrote most of the preprocessor.
* Leonard Tower wrote parts of the parser, RTL generator, and RTL
definitions, and of the Vax machine description.
* Ted Lemon wrote parts of the RTL reader and printer.
* Jim Wilson implemented loop strength reduction and some other loop
optimizations.
* Nobuyuki Hikichi of Software Research Associates, Tokyo,
contributed the support for the Sony NEWS machine.
* Charles LaBrec contributed the support for the Integrated Solutions
68020 system.
* Michael Tiemann of Cygnus Support wrote the front end for C++, as
well as the support for inline functions and instruction
scheduling. Also the descriptions of the National Semiconductor
32000 series cpu, the SPARC cpu and part of the Motorola 88000 cpu.
* Gerald Baumgartner added the signature extension to the C++
front-end.
* Jan Stein of the Chalmers Computer Society provided support for
Genix, as well as part of the 32000 machine description.
* Randy Smith finished the Sun FPA support.
* Robert Brown implemented the support for Encore 32000 systems.
* David Kashtan of SRI adapted GNU CC to VMS.
* Alex Crain provided changes for the 3b1.
* Greg Satz and Chris Hanson assisted in making GNU CC work on HP-UX
for the 9000 series 300.
* William Schelter did most of the work on the Intel 80386 support.
* Christopher Smith did the port for Convex machines.
* Paul Petersen wrote the machine description for the Alliant FX/8.
* Dario Dariol contributed the four varieties of sample programs
that print a copy of their source.
* Alain Lichnewsky ported GNU CC to the Mips cpu.
* Devon Bowen, Dale Wiles and Kevin Zachmann ported GNU CC to the
Tahoe.
* Jonathan Stone wrote the machine description for the Pyramid
computer.
* Gary Miller ported GNU CC to Charles River Data Systems machines.
* Richard Kenner of the New York University Ultracomputer Research
Laboratory wrote the machine descriptions for the AMD 29000, the
DEC Alpha, the IBM RT PC, and the IBM RS/6000 as well as the
support for instruction attributes. He also made changes to
better support RISC processors including changes to common
subexpression elimination, strength reduction, function calling
sequence handling, and condition code support, in addition to
generalizing the code for frame pointer elimination.
* Richard Kenner and Michael Tiemann jointly developed reorg.c, the
delay slot scheduler.
* Mike Meissner and Tom Wood of Data General finished the port to the
Motorola 88000.
* Masanobu Yuhara of Fujitsu Laboratories implemented the machine
description for the Tron architecture (specifically, the Gmicro).
* NeXT, Inc. donated the front end that supports the Objective C
language.
* James van Artsdalen wrote the code that makes efficient use of the
Intel 80387 register stack.
* Mike Meissner at the Open Software Foundation finished the port to
the MIPS cpu, including adding ECOFF debug support, and worked on
the Intel port for the Intel 80386 cpu.
* Ron Guilmette implemented the `protoize' and `unprotoize' tools,
the support for Dwarf symbolic debugging information, and much of
the support for System V Release 4. He has also worked heavily on
the Intel 386 and 860 support.
* Torbjorn Granlund of the Swedish Institute of Computer Science
implemented multiply-by-constant optimization and better long long
support, and improved leaf function register allocation.
* Mike Stump implemented the support for Elxsi 64 bit CPU.
* John Wehle added the machine description for the Western Electric
32000 processor used in several 3b series machines (no relation to
the National Semiconductor 32000 processor).
* Holger Teutsch provided the support for the Clipper cpu.
* Kresten Krab Thorup wrote the run time support for the Objective C
language.
* Stephen Moshier contributed the floating point emulator that
assists in cross-compilation and permits support for floating
point numbers wider than 64 bits.
* David Edelsohn contributed the changes to RS/6000 port to make it
support the PowerPC and POWER2 architectures.
* Steve Chamberlain wrote the support for the Hitachi SH processor.
* Peter Schauer wrote the code to allow debugging to work on the
Alpha.
* Oliver M. Kellogg of Deutsche Aerospace contributed the port to the
MIL-STD-1750A.
File: use, Node: Funding, Next: Look and Feel, Prev: Contributors, Up: Top
Funding Free Software
*********************
If you want to have more free software a few years from now, it makes
sense for you to help encourage people to contribute funds for its
development. The most effective approach known is to encourage
commercial redistributors to donate.
Users of free software systems can boost the pace of development by
encouraging for-a-fee distributors to donate part of their selling price
to free software developers--the Free Software Foundation, and others.
The way to convince distributors to do this is to demand it and
expect it from them. So when you compare distributors, judge them
partly by how much they give to free software development. Show
distributors they must compete to be the one who gives the most.
To make this approach work, you must insist on numbers that you can
compare, such as, "We will donate ten dollars to the Frobnitz project
for each disk sold." Don't be satisfied with a vague promise, such as
"A portion of the profits are donated," since it doesn't give a basis
for comparison.
Even a precise fraction "of the profits from this disk" is not very
meaningful, since creative accounting and unrelated business decisions
can greatly alter what fraction of the sales price counts as profit.
If the price you pay is $50, ten percent of the profit is probably less
than a dollar; it might be a few cents, or nothing at all.
Some redistributors do development work themselves. This is useful
too; but to keep everyone honest, you need to inquire how much they do,
and what kind. Some kinds of development make much more long-term
difference than others. For example, maintaining a separate version of
a program contributes very little; maintaining the standard version of a
program for the whole community contributes much. Easy new ports
contribute little, since someone else would surely do them; difficult
ports such as adding a new CPU to the GNU C compiler contribute more;
major new features or packages contribute the most.
By establishing the idea that supporting further development is "the
proper thing to do" when distributing free software for a fee, we can
assure a steady flow of resources into making more free software.
Copyright (C) 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Verbatim copying and redistribution of this section is permitted
without royalty; alteration is not permitted.
File: use, Node: Look and Feel, Next: G++ and GCC, Prev: Funding, Up: Top
Protect Your Freedom--Fight "Look And Feel"
*******************************************
This section is a political message from the League for Programming
Freedom to the users of GNU CC. We have included it here because
the issue of interface copyright is important to the GNU project.
Apple and Lotus have tried to create a new form of legal monopoly: a
copyright on a user interface.
An interface is a kind of language--a set of conventions for
communication between two entities, human or machine. Until a few years
ago, the law seemed clear: interfaces were outside the domain of
copyright, so programmers could program freely and implement whatever
interface the users demanded. Imitating de-facto standard interfaces,
sometimes with improvements, was standard practice in the computer
field. These improvements, if accepted by the users, caught on and
became the norm; in this way, much progress took place.
Computer users, and most software developers, were happy with this
state of affairs. However, large companies such as Apple and Lotus
would prefer a different system--one in which they can own interfaces
and thereby rid themselves of all serious competitors. They hope that
interface copyright will give them, in effect, monopolies on major
classes of software.
Other large companies such as IBM and Digital also favor interface
monopolies, for the same reason: if languages become property, they
expect to own many de-facto standard languages. But Apple and Lotus are
the ones who have actually sued. Lotus has won lawsuits against two
small companies, which were thus put out of business. Then they sued
Borland; this case is now before the court of appeals. Apple's lawsuit
against HP and Microsoft is also being decided by an appeals court.
Widespread rumors that Apple had lost the case are untrue; as of July
1994, the final outcome is unknown.
If the monopolists get their way, they will hobble the software
field:
* Gratuitous incompatibilities will burden users. Imagine if each
car manufacturer had to design a different way to start, stop, and
steer a car.
* Users will be "locked in" to whichever interface they learn; then
they will be prisoners of one supplier, who will charge a
monopolistic price.
* Large companies have an unfair advantage wherever lawsuits become
commonplace. Since they can afford to sue, they can intimidate
smaller developers with threats even when they don't really have a
case.
* Interface improvements will come slower, since incremental
evolution through creative partial imitation will no longer occur.
If interface monopolies are accepted, other large companies are
waiting to grab theirs:
* Adobe is expected to claim a monopoly on the interfaces of various
popular application programs, if Borland's appeal against Lotus
fails.
* Open Computing magazine reported a Microsoft vice president as
threatening to sue people who copy the interface of Windows.
Users invest a great deal of time and money in learning to use
computer interfaces. Far more, in fact, than software developers
invest in developing *and even implementing* the interfaces. Whoever
can own an interface, has made its users into captives, and
misappropriated their investment.
To protect our freedom from monopolies like these, a group of
programmers and users have formed a grass-roots political organization,
the League for Programming Freedom.
The purpose of the League is to oppose monopolistic practices such as
interface copyright and software patents. The League calls for a return
to the legal policies of the recent past, in which programmers could
program freely. The League is not concerned with free software as an
issue, and is not affiliated with the Free Software Foundation.
The League's activities include publicizing the issue, as is being
done here, and filing friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of
defendants sued by monopolists. Recently the League filed a
friend-of-the-court brief for Borland in its appeal against Lotus.
The League's membership rolls include John McCarthy, inventor of
Lisp, Marvin Minsky, founder of the MIT Artificial Intelligence lab,
Guy L. Steele, Jr., author of well-known books on Lisp and C, as well
as Richard Stallman, the developer of GNU CC. Please join and add your
name to the list. Membership dues in the League are $42 per year for
programmers, managers and professionals; $10.50 for students; $21 for
others.
Activist members are especially important, but members who have no
time to give are also important. Surveys at major ACM conferences have
indicated a vast majority of attendees agree with the League. If just
ten percent of the programmers who agree with the League join the
League, we will probably triumph.
To join, or for more information, phone (617) 243-4091 or write to:
League for Programming Freedom
1 Kendall Square #143
P.O. Box 9171
Cambridge, MA 02139
You can also send electronic mail to `lpf@uunet.uu.net'.
In addition to joining the League, here are some suggestions from the
League for other things you can do to protect your freedom to write
programs:
* Tell your friends and colleagues about this issue and how it
threatens to ruin the computer industry.
* Mention that you are a League member in your `.signature', and
mention the League's email address for inquiries.
* Ask the companies you consider working for or working with to make
statements against software monopolies, and give preference to
those that do.
* When employers ask you to sign contracts giving them copyright or
patent rights, insist on clauses saying they can use these rights
only defensively. Don't rely on "company policy," since that can
change at any time; don't rely on an individual executive's
private word, since that person may be replaced. Get a commitment
just as binding as the commitment they get from you.
* Write to Congress to explain the importance of this issue.
House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
2137 Rayburn Bldg
Washington, DC 20515
Senate Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(These committees have received lots of mail already; let's give
them even more.)
Democracy means nothing if you don't use it. Stand up and be
counted!
File: use, Node: G++ and GCC, Next: Invoking GCC, Prev: Look and Feel, Up: Top
Compile C, C++, or Objective C
******************************
The C, C++, and Objective C versions of the compiler are integrated;
the GNU C compiler can compile programs written in C, C++, or Objective
C.
"GCC" is a common shorthand term for the GNU C compiler. This is
both the most general name for the compiler, and the name used when the
emphasis is on compiling C programs.
When referring to C++ compilation, it is usual to call the compiler
"G++". Since there is only one compiler, it is also accurate to call
it "GCC" no matter what the language context; however, the term "G++"
is more useful when the emphasis is on compiling C++ programs.
We use the name "GNU CC" to refer to the compilation system as a
whole, and more specifically to the language-independent part of the
compiler. For example, we refer to the optimization options as
affecting the behavior of "GNU CC" or sometimes just "the compiler".
Front ends for other languages, such as Ada 9X, Fortran, Modula-3,
and Pascal, are under development. These front-ends, like that for
C++, are built in subdirectories of GNU CC and link to it. The result
is an integrated compiler that can compile programs written in C, C++,
Objective C, or any of the languages for which you have installed front
ends.
In this manual, we only discuss the options for the C, Objective-C,
and C++ compilers and those of the GNU CC core. Consult the
documentation of the other front ends for the options to use when
compiling programs written in other languages.
G++ is a *compiler*, not merely a preprocessor. G++ builds object
code directly from your C++ program source. There is no intermediate C
version of the program. (By contrast, for example, some other
implementations use a program that generates a C program from your C++
source.) Avoiding an intermediate C representation of the program means
that you get better object code, and better debugging information. The
GNU debugger, GDB, works with this information in the object code to
give you comprehensive C++ source-level editing capabilities (*note C
and C++: (gdb.info)C.).
File: use, Node: Invoking GCC, Next: Installation, Prev: G++ and GCC, Up: Top
GNU CC Command Options
**********************
When you invoke GNU CC, it normally does preprocessing, compilation,
assembly and linking. The "overall options" allow you to stop this
process at an intermediate stage. For example, the `-c' option says
not to run the linker. Then the output consists of object files output
by the assembler.
Other options are passed on to one stage of processing. Some options
control the preprocessor and others the compiler itself. Yet other
options control the assembler and linker; most of these are not
documented here, since you rarely need to use any of them.
Most of the command line options that you can use with GNU CC are
useful for C programs; when an option is only useful with another
language (usually C++), the explanation says so explicitly. If the
description for a particular option does not mention a source language,
you can use that option with all supported languages.
*Note Compiling C++ Programs: Invoking G++, for a summary of special
options for compiling C++ programs.
The `gcc' program accepts options and file names as operands. Many
options have multiletter names; therefore multiple single-letter options
may *not* be grouped: `-dr' is very different from `-d -r'.
You can mix options and other arguments. For the most part, the
order you use doesn't matter. Order does matter when you use several
options of the same kind; for example, if you specify `-L' more than
once, the directories are searched in the order specified.
Many options have long names starting with `-f' or with `-W'--for
example, `-fforce-mem', `-fstrength-reduce', `-Wformat' and so on.
Most of these have both positive and negative forms; the negative form
of `-ffoo' would be `-fno-foo'. This manual documents only one of
these two forms, whichever one is not the default.
* Menu:
* Option Summary:: Brief list of all options, without explanations.
* Overall Options:: Controlling the kind of output:
an executable, object files, assembler files,
or preprocessed source.
* Invoking G++:: Compiling C++ programs.
* C Dialect Options:: Controlling the variant of C language compiled.
* C++ Dialect Options:: Variations on C++.
* Warning Options:: How picky should the compiler be?
* Debugging Options:: Symbol tables, measurements, and debugging dumps.
* Optimize Options:: How much optimization?
* Preprocessor Options:: Controlling header files and macro definitions.
Also, getting dependency information for Make.
* Assembler Options:: Passing options to the assembler.
* Link Options:: Specifying libraries and so on.
* Directory Options:: Where to find header files and libraries.
Where to find the compiler executable files.
* Target Options:: Running a cross-compiler, or an old version of GNU CC.
* Submodel Options:: Specifying minor hardware or convention variations,
such as 68010 vs 68020.
* Code Gen Options:: Specifying conventions for function calls, data layout
and register usage.
* Environment Variables:: Env vars that affect GNU CC.
* Running Protoize:: Automatically adding or removing function prototypes.
File: use, Node: Option Summary, Next: Overall Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Option Summary
==============
Here is a summary of all the options, grouped by type. Explanations
are in the following sections.
*Overall Options*
*Note Options Controlling the Kind of Output: Overall Options.
-c -S -E -o FILE -pipe -v -x LANGUAGE
*C Language Options*
*Note Options Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options.
-ansi -fallow-single-precision -fcond-mismatch -fno-asm
-fno-builtin -fsigned-bitfields -fsigned-char
-funsigned-bitfields -funsigned-char -fwritable-strings
-traditional -traditional-cpp -trigraphs
*C++ Language Options*
*Note Options Controlling C++ Dialect: C++ Dialect Options.
-fall-virtual -fdollars-in-identifiers -felide-constructors
-fenum-int-equiv -fexternal-templates -fhandle-signatures
-fmemoize-lookups -fno-default-inline -fno-gnu-keywords
-fnonnull-objects -foperator-names -fstrict-prototype
-fthis-is-variable -nostdinc++ -traditional +eN
*Warning Options*
*Note Options to Request or Suppress Warnings: Warning Options.
-fsyntax-only -pedantic -pedantic-errors
-w -W -Wall -Waggregate-return -Wbad-function-cast
-Wcast-align -Wcast-qual -Wchar-subscript -Wcomment
-Wconversion -Wenum-clash -Werror -Wformat
-Wid-clash-LEN -Wimplicit -Wimport -Winline
-Wlarger-than-LEN -Wmissing-declarations
-Wmissing-prototypes -Wnested-externs
-Wno-import -Woverloaded-virtual -Wparentheses
-Wpointer-arith -Wredundant-decls -Wreorder -Wreturn-type -Wshadow
-Wstrict-prototypes -Wswitch -Wsynth -Wtemplate-debugging
-Wtraditional -Wtrigraphs -Wuninitialized -Wunused
-Wwrite-strings
*Debugging Options*
*Note Options for Debugging Your Program or GCC: Debugging Options.
-a -dLETTERS -fpretend-float
-g -gLEVEL -gcoff -gdwarf -gdwarf+
-ggdb -gstabs -gstabs+ -gxcoff -gxcoff+
-p -pg -print-file-name=LIBRARY -print-libgcc-file-name
-print-prog-name=PROGRAM -print-search-dirs -save-temps
*Optimization Options*
*Note Options that Control Optimization: Optimize Options.
-fcaller-saves -fcse-follow-jumps -fcse-skip-blocks
-fdelayed-branch -fexpensive-optimizations
-ffast-math -ffloat-store -fforce-addr -fforce-mem
-finline-functions -fkeep-inline-functions
-fno-default-inline -fno-defer-pop -fno-function-cse
-fno-inline -fno-peephole -fomit-frame-pointer
-frerun-cse-after-loop -fschedule-insns
-fschedule-insns2 -fstrength-reduce -fthread-jumps
-funroll-all-loops -funroll-loops
-O -O0 -O1 -O2 -O3
*Preprocessor Options*
*Note Options Controlling the Preprocessor: Preprocessor Options.
-AQUESTION(ANSWER) -C -dD -dM -dN
-DMACRO[=DEFN] -E -H
-idirafter DIR
-include FILE -imacros FILE
-iprefix FILE -iwithprefix DIR
-iwithprefixbefore DIR -isystem DIR
-M -MD -MM -MMD -MG -nostdinc -P -trigraphs
-undef -UMACRO -Wp,OPTION
*Assembler Option*
*Note Passing Options to the Assembler: Assembler Options.
-Wa,OPTION
*Linker Options*
*Note Options for Linking: Link Options.
OBJECT-FILE-NAME -lLIBRARY
-nostartfiles -nodefaultlibs -nostdlib
-s -static -shared -symbolic
-Wl,OPTION -Xlinker OPTION
-u SYMBOL
*Directory Options*
*Note Options for Directory Search: Directory Options.
-BPREFIX -IDIR -I- -LDIR
*Target Options*
*Note Target Options::.
-b MACHINE -V VERSION
*Machine Dependent Options*
*Note Hardware Models and Configurations: Submodel Options.
*M680x0 Options*
-m68000 -m68020 -m68020-40 -m68030 -m68040 -m68881
-mbitfield -mc68000 -mc68020 -mfpa -mnobitfield
-mrtd -mshort -msoft-float
*VAX Options*
-mg -mgnu -munix
*SPARC Options*
-mapp-regs -mcypress -mepilogue -mflat -mfpu -mhard-float
-mhard-quad-float -mno-app-regs -mno-flat -mno-fpu
-mno-epilogue -mno-unaligned-doubles
-msoft-float -msoft-quad-float
-msparclite -msupersparc -munaligned-doubles -mv8
SPARC V9 compilers support the following options
in addition to the above:
-mmedlow -mmedany
-mint32 -mint64 -mlong32 -mlong64
-mno-stack-bias -mstack-bias
*Convex Options*
-mc1 -mc2 -mc32 -mc34 -mc38
-margcount -mnoargcount
-mlong32 -mlong64
-mvolatile-cache -mvolatile-nocache
*AMD29K Options*
-m29000 -m29050 -mbw -mnbw -mdw -mndw
-mlarge -mnormal -msmall
-mkernel-registers -mno-reuse-arg-regs
-mno-stack-check -mno-storem-bug
-mreuse-arg-regs -msoft-float -mstack-check
-mstorem-bug -muser-registers
*ARM Options*
-mapcs -m2 -m3 -m6 -mbsd -mxopen -mno-symrename
*M88K Options*
-m88000 -m88100 -m88110 -mbig-pic
-mcheck-zero-division -mhandle-large-shift
-midentify-revision -mno-check-zero-division
-mno-ocs-debug-info -mno-ocs-frame-position
-mno-optimize-arg-area -mno-serialize-volatile
-mno-underscores -mocs-debug-info
-mocs-frame-position -moptimize-arg-area
-mserialize-volatile -mshort-data-NUM -msvr3
-msvr4 -mtrap-large-shift -muse-div-instruction
-mversion-03.00 -mwarn-passed-structs
*RS/6000 and PowerPC Options*
-mcpu=CPU TYPE
-mpower -mno-power -mpower2 -mno-power2
-mpowerpc -mno-powerpc
-mpowerpc-gpopt -mno-powerpc-gpopt
-mpowerpc-gfxopt -mno-powerpc-gfxopt
-mnew-mnemonics -mno-new-mnemonics
-mfull-toc -mminimal-toc -mno-fop-in-toc -mno-sum-in-toc
-msoft-float -mhard-float -mmultiple -mno-multiple
-mstring -mno-string -mbit-align -mno-bit-align
-mstrict-align -mno-strict-align -mrelocatable -mno-relocatable
-mtoc -mno-toc -mtraceback -mno-traceback
-mlittle -mlittle-endian -mbig -mbig-endian
*RT Options*
-mcall-lib-mul -mfp-arg-in-fpregs -mfp-arg-in-gregs
-mfull-fp-blocks -mhc-struct-return -min-line-mul
-mminimum-fp-blocks -mnohc-struct-return
*MIPS Options*
-mabicalls -mcpu=CPU TYPE -membedded-data
-membedded-pic -mfp32 -mfp64 -mgas -mgp32 -mgp64
-mgpopt -mhalf-pic -mhard-float -mint64 -mips1
-mips2 -mips3 -mlong64 -mlong-calls -mmemcpy
-mmips-as -mmips-tfile -mno-abicalls
-mno-embedded-data -mno-embedded-pic
-mno-gpopt -mno-long-calls
-mno-memcpy -mno-mips-tfile -mno-rnames -mno-stats
-mrnames -msoft-float
-m4650 -msingle-float -mmad
-mstats -EL -EB -G NUM -nocpp
*i386 Options*
-m486 -m386 -mieee-fp -mno-fancy-math-387
-mno-fp-ret-in-387 -msoft-float -msvr3-shlib
-mno-wide-multiply -mrtd -malign-double
-mreg-alloc=LIST -mregparm=NUM
-malign-jumps=NUM -malign-loops=NUM
-malign-functions=NUM
*HPPA Options*
-mdisable-fpregs -mdisable-indexing -mfast-indirect-calls
-mgas -mjump-in-delay -mlong-millicode-calls -mno-disable-fpregs
-mno-disable-indexing -mno-fast-indirect-calls -mno-gas
-mno-jump-in-delay -mno-millicode-long-calls
-mno-portable-runtime -mno-soft-float -msoft-float
-mpa-risc-1-0 -mpa-risc-1-1 -mportable-runtime -mschedule=LIST
*Intel 960 Options*
-mCPU TYPE -masm-compat -mclean-linkage
-mcode-align -mcomplex-addr -mleaf-procedures
-mic-compat -mic2.0-compat -mic3.0-compat
-mintel-asm -mno-clean-linkage -mno-code-align
-mno-complex-addr -mno-leaf-procedures
-mno-old-align -mno-strict-align -mno-tail-call
-mnumerics -mold-align -msoft-float -mstrict-align
-mtail-call
*DEC Alpha Options*
-mfp-regs -mno-fp-regs -mno-soft-float
-msoft-float
*Clipper Options*
-mc300 -mc400
*H8/300 Options*
-mrelax -mh
*System V Options*
-Qy -Qn -YP,PATHS -Ym,DIR
*Code Generation Options*
*Note Options for Code Generation Conventions: Code Gen Options.
-fcall-saved-REG -fcall-used-REG
-ffixed-REG -finhibit-size-directive
-fno-common -fno-ident -fno-gnu-linker
-fpcc-struct-return -fpic -fPIC
-freg-struct-return -fshared-data -fshort-enums
-fshort-double -fvolatile -fvolatile-global
-fverbose-asm -fpack-struct +e0 +e1
* Menu:
* Overall Options:: Controlling the kind of output:
an executable, object files, assembler files,
or preprocessed source.
* C Dialect Options:: Controlling the variant of C language compiled.
* C++ Dialect Options:: Variations on C++.
* Warning Options:: How picky should the compiler be?
* Debugging Options:: Symbol tables, measurements, and debugging dumps.
* Optimize Options:: How much optimization?
* Preprocessor Options:: Controlling header files and macro definitions.
Also, getting dependency information for Make.
* Assembler Options:: Passing options to the assembler.
* Link Options:: Specifying libraries and so on.
* Directory Options:: Where to find header files and libraries.
Where to find the compiler executable files.
* Target Options:: Running a cross-compiler, or an old version of GNU CC.
File: use, Node: Overall Options, Next: Invoking G++, Prev: Option Summary, Up: Invoking GCC
Options Controlling the Kind of Output
======================================
Compilation can involve up to four stages: preprocessing, compilation
proper, assembly and linking, always in that order. The first three
stages apply to an individual source file, and end by producing an
object file; linking combines all the object files (those newly
compiled, and those specified as input) into an executable file.
For any given input file, the file name suffix determines what kind
of compilation is done:
`FILE.c'
C source code which must be preprocessed.
`FILE.i'
C source code which should not be preprocessed.
`FILE.ii'
C++ source code which should not be preprocessed.
`FILE.m'
Objective-C source code. Note that you must link with the library
`libobjc.a' to make an Objective-C program work.
`FILE.h'
C header file (not to be compiled or linked).
`FILE.cc'
`FILE.cxx'
`FILE.cpp'
`FILE.C'
C++ source code which must be preprocessed. Note that in `.cxx',
the last two letters must both be literally `x'. Likewise, `.C'
refers to a literal capital C.
`FILE.s'
Assembler code.
`FILE.S'
Assembler code which must be preprocessed.
`OTHER'
An object file to be fed straight into linking. Any file name
with no recognized suffix is treated this way.
You can specify the input language explicitly with the `-x' option:
`-x LANGUAGE'
Specify explicitly the LANGUAGE for the following input files
(rather than letting the compiler choose a default based on the
file name suffix). This option applies to all following input
files until the next `-x' option. Possible values for LANGUAGE
are:
c objective-c c++
c-header cpp-output c++-cpp-output
assembler assembler-with-cpp
`-x none'
Turn off any specification of a language, so that subsequent files
are handled according to their file name suffixes (as they are if
`-x' has not been used at all).
If you only want some of the stages of compilation, you can use `-x'
(or filename suffixes) to tell `gcc' where to start, and one of the
options `-c', `-S', or `-E' to say where `gcc' is to stop. Note that
some combinations (for example, `-x cpp-output -E' instruct `gcc' to do
nothing at all.
`-c'
Compile or assemble the source files, but do not link. The linking
stage simply is not done. The ultimate output is in the form of an
object file for each source file.
By default, the object file name for a source file is made by
replacing the suffix `.c', `.i', `.s', etc., with `.o'.
Unrecognized input files, not requiring compilation or assembly,
are ignored.
`-S'
Stop after the stage of compilation proper; do not assemble. The
output is in the form of an assembler code file for each
non-assembler input file specified.
By default, the assembler file name for a source file is made by
replacing the suffix `.c', `.i', etc., with `.s'.
Input files that don't require compilation are ignored.
`-E'
Stop after the preprocessing stage; do not run the compiler
proper. The output is in the form of preprocessed source code,
which is sent to the standard output.
Input files which don't require preprocessing are ignored.
`-o FILE'
Place output in file FILE. This applies regardless to whatever
sort of output is being produced, whether it be an executable file,
an object file, an assembler file or preprocessed C code.
Since only one output file can be specified, it does not make
sense to use `-o' when compiling more than one input file, unless
you are producing an executable file as output.
If `-o' is not specified, the default is to put an executable file
in `a.out', the object file for `SOURCE.SUFFIX' in `SOURCE.o', its
assembler file in `SOURCE.s', and all preprocessed C source on
standard output.
`-v'
Print (on standard error output) the commands executed to run the
stages of compilation. Also print the version number of the
compiler driver program and of the preprocessor and the compiler
proper.
`-pipe'
Use pipes rather than temporary files for communication between the
various stages of compilation. This fails to work on some systems
where the assembler is unable to read from a pipe; but the GNU
assembler has no trouble.
File: use, Node: Invoking G++, Next: C Dialect Options, Prev: Overall Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Compiling C++ Programs
======================
C++ source files conventionally use one of the suffixes `.C', `.cc',
`cpp', or `.cxx'; preprocessed C++ files use the suffix `.ii'. GNU CC
recognizes files with these names and compiles them as C++ programs
even if you call the compiler the same way as for compiling C programs
(usually with the name `gcc').
However, C++ programs often require class libraries as well as a
compiler that understands the C++ language--and under some
circumstances, you might want to compile programs from standard input,
or otherwise without a suffix that flags them as C++ programs. `g++'
is a program that calls GNU CC with the default language set to C++,
and automatically specifies linking against the GNU class library
libg++. (1) On many systems, the script `g++' is also installed with
the name `c++'.
When you compile C++ programs, you may specify many of the same
command-line options that you use for compiling programs in any
language; or command-line options meaningful for C and related
languages; or options that are meaningful only for C++ programs. *Note
Options Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options, for explanations of
options for languages related to C. *Note Options Controlling C++
Dialect: C++ Dialect Options, for explanations of options that are
meaningful only for C++ programs.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) Prior to release 2 of the compiler, there was a separate `g++'
compiler. That version was based on GNU CC, but not integrated with
it. Versions of `g++' with a `1.XX' version number--for example, `g++'
version 1.37 or 1.42--are much less reliable than the versions
integrated with GCC 2. Moreover, combining G++ `1.XX' with a version 2
GCC will simply not work.
File: use, Node: C Dialect Options, Next: C++ Dialect Options, Prev: Invoking G++, Up: Invoking GCC
Options Controlling C Dialect
=============================
The following options control the dialect of C (or languages derived
from C, such as C++ and Objective C) that the compiler accepts:
`-ansi'
Support all ANSI standard C programs.
This turns off certain features of GNU C that are incompatible
with ANSI C, such as the `asm', `inline' and `typeof' keywords, and
predefined macros such as `unix' and `vax' that identify the type
of system you are using. It also enables the undesirable and
rarely used ANSI trigraph feature, and disallows `$' as part of
identifiers.
The alternate keywords `__asm__', `__extension__', `__inline__'
and `__typeof__' continue to work despite `-ansi'. You would not
want to use them in an ANSI C program, of course, but it is useful
to put them in header files that might be included in compilations
done with `-ansi'. Alternate predefined macros such as `__unix__'
and `__vax__' are also available, with or without `-ansi'.
The `-ansi' option does not cause non-ANSI programs to be rejected
gratuitously. For that, `-pedantic' is required in addition to
`-ansi'. *Note Warning Options::.
The macro `__STRICT_ANSI__' is predefined when the `-ansi' option
is used. Some header files may notice this macro and refrain from
declaring certain functions or defining certain macros that the
ANSI standard doesn't call for; this is to avoid interfering with
any programs that might use these names for other things.
The functions `alloca', `abort', `exit', and `_exit' are not
builtin functions when `-ansi' is used.
`-fno-asm'
Do not recognize `asm', `inline' or `typeof' as a keyword, so that
code can use these words as identifiers. You can use the keywords
`__asm__', `__inline__' and `__typeof__' instead. `-ansi' implies
`-fno-asm'.
In C++, this switch only affects the `typeof' keyword, since `asm'
and `inline' are standard keywords. You may want to use the
`-fno-gnu-keywords' flag instead, as it also disables the other,
C++-specific, extension keywords such as `headof'.
`-fno-builtin'
Don't recognize builtin functions that do not begin with two
leading underscores. Currently, the functions affected include
`abort', `abs', `alloca', `cos', `exit', `fabs', `ffs', `labs',
`memcmp', `memcpy', `sin', `sqrt', `strcmp', `strcpy', and
`strlen'.
GCC normally generates special code to handle certain builtin
functions more efficiently; for instance, calls to `alloca' may
become single instructions that adjust the stack directly, and
calls to `memcpy' may become inline copy loops. The resulting
code is often both smaller and faster, but since the function
calls no longer appear as such, you cannot set a breakpoint on
those calls, nor can you change the behavior of the functions by
linking with a different library.
The `-ansi' option prevents `alloca' and `ffs' from being builtin
functions, since these functions do not have an ANSI standard
meaning.
`-trigraphs'
Support ANSI C trigraphs. You don't want to know about this
brain-damage. The `-ansi' option implies `-trigraphs'.
`-traditional'
Attempt to support some aspects of traditional C compilers.
Specifically:
* All `extern' declarations take effect globally even if they
are written inside of a function definition. This includes
implicit declarations of functions.
* The newer keywords `typeof', `inline', `signed', `const' and
`volatile' are not recognized. (You can still use the
alternative keywords such as `__typeof__', `__inline__', and
so on.)
* Comparisons between pointers and integers are always allowed.
* Integer types `unsigned short' and `unsigned char' promote to
`unsigned int'.
* Out-of-range floating point literals are not an error.
* Certain constructs which ANSI regards as a single invalid
preprocessing number, such as `0xe-0xd', are treated as
expressions instead.
* String "constants" are not necessarily constant; they are
stored in writable space, and identical looking constants are
allocated separately. (This is the same as the effect of
`-fwritable-strings'.)
* All automatic variables not declared `register' are preserved
by `longjmp'. Ordinarily, GNU C follows ANSI C: automatic
variables not declared `volatile' may be clobbered.
* The character escape sequences `\x' and `\a' evaluate as the
literal characters `x' and `a' respectively. Without
`-traditional', `\x' is a prefix for the hexadecimal
representation of a character, and `\a' produces a bell.
* In C++ programs, assignment to `this' is permitted with
`-traditional'. (The option `-fthis-is-variable' also has
this effect.)
You may wish to use `-fno-builtin' as well as `-traditional' if
your program uses names that are normally GNU C builtin functions
for other purposes of its own.
You cannot use `-traditional' if you include any header files that
rely on ANSI C features. Some vendors are starting to ship
systems with ANSI C header files and you cannot use `-traditional'
on such systems to compile files that include any system headers.
`'
In the preprocessor, comments convert to nothing at all, rather
than to a space. This allows traditional token concatenation.
`'
In preprocessing directive, the `#' symbol must appear as the first
character of a line.
`'
In the preprocessor, macro arguments are recognized within string
constants in a macro definition (and their values are stringified,
though without additional quote marks, when they appear in such a
context). The preprocessor always considers a string constant to
end at a newline.
`'
The predefined macro `__STDC__' is not defined when you use
`-traditional', but `__GNUC__' is (since the GNU extensions which
`__GNUC__' indicates are not affected by `-traditional'). If you
need to write header files that work differently depending on
whether `-traditional' is in use, by testing both of these
predefined macros you can distinguish four situations: GNU C,
traditional GNU C, other ANSI C compilers, and other old C
compilers. The predefined macro `__STDC_VERSION__' is also not
defined when you use `-traditional'. *Note Standard Predefined
Macros: (cpp.info)Standard Predefined, for more discussion of
these and other predefined macros.
`'
The preprocessor considers a string constant to end at a newline
(unless the newline is escaped with `\'). (Without `-traditional',
string constants can contain the newline character as typed.)
`-traditional-cpp'
Attempt to support some aspects of traditional C preprocessors.
This includes the last five items in the table immediately above,
but none of the other effects of `-traditional'.
`-fcond-mismatch'
Allow conditional expressions with mismatched types in the second
and third arguments. The value of such an expression is void.
`-funsigned-char'
Let the type `char' be unsigned, like `unsigned char'.
Each kind of machine has a default for what `char' should be. It
is either like `unsigned char' by default or like `signed char' by
default.
Ideally, a portable program should always use `signed char' or
`unsigned char' when it depends on the signedness of an object.
But many programs have been written to use plain `char' and expect
it to be signed, or expect it to be unsigned, depending on the
machines they were written for. This option, and its inverse, let
you make such a program work with the opposite default.
The type `char' is always a distinct type from each of `signed
char' or `unsigned char', even though its behavior is always just
like one of those two.
`-fsigned-char'
Let the type `char' be signed, like `signed char'.
Note that this is equivalent to `-fno-unsigned-char', which is the
negative form of `-funsigned-char'. Likewise, the option
`-fno-signed-char' is equivalent to `-funsigned-char'.
`-fsigned-bitfields'
`-funsigned-bitfields'
`-fno-signed-bitfields'
`-fno-unsigned-bitfields'
These options control whether a bitfield is signed or unsigned,
when the declaration does not use either `signed' or `unsigned'.
By default, such a bitfield is signed, because this is consistent:
the basic integer types such as `int' are signed types.
However, when `-traditional' is used, bitfields are all unsigned
no matter what.
`-fwritable-strings'
Store string constants in the writable data segment and don't
uniquize them. This is for compatibility with old programs which
assume they can write into string constants. The option
`-traditional' also has this effect.
Writing into string constants is a very bad idea; "constants"
should be constant.
`-fallow-single-precision'
Do not promote single precision math operations to double
precision, even when compiling with `-traditional'.
Traditional K&R C promotes all floating point operations to double
precision, regardless of the sizes of the operands. On the
architecture for which you are compiling, single precision may be
faster than double precision. If you must use `-traditional',
but want to use single precision operations when the operands are
single precision, use this option. This option has no effect
when compiling with ANSI or GNU C conventions (the default).
File: use, Node: C++ Dialect Options, Next: Warning Options, Prev: C Dialect Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options Controlling C++ Dialect
===============================
This section describes the command-line options that are only
meaningful for C++ programs; but you can also use most of the GNU
compiler options regardless of what language your program is in. For
example, you might compile a file `firstClass.C' like this:
g++ -g -felide-constructors -O -c firstClass.C
In this example, only `-felide-constructors' is an option meant only
for C++ programs; you can use the other options with any language
supported by GNU CC.
Here is a list of options that are *only* for compiling C++ programs:
`-fno-access-control'
Turn off all access checking. This switch is mainly useful for
working around bugs in the access control code.
`-fall-virtual'
Treat all possible member functions as virtual, implicitly. All
member functions (except for constructor functions and `new' or
`delete' member operators) are treated as virtual functions of the
class where they appear.
This does not mean that all calls to these member functions will
be made through the internal table of virtual functions. Under
some circumstances, the compiler can determine that a call to a
given virtual function can be made directly; in these cases the
calls are direct in any case.
`-fcheck-new'
Check that the pointer returned by `operator new' is non-null
before attempting to modify the storage allocated. The current
Working Paper requires that `operator new' never return a null
pointer, so this check is normally unnecessary.
`-fconserve-space'
Put uninitialized or runtime-initialized global variables into the
common segment, as C does. This saves space in the executable at
the cost of not diagnosing duplicate definitions. If you compile
with this flag and your program mysteriously crashes after
`main()' has completed, you may have an object that is being
destroyed twice because two definitions were merged.
`-fdollars-in-identifiers'
Accept `$' in identifiers. You can also explicitly prohibit use of
`$' with the option `-fno-dollars-in-identifiers'. (GNU C++
allows `$' by default on some target systems but not others.)
Traditional C allowed the character `$' to form part of
identifiers. However, ANSI C and C++ forbid `$' in identifiers.
`-fenum-int-equiv'
Anachronistically permit implicit conversion of `int' to
enumeration types. Current C++ allows conversion of `enum' to
`int', but not the other way around.
`-fexternal-templates'
Cause template instantiations to obey `#pragma interface' and
`implementation'; template instances are emitted or not according
to the location of the template definition. *Note Template
Instantiation::, for more information.
`-falt-external-templates'
Similar to -fexternal-templates, but template instances are
emitted or not according to the place where they are first
instantiated. *Note Template Instantiation::, for more
information.
`-fno-gnu-keywords'
Do not recognize `classof', `headof', `signature', `sigof' or
`typeof' as a keyword, so that code can use these words as
identifiers. You can use the keywords `__classof__',
`__headof__', `__signature__', `__sigof__', and `__typeof__'
instead. `-ansi' implies `-fno-gnu-keywords'.
`-fno-implicit-templates'
Never emit code for templates which are instantiated implicitly
(i.e. by use); only emit code for explicit instantiations. *Note
Template Instantiation::, for more information.
`-fhandle-signatures'
Recognize the `signature' and `sigof' keywords for specifying
abstract types. The default (`-fno-handle-signatures') is not to
recognize them. *Note Type Abstraction using Signatures: C++
Signatures.
`-fhuge-objects'
Support virtual function calls for objects that exceed the size
representable by a `short int'. Users should not use this flag by
default; if you need to use it, the compiler will tell you so. If
you compile any of your code with this flag, you must compile
*all* of your code with this flag (including libg++, if you use
it).
This flag is not useful when compiling with -fvtable-thunks.
`-fno-implement-inlines'
To save space, do not emit out-of-line copies of inline functions
controlled by `#pragma implementation'. This will cause linker
errors if these functions are not inlined everywhere they are
called.
`-fmemoize-lookups'
`-fsave-memoized'
Use heuristics to compile faster. These heuristics are not
enabled by default, since they are only effective for certain
input files. Other input files compile more slowly.
The first time the compiler must build a call to a member function
(or reference to a data member), it must (1) determine whether the
class implements member functions of that name; (2) resolve which
member function to call (which involves figuring out what sorts of
type conversions need to be made); and (3) check the visibility of
the member function to the caller. All of this adds up to slower
compilation. Normally, the second time a call is made to that
member function (or reference to that data member), it must go
through the same lengthy process again. This means that code like
this:
cout << "This " << p << " has " << n << " legs.\n";
makes six passes through all three steps. By using a software
cache, a "hit" significantly reduces this cost. Unfortunately,
using the cache introduces another layer of mechanisms which must
be implemented, and so incurs its own overhead.
`-fmemoize-lookups' enables the software cache.
Because access privileges (visibility) to members and member
functions may differ from one function context to the next, G++
may need to flush the cache. With the `-fmemoize-lookups' flag,
the cache is flushed after every function that is compiled. The
`-fsave-memoized' flag enables the same software cache, but when
the compiler determines that the context of the last function
compiled would yield the same access privileges of the next
function to compile, it preserves the cache. This is most helpful
when defining many member functions for the same class: with the
exception of member functions which are friends of other classes,
each member function has exactly the same access privileges as
every other, and the cache need not be flushed.
The code that implements these flags has rotted; you should
probably avoid using them.
`-fstrict-prototype'
Within an `extern "C"' linkage specification, treat a function
declaration with no arguments, such as `int foo ();', as declaring
the function to take no arguments. Normally, such a declaration
means that the function `foo' can take any combination of
arguments, as in C. `-pedantic' implies `-fstrict-prototype'
unless overridden with `-fno-strict-prototype'.
This flag no longer affects declarations with C++ linkage.
`-fno-nonnull-objects'
Don't assume that a reference is initialized to refer to a valid
object. Although the current C++ Working Paper prohibits null
references, some old code may rely on them, and you can use
`-fno-nonnull-objects' to turn on checking.
At the moment, the compiler only does this checking for
conversions to virtual base classes.
`-foperator-names'
Recognize the operator name keywords `and', `bitand', `bitor',
`compl', `not', `or' and `xor' as synonyms for the symbols they
refer to. `-ansi' implies `-foperator-names'.
`-fthis-is-variable'
Permit assignment to `this'. The incorporation of user-defined
free store management into C++ has made assignment to `this' an
anachronism. Therefore, by default it is invalid to assign to
`this' within a class member function; that is, GNU C++ treats
`this' in a member function of class `X' as a non-lvalue of type
`X *'. However, for backwards compatibility, you can make it
valid with `-fthis-is-variable'.
`-fvtable-thunks'
Use `thunks' to implement the virtual function dispatch table
(`vtable'). The traditional (cfront-style) approach to
implementing vtables was to store a pointer to the function and two
offsets for adjusting the `this' pointer at the call site. Newer
implementations store a single pointer to a `thunk' function which
does any necessary adjustment and then calls the target function.
This option also enables a heuristic for controlling emission of
vtables; if a class has any non-inline virtual functions, the
vtable will be emitted in the translation unit containing the
first one of those.
`-nostdinc++'
Do not search for header files in the standard directories
specific to C++, but do still search the other standard
directories. (This option is used when building libg++.)
`-traditional'
For C++ programs (in addition to the effects that apply to both C
and C++), this has the same effect as `-fthis-is-variable'. *Note
Options Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options.
In addition, these optimization, warning, and code generation options
have meanings only for C++ programs:
`-fno-default-inline'
Do not assume `inline' for functions defined inside a class scope.
*Note Options That Control Optimization: Optimize Options.
`-Wenum-clash'
`-Woverloaded-virtual'
`-Wtemplate-debugging'
Warnings that apply only to C++ programs. *Note Options to
Request or Suppress Warnings: Warning Options.
`+eN'
Control how virtual function definitions are used, in a fashion
compatible with `cfront' 1.x. *Note Options for Code Generation
Conventions: Code Gen Options.
File: use, Node: Warning Options, Next: Debugging Options, Prev: C++ Dialect Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options to Request or Suppress Warnings
=======================================
Warnings are diagnostic messages that report constructions which are
not inherently erroneous but which are risky or suggest there may have
been an error.
You can request many specific warnings with options beginning `-W',
for example `-Wimplicit' to request warnings on implicit declarations.
Each of these specific warning options also has a negative form
beginning `-Wno-' to turn off warnings; for example, `-Wno-implicit'.
This manual lists only one of the two forms, whichever is not the
default.
These options control the amount and kinds of warnings produced by
GNU CC:
`-fsyntax-only'
Check the code for syntax errors, but don't do anything beyond
that.
`-pedantic'
Issue all the warnings demanded by strict ANSI standard C; reject
all programs that use forbidden extensions.
Valid ANSI standard C programs should compile properly with or
without this option (though a rare few will require `-ansi').
However, without this option, certain GNU extensions and
traditional C features are supported as well. With this option,
they are rejected.
`-pedantic' does not cause warning messages for use of the
alternate keywords whose names begin and end with `__'. Pedantic
warnings are also disabled in the expression that follows
`__extension__'. However, only system header files should use
these escape routes; application programs should avoid them.
*Note Alternate Keywords::.
This option is not intended to be useful; it exists only to satisfy
pedants who would otherwise claim that GNU CC fails to support the
ANSI standard.
Some users try to use `-pedantic' to check programs for strict ANSI
C conformance. They soon find that it does not do quite what they
want: it finds some non-ANSI practices, but not all--only those
for which ANSI C *requires* a diagnostic.
A feature to report any failure to conform to ANSI C might be
useful in some instances, but would require considerable
additional work and would be quite different from `-pedantic'. We
recommend, rather, that users take advantage of the extensions of
GNU C and disregard the limitations of other compilers. Aside
from certain supercomputers and obsolete small machines, there is
less and less reason ever to use any other C compiler other than
for bootstrapping GNU CC.
`-pedantic-errors'
Like `-pedantic', except that errors are produced rather than
warnings.
`-w'
Inhibit all warning messages.
`-Wno-import'
Inhibit warning messages about the use of `#import'.
`-Wchar-subscripts'
Warn if an array subscript has type `char'. This is a common cause
of error, as programmers often forget that this type is signed on
some machines.
`-Wcomment'
Warn whenever a comment-start sequence `/*' appears in a comment.
`-Wformat'
Check calls to `printf' and `scanf', etc., to make sure that the
arguments supplied have types appropriate to the format string
specified.
`-Wimplicit'
Warn whenever a function or parameter is implicitly declared.
`-Wparentheses'
Warn if parentheses are omitted in certain contexts, such as when
there is an assignment in a context where a truth value is
expected, or when operators are nested whose precedence people
often get confused about.
`-Wreturn-type'
Warn whenever a function is defined with a return-type that
defaults to `int'. Also warn about any `return' statement with no
return-value in a function whose return-type is not `void'.
`-Wswitch'
Warn whenever a `switch' statement has an index of enumeral type
and lacks a `case' for one or more of the named codes of that
enumeration. (The presence of a `default' label prevents this
warning.) `case' labels outside the enumeration range also
provoke warnings when this option is used.
`-Wtrigraphs'
Warn if any trigraphs are encountered (assuming they are enabled).
`-Wunused'
Warn whenever a variable is unused aside from its declaration,
whenever a function is declared static but never defined, whenever
a label is declared but not used, and whenever a statement
computes a result that is explicitly not used.
To suppress this warning for an expression, simply cast it to
void. For unused variables and parameters, use the `unused'
attribute (*note Variable Attributes::.).
`-Wuninitialized'
An automatic variable is used without first being initialized.
These warnings are possible only in optimizing compilation,
because they require data flow information that is computed only
when optimizing. If you don't specify `-O', you simply won't get
these warnings.
These warnings occur only for variables that are candidates for
register allocation. Therefore, they do not occur for a variable
that is declared `volatile', or whose address is taken, or whose
size is other than 1, 2, 4 or 8 bytes. Also, they do not occur for
structures, unions or arrays, even when they are in registers.
Note that there may be no warning about a variable that is used
only to compute a value that itself is never used, because such
computations may be deleted by data flow analysis before the
warnings are printed.
These warnings are made optional because GNU CC is not smart
enough to see all the reasons why the code might be correct
despite appearing to have an error. Here is one example of how
this can happen:
{
int x;
switch (y)
{
case 1: x = 1;
break;
case 2: x = 4;
break;
case 3: x = 5;
}
foo (x);
}
If the value of `y' is always 1, 2 or 3, then `x' is always
initialized, but GNU CC doesn't know this. Here is another common
case:
{
int save_y;
if (change_y) save_y = y, y = new_y;
...
if (change_y) y = save_y;
}
This has no bug because `save_y' is used only if it is set.
Some spurious warnings can be avoided if you declare all the
functions you use that never return as `noreturn'. *Note Function
Attributes::.
`-Wenum-clash'
Warn about conversion between different enumeration types. (C++
only).
`-Wreorder (C++ only)'
Warn when the order of member initializers given in the code does
not match the order in which they must be executed. For instance:
struct A {
int i;
int j;
A(): j (0), i (1) { }
};
Here the compiler will warn that the member initializers for `i'
and `j' will be rearranged to match the declaration order of the
members.
`-Wtemplate-debugging'
When using templates in a C++ program, warn if debugging is not yet
fully available (C++ only).
`-Wall'
All of the above `-W' options combined. These are all the options
which pertain to usage that we recommend avoiding and that we
believe is easy to avoid, even in conjunction with macros.
The remaining `-W...' options are not implied by `-Wall' because
they warn about constructions that we consider reasonable to use, on
occasion, in clean programs.
`-W'
Print extra warning messages for these events:
* A nonvolatile automatic variable might be changed by a call to
`longjmp'. These warnings as well are possible only in
optimizing compilation.
The compiler sees only the calls to `setjmp'. It cannot know
where `longjmp' will be called; in fact, a signal handler
could call it at any point in the code. As a result, you may
get a warning even when there is in fact no problem because
`longjmp' cannot in fact be called at the place which would
cause a problem.
* A function can return either with or without a value.
(Falling off the end of the function body is considered
returning without a value.) For example, this function would
evoke such a warning:
foo (a)
{
if (a > 0)
return a;
}
* An expression-statement contains no side effects.
* An unsigned value is compared against zero with `<' or `<='.
* A comparison like `x<=y<=z' appears; this is equivalent to
`(x<=y ? 1 : 0) <= z', which is a different interpretation
from that of ordinary mathematical notation.
* Storage-class specifiers like `static' are not the first
things in a declaration. According to the C Standard, this
usage is obsolescent.
* If `-Wall' or `-Wunused' is also specified, warn about unused
arguments.
* An aggregate has a partly bracketed initializer. For
example, the following code would evoke such a warning,
because braces are missing around the initializer for `x.h':
struct s { int f, g; };
struct t { struct s h; int i; };
struct t x = { 1, 2, 3 };
`-Wtraditional'
Warn about certain constructs that behave differently in
traditional and ANSI C.
* Macro arguments occurring within string constants in the
macro body. These would substitute the argument in
traditional C, but are part of the constant in ANSI C.
* A function declared external in one block and then used after
the end of the block.
* A `switch' statement has an operand of type `long'.
`-Wshadow'
Warn whenever a local variable shadows another local variable.
`-Wid-clash-LEN'
Warn whenever two distinct identifiers match in the first LEN
characters. This may help you prepare a program that will compile
with certain obsolete, brain-damaged compilers.
`-Wlarger-than-LEN'
Warn whenever an object of larger than LEN bytes is defined.
`-Wpointer-arith'
Warn about anything that depends on the "size of" a function type
or of `void'. GNU C assigns these types a size of 1, for
convenience in calculations with `void *' pointers and pointers to
functions.
`-Wbad-function-cast'
Warn whenever a function call is cast to a non-matching type. For
example, warn if `int malloc()' is cast to `anything *'.
`-Wcast-qual'
Warn whenever a pointer is cast so as to remove a type qualifier
from the target type. For example, warn if a `const char *' is
cast to an ordinary `char *'.
`-Wcast-align'
Warn whenever a pointer is cast such that the required alignment
of the target is increased. For example, warn if a `char *' is
cast to an `int *' on machines where integers can only be accessed
at two- or four-byte boundaries.
`-Wwrite-strings'
Give string constants the type `const char[LENGTH]' so that
copying the address of one into a non-`const' `char *' pointer
will get a warning. These warnings will help you find at compile
time code that can try to write into a string constant, but only
if you have been very careful about using `const' in declarations
and prototypes. Otherwise, it will just be a nuisance; this is
why we did not make `-Wall' request these warnings.
`-Wconversion'
Warn if a prototype causes a type conversion that is different
from what would happen to the same argument in the absence of a
prototype. This includes conversions of fixed point to floating
and vice versa, and conversions changing the width or signedness
of a fixed point argument except when the same as the default
promotion.
Also, warn if a negative integer constant expression is implicitly
converted to an unsigned type. For example, warn about the
assignment `x = -1' if `x' is unsigned. But do not warn about
explicit casts like `(unsigned) -1'.
`-Waggregate-return'
Warn if any functions that return structures or unions are defined
or called. (In languages where you can return an array, this also
elicits a warning.)
`-Wstrict-prototypes'
Warn if a function is declared or defined without specifying the
argument types. (An old-style function definition is permitted
without a warning if preceded by a declaration which specifies the
argument types.)
`-Wmissing-prototypes'
Warn if a global function is defined without a previous prototype
declaration. This warning is issued even if the definition itself
provides a prototype. The aim is to detect global functions that
fail to be declared in header files.
`-Wmissing-declarations'
Warn if a global function is defined without a previous
declaration. Do so even if the definition itself provides a
prototype. Use this option to detect global functions that are
not declared in header files.
`-Wredundant-decls'
Warn if anything is declared more than once in the same scope,
even in cases where multiple declaration is valid and changes
nothing.
`-Wnested-externs'
Warn if an `extern' declaration is encountered within an function.
`-Winline'
Warn if a function can not be inlined, and either it was declared
as inline, or else the `-finline-functions' option was given.
`-Woverloaded-virtual'
Warn when a derived class function declaration may be an error in
defining a virtual function (C++ only). In a derived class, the
definitions of virtual functions must match the type signature of a
virtual function declared in the base class. With this option, the
compiler warns when you define a function with the same name as a
virtual function, but with a type signature that does not match any
declarations from the base class.
`-Wsynth (C++ only)'
Warn when g++'s synthesis behavior does not match that of cfront.
For instance:
struct A {
operator int ();
A& operator = (int);
};
main ()
{
A a,b;
a = b;
}
In this example, g++ will synthesize a default `A& operator =
(const A&);', while cfront will use the user-defined `operator ='.
`-Werror'
Make all warnings into errors.
File: use, Node: Debugging Options, Next: Optimize Options, Prev: Warning Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options for Debugging Your Program or GNU CC
============================================
GNU CC has various special options that are used for debugging
either your program or GCC:
`-g'
Produce debugging information in the operating system's native
format (stabs, COFF, XCOFF, or DWARF). GDB can work with this
debugging information.
On most systems that use stabs format, `-g' enables use of extra
debugging information that only GDB can use; this extra information
makes debugging work better in GDB but will probably make other
debuggers crash or refuse to read the program. If you want to
control for certain whether to generate the extra information, use
`-gstabs+', `-gstabs', `-gxcoff+', `-gxcoff', `-gdwarf+', or
`-gdwarf' (see below).
Unlike most other C compilers, GNU CC allows you to use `-g' with
`-O'. The shortcuts taken by optimized code may occasionally
produce surprising results: some variables you declared may not
exist at all; flow of control may briefly move where you did not
expect it; some statements may not be executed because they
compute constant results or their values were already at hand;
some statements may execute in different places because they were
moved out of loops.
Nevertheless it proves possible to debug optimized output. This
makes it reasonable to use the optimizer for programs that might
have bugs.
The following options are useful when GNU CC is generated with the
capability for more than one debugging format.
`-ggdb'
Produce debugging information in the native format (if that is
supported), including GDB extensions if at all possible.
`-gstabs'
Produce debugging information in stabs format (if that is
supported), without GDB extensions. This is the format used by
DBX on most BSD systems. On MIPS, Alpha and System V Release 4
systems this option produces stabs debugging output which is not
understood by DBX or SDB. On System V Release 4 systems this
option requires the GNU assembler.
`-gstabs+'
Produce debugging information in stabs format (if that is
supported), using GNU extensions understood only by the GNU
debugger (GDB). The use of these extensions is likely to make
other debuggers crash or refuse to read the program.
`-gcoff'
Produce debugging information in COFF format (if that is
supported). This is the format used by SDB on most System V
systems prior to System V Release 4.
`-gxcoff'
Produce debugging information in XCOFF format (if that is
supported). This is the format used by the DBX debugger on IBM
RS/6000 systems.
`-gxcoff+'
Produce debugging information in XCOFF format (if that is
supported), using GNU extensions understood only by the GNU
debugger (GDB). The use of these extensions is likely to make
other debuggers crash or refuse to read the program, and may cause
assemblers other than the GNU assembler (GAS) to fail with an
error.
`-gdwarf'
Produce debugging information in DWARF format (if that is
supported). This is the format used by SDB on most System V
Release 4 systems.
`-gdwarf+'
Produce debugging information in DWARF format (if that is
supported), using GNU extensions understood only by the GNU
debugger (GDB). The use of these extensions is likely to make
other debuggers crash or refuse to read the program.
`-gLEVEL'
`-ggdbLEVEL'
`-gstabsLEVEL'
`-gcoffLEVEL'
`-gxcoffLEVEL'
`-gdwarfLEVEL'
Request debugging information and also use LEVEL to specify how
much information. The default level is 2.
Level 1 produces minimal information, enough for making backtraces
in parts of the program that you don't plan to debug. This
includes descriptions of functions and external variables, but no
information about local variables and no line numbers.
Level 3 includes extra information, such as all the macro
definitions present in the program. Some debuggers support macro
expansion when you use `-g3'.
`-p'
Generate extra code to write profile information suitable for the
analysis program `prof'. You must use this option when compiling
the source files you want data about, and you must also use it when
linking.
`-pg'
Generate extra code to write profile information suitable for the
analysis program `gprof'. You must use this option when compiling
the source files you want data about, and you must also use it when
linking.
`-a'
Generate extra code to write profile information for basic blocks,
which will record the number of times each basic block is
executed, the basic block start address, and the function name
containing the basic block. If `-g' is used, the line number and
filename of the start of the basic block will also be recorded.
If not overridden by the machine description, the default action is
to append to the text file `bb.out'.
This data could be analyzed by a program like `tcov'. Note,
however, that the format of the data is not what `tcov' expects.
Eventually GNU `gprof' should be extended to process this data.
`-dLETTERS'
Says to make debugging dumps during compilation at times specified
by LETTERS. This is used for debugging the compiler. The file
names for most of the dumps are made by appending a word to the
source file name (e.g. `foo.c.rtl' or `foo.c.jump'). Here are the
possible letters for use in LETTERS, and their meanings:
`M'
Dump all macro definitions, at the end of preprocessing, and
write no output.
`N'
Dump all macro names, at the end of preprocessing.
`D'
Dump all macro definitions, at the end of preprocessing, in
addition to normal output.
`y'
Dump debugging information during parsing, to standard error.
`r'
Dump after RTL generation, to `FILE.rtl'.
`x'
Just generate RTL for a function instead of compiling it.
Usually used with `r'.
`j'
Dump after first jump optimization, to `FILE.jump'.
`s'
Dump after CSE (including the jump optimization that sometimes
follows CSE), to `FILE.cse'.
`L'
Dump after loop optimization, to `FILE.loop'.
`t'
Dump after the second CSE pass (including the jump
optimization that sometimes follows CSE), to `FILE.cse2'.
`f'
Dump after flow analysis, to `FILE.flow'.
`c'
Dump after instruction combination, to the file
`FILE.combine'.
`S'
Dump after the first instruction scheduling pass, to
`FILE.sched'.
`l'
Dump after local register allocation, to `FILE.lreg'.
`g'
Dump after global register allocation, to `FILE.greg'.
`R'
Dump after the second instruction scheduling pass, to
`FILE.sched2'.
`J'
Dump after last jump optimization, to `FILE.jump2'.
`d'
Dump after delayed branch scheduling, to `FILE.dbr'.
`k'
Dump after conversion from registers to stack, to
`FILE.stack'.
`a'
Produce all the dumps listed above.
`m'
Print statistics on memory usage, at the end of the run, to
standard error.
`p'
Annotate the assembler output with a comment indicating which
pattern and alternative was used.
`-fpretend-float'
When running a cross-compiler, pretend that the target machine
uses the same floating point format as the host machine. This
causes incorrect output of the actual floating constants, but the
actual instruction sequence will probably be the same as GNU CC
would make when running on the target machine.
`-save-temps'
Store the usual "temporary" intermediate files permanently; place
them in the current directory and name them based on the source
file. Thus, compiling `foo.c' with `-c -save-temps' would produce
files `foo.i' and `foo.s', as well as `foo.o'.
`-print-file-name=LIBRARY'
Print the full absolute name of the library file LIBRARY that
would be used when linking--and don't do anything else. With this
option, GNU CC does not compile or link anything; it just prints
the file name.
`-print-prog-name=PROGRAM'
Like `-print-file-name', but searches for a program such as `cpp'.
`-print-libgcc-file-name'
Same as `-print-file-name=libgcc.a'.
This is useful when you use `-nostdlib' or `-nodefaultlibs' but
you do want to link with `libgcc.a'. You can do
gcc -nostdlib FILES... `gcc -print-libgcc-file-name`
`-print-search-dirs'
Print the name of the configured installation directory and a list
of program and library directories gcc will search--and don't do
anything else.
This is useful when gcc prints the error message `installation
problem, cannot exec cpp: No such file or directory'. To resolve
this you either need to put `cpp' and the other compiler
components where gcc expects to find them, or you can set the
environment variable `GCC_EXEC_PREFIX' to the directory where you
installed them. Don't forget the trailing '/'. *Note Environment
Variables::.
File: use, Node: Optimize Options, Next: Preprocessor Options, Prev: Debugging Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options That Control Optimization
=================================
These options control various sorts of optimizations:
`-O'
`-O1'
Optimize. Optimizing compilation takes somewhat more time, and a
lot more memory for a large function.
Without `-O', the compiler's goal is to reduce the cost of
compilation and to make debugging produce the expected results.
Statements are independent: if you stop the program with a
breakpoint between statements, you can then assign a new value to
any variable or change the program counter to any other statement
in the function and get exactly the results you would expect from
the source code.
Without `-O', the compiler only allocates variables declared
`register' in registers. The resulting compiled code is a little
worse than produced by PCC without `-O'.
With `-O', the compiler tries to reduce code size and execution
time.
When you specify `-O', the compiler turns on `-fthread-jumps' and
`-fdefer-pop' on all machines. The compiler turns on
`-fdelayed-branch' on machines that have delay slots, and
`-fomit-frame-pointer' on machines that can support debugging even
without a frame pointer. On some machines the compiler also turns
on other flags.
`-O2'
Optimize even more. GNU CC performs nearly all supported
optimizations that do not involve a space-speed tradeoff. The
compiler does not perform loop unrolling or function inlining when
you specify `-O2'. As compared to `-O', this option increases
both compilation time and the performance of the generated code.
`-O2' turns on all optional optimizations except for loop unrolling
and function inlining. It also turns on frame pointer elimination
on machines where doing so does not interfere with debugging.
`-O3'
Optimize yet more. `-O3' turns on all optimizations specified by
`-O2' and also turns on the `inline-functions' option.
`-O0'
Do not optimize.
If you use multiple `-O' options, with or without level numbers,
the last such option is the one that is effective.
Options of the form `-fFLAG' specify machine-independent flags.
Most flags have both positive and negative forms; the negative form of
`-ffoo' would be `-fno-foo'. In the table below, only one of the forms
is listed--the one which is not the default. You can figure out the
other form by either removing `no-' or adding it.
`-ffloat-store'
Do not store floating point variables in registers, and inhibit
other options that might change whether a floating point value is
taken from a register or memory.
This option prevents undesirable excess precision on machines such
as the 68000 where the floating registers (of the 68881) keep more
precision than a `double' is supposed to have. For most programs,
the excess precision does only good, but a few programs rely on the
precise definition of IEEE floating point. Use `-ffloat-store' for
such programs.
`-fno-default-inline'
Do not make member functions inline by default merely because they
are defined inside the class scope (C++ only). Otherwise, when
you specify `-O', member functions defined inside class scope are
compiled inline by default; i.e., you don't need to add `inline'
in front of the member function name.
`-fno-defer-pop'
Always pop the arguments to each function call as soon as that
function returns. For machines which must pop arguments after a
function call, the compiler normally lets arguments accumulate on
the stack for several function calls and pops them all at once.
`-fforce-mem'
Force memory operands to be copied into registers before doing
arithmetic on them. This may produce better code by making all
memory references potential common subexpressions. When they are
not common subexpressions, instruction combination should
eliminate the separate register-load. I am interested in hearing
about the difference this makes.
`-fforce-addr'
Force memory address constants to be copied into registers before
doing arithmetic on them. This may produce better code just as
`-fforce-mem' may. I am interested in hearing about the
difference this makes.
`-fomit-frame-pointer'
Don't keep the frame pointer in a register for functions that
don't need one. This avoids the instructions to save, set up and
restore frame pointers; it also makes an extra register available
in many functions. *It also makes debugging impossible on some
machines.*
On some machines, such as the Vax, this flag has no effect, because
the standard calling sequence automatically handles the frame
pointer and nothing is saved by pretending it doesn't exist. The
machine-description macro `FRAME_POINTER_REQUIRED' controls
whether a target machine supports this flag. *Note Register
Usage: (gcc.info)Registers.
`-fno-inline'
Don't pay attention to the `inline' keyword. Normally this option
is used to keep the compiler from expanding any functions inline.
Note that if you are not optimizing, no functions can be expanded
inline.
`-finline-functions'
Integrate all simple functions into their callers. The compiler
heuristically decides which functions are simple enough to be worth
integrating in this way.
If all calls to a given function are integrated, and the function
is declared `static', then the function is normally not output as
assembler code in its own right.
`-fkeep-inline-functions'
Even if all calls to a given function are integrated, and the
function is declared `static', nevertheless output a separate
run-time callable version of the function.
`-fno-function-cse'
Do not put function addresses in registers; make each instruction
that calls a constant function contain the function's address
explicitly.
This option results in less efficient code, but some strange hacks
that alter the assembler output may be confused by the
optimizations performed when this option is not used.
`-ffast-math'
This option allows GCC to violate some ANSI or IEEE rules and/or
specifications in the interest of optimizing code for speed. For
example, it allows the compiler to assume arguments to the `sqrt'
function are non-negative numbers and that no floating-point values
are NaNs.
This option should never be turned on by any `-O' option since it
can result in incorrect output for programs which depend on an
exact implementation of IEEE or ANSI rules/specifications for math
functions.
The following options control specific optimizations. The `-O2'
option turns on all of these optimizations except `-funroll-loops' and
`-funroll-all-loops'. On most machines, the `-O' option turns on the
`-fthread-jumps' and `-fdelayed-branch' options, but specific machines
may handle it differently.
You can use the following flags in the rare cases when "fine-tuning"
of optimizations to be performed is desired.
`-fstrength-reduce'
Perform the optimizations of loop strength reduction and
elimination of iteration variables.
`-fthread-jumps'
Perform optimizations where we check to see if a jump branches to a
location where another comparison subsumed by the first is found.
If so, the first branch is redirected to either the destination of
the second branch or a point immediately following it, depending
on whether the condition is known to be true or false.
`-fcse-follow-jumps'
In common subexpression elimination, scan through jump instructions
when the target of the jump is not reached by any other path. For
example, when CSE encounters an `if' statement with an `else'
clause, CSE will follow the jump when the condition tested is
false.
`-fcse-skip-blocks'
This is similar to `-fcse-follow-jumps', but causes CSE to follow
jumps which conditionally skip over blocks. When CSE encounters a
simple `if' statement with no else clause, `-fcse-skip-blocks'
causes CSE to follow the jump around the body of the `if'.
`-frerun-cse-after-loop'
Re-run common subexpression elimination after loop optimizations
has been performed.
`-fexpensive-optimizations'
Perform a number of minor optimizations that are relatively
expensive.
`-fdelayed-branch'
If supported for the target machine, attempt to reorder
instructions to exploit instruction slots available after delayed
branch instructions.
`-fschedule-insns'
If supported for the target machine, attempt to reorder
instructions to eliminate execution stalls due to required data
being unavailable. This helps machines that have slow floating
point or memory load instructions by allowing other instructions
to be issued until the result of the load or floating point
instruction is required.
`-fschedule-insns2'
Similar to `-fschedule-insns', but requests an additional pass of
instruction scheduling after register allocation has been done.
This is especially useful on machines with a relatively small
number of registers and where memory load instructions take more
than one cycle.
`-fcaller-saves'
Enable values to be allocated in registers that will be clobbered
by function calls, by emitting extra instructions to save and
restore the registers around such calls. Such allocation is done
only when it seems to result in better code than would otherwise
be produced.
This option is enabled by default on certain machines, usually
those which have no call-preserved registers to use instead.
`-funroll-loops'
Perform the optimization of loop unrolling. This is only done for
loops whose number of iterations can be determined at compile time
or run time. `-funroll-loop' implies both `-fstrength-reduce' and
`-frerun-cse-after-loop'.
`-funroll-all-loops'
Perform the optimization of loop unrolling. This is done for all
loops and usually makes programs run more slowly.
`-funroll-all-loops' implies `-fstrength-reduce' as well as
`-frerun-cse-after-loop'.
`-fno-peephole'
Disable any machine-specific peephole optimizations.
File: use, Node: Preprocessor Options, Next: Assembler Options, Prev: Optimize Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options Controlling the Preprocessor
====================================
These options control the C preprocessor, which is run on each C
source file before actual compilation.
If you use the `-E' option, nothing is done except preprocessing.
Some of these options make sense only together with `-E' because they
cause the preprocessor output to be unsuitable for actual compilation.
`-include FILE'
Process FILE as input before processing the regular input file.
In effect, the contents of FILE are compiled first. Any `-D' and
`-U' options on the command line are always processed before
`-include FILE', regardless of the order in which they are
written. All the `-include' and `-imacros' options are processed
in the order in which they are written.
`-imacros FILE'
Process FILE as input, discarding the resulting output, before
processing the regular input file. Because the output generated
from FILE is discarded, the only effect of `-imacros FILE' is to
make the macros defined in FILE available for use in the main
input.
Any `-D' and `-U' options on the command line are always processed
before `-imacros FILE', regardless of the order in which they are
written. All the `-include' and `-imacros' options are processed
in the order in which they are written.
`-idirafter DIR'
Add the directory DIR to the second include path. The directories
on the second include path are searched when a header file is not
found in any of the directories in the main include path (the one
that `-I' adds to).
`-iprefix PREFIX'
Specify PREFIX as the prefix for subsequent `-iwithprefix' options.
`-iwithprefix DIR'
Add a directory to the second include path. The directory's name
is made by concatenating PREFIX and DIR, where PREFIX was
specified previously with `-iprefix'. If you have not specified a
prefix yet, the directory containing the installed passes of the
compiler is used as the default.
`-iwithprefixbefore DIR'
Add a directory to the main include path. The directory's name is
made by concatenating PREFIX and DIR, as in the case of
`-iwithprefix'.
`-isystem DIR'
Add a directory to the beginning of the second include path,
marking it as a system directory, so that it gets the same special
treatment as is applied to the standard system directories.
`-nostdinc'
Do not search the standard system directories for header files.
Only the directories you have specified with `-I' options (and the
current directory, if appropriate) are searched. *Note Directory
Options::, for information on `-I'.
By using both `-nostdinc' and `-I-', you can limit the include-file
search path to only those directories you specify explicitly.
`-undef'
Do not predefine any nonstandard macros. (Including architecture
flags).
`-E'
Run only the C preprocessor. Preprocess all the C source files
specified and output the results to standard output or to the
specified output file.
`-C'
Tell the preprocessor not to discard comments. Used with the `-E'
option.
`-P'
Tell the preprocessor not to generate `#line' directives. Used
with the `-E' option.
`-M'
Tell the preprocessor to output a rule suitable for `make'
describing the dependencies of each object file. For each source
file, the preprocessor outputs one `make'-rule whose target is the
object file name for that source file and whose dependencies are
all the `#include' header files it uses. This rule may be a
single line or may be continued with `\'-newline if it is long.
The list of rules is printed on standard output instead of the
preprocessed C program.
`-M' implies `-E'.
Another way to specify output of a `make' rule is by setting the
environment variable `DEPENDENCIES_OUTPUT' (*note Environment
Variables::.).
`-MM'
Like `-M' but the output mentions only the user header files
included with `#include "FILE"'. System header files included
with `#include <FILE>' are omitted.
`-MD'
Like `-M' but the dependency information is written to a file made
by replacing ".c" with ".d" at the end of the input file names.
This is in addition to compiling the file as specified--`-MD' does
not inhibit ordinary compilation the way `-M' does.
In Mach, you can use the utility `md' to merge multiple dependency
files into a single dependency file suitable for using with the
`make' command.
`-MMD'
Like `-MD' except mention only user header files, not system
header files.
`-MG'
Treat missing header files as generated files and assume they live
in the same directory as the source file. If you specify `-MG',
you must also specify either `-M' or `-MM'. `-MG' is not
supported with `-MD' or `-MMD'.
`-H'
Print the name of each header file used, in addition to other
normal activities.
`-AQUESTION(ANSWER)'
Assert the answer ANSWER for QUESTION, in case it is tested with a
preprocessing conditional such as `#if #QUESTION(ANSWER)'. `-A-'
disables the standard assertions that normally describe the target
machine.
`-DMACRO'
Define macro MACRO with the string `1' as its definition.
`-DMACRO=DEFN'
Define macro MACRO as DEFN. All instances of `-D' on the command
line are processed before any `-U' options.
`-UMACRO'
Undefine macro MACRO. `-U' options are evaluated after all `-D'
options, but before any `-include' and `-imacros' options.
`-dM'
Tell the preprocessor to output only a list of the macro
definitions that are in effect at the end of preprocessing. Used
with the `-E' option.
`-dD'
Tell the preprocessing to pass all macro definitions into the
output, in their proper sequence in the rest of the output.
`-dN'
Like `-dD' except that the macro arguments and contents are
omitted. Only `#define NAME' is included in the output.
`-trigraphs'
Support ANSI C trigraphs. The `-ansi' option also has this effect.
`-Wp,OPTION'
Pass OPTION as an option to the preprocessor. If OPTION contains
commas, it is split into multiple options at the commas.
File: use, Node: Assembler Options, Next: Link Options, Prev: Preprocessor Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Passing Options to the Assembler
================================
You can pass options to the assembler.
`-Wa,OPTION'
Pass OPTION as an option to the assembler. If OPTION contains
commas, it is split into multiple options at the commas.
File: use, Node: Link Options, Next: Directory Options, Prev: Assembler Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options for Linking
===================
These options come into play when the compiler links object files
into an executable output file. They are meaningless if the compiler is
not doing a link step.
`OBJECT-FILE-NAME'
A file name that does not end in a special recognized suffix is
considered to name an object file or library. (Object files are
distinguished from libraries by the linker according to the file
contents.) If linking is done, these object files are used as
input to the linker.
`-c'
`-S'
`-E'
If any of these options is used, then the linker is not run, and
object file names should not be used as arguments. *Note Overall
Options::.
`-lLIBRARY'
Search the library named LIBRARY when linking.
It makes a difference where in the command you write this option;
the linker searches processes libraries and object files in the
order they are specified. Thus, `foo.o -lz bar.o' searches
library `z' after file `foo.o' but before `bar.o'. If `bar.o'
refers to functions in `z', those functions may not be loaded.
The linker searches a standard list of directories for the library,
which is actually a file named `libLIBRARY.a'. The linker then
uses this file as if it had been specified precisely by name.
The directories searched include several standard system
directories plus any that you specify with `-L'.
Normally the files found this way are library files--archive files
whose members are object files. The linker handles an archive
file by scanning through it for members which define symbols that
have so far been referenced but not defined. But if the file that
is found is an ordinary object file, it is linked in the usual
fashion. The only difference between using an `-l' option and
specifying a file name is that `-l' surrounds LIBRARY with `lib'
and `.a' and searches several directories.
`-lobjc'
You need this special case of the `-l' option in order to link an
Objective C program.
`-nostartfiles'
Do not use the standard system startup files when linking. The
standard system libraries are used normally, unless `-nostdlib' or
`-nodefaultlibs' is used.
`-nodefaultlibs'
Do not use the standard system libraries when linking. Only the
libraries you specify will be passed to the linker. The standard
startup files are used normally, unless `-nostartfiles' is used.
`-nostdlib'
Do not use the standard system startup files or libraries when
linking. No startup files and only the libraries you specify will
be passed to the linker.
One of the standard libraries bypassed by `-nostdlib' and
`-nodefaultlibs' is `libgcc.a', a library of internal subroutines
that GNU CC uses to overcome shortcomings of particular machines,
or special needs for some languages. (*Note Interfacing to GNU CC
Output: (gcc.info)Interface, for more discussion of `libgcc.a'.)
In most cases, you need `libgcc.a' even when you want to avoid
other standard libraries. In other words, when you specify
`-nostdlib' or `-nodefaultlibs' you should usually specify `-lgcc'
as well. This ensures that you have no unresolved references to
internal GNU CC library subroutines. (For example, `__main', used
to ensure C++ constructors will be called; *note `collect2':
Collect2..)
`-s'
Remove all symbol table and relocation information from the
executable.
`-static'
On systems that support dynamic linking, this prevents linking
with the shared libraries. On other systems, this option has no
effect.
`-shared'
Produce a shared object which can then be linked with other
objects to form an executable. Only a few systems support this
option.
`-symbolic'
Bind references to global symbols when building a shared object.
Warn about any unresolved references (unless overridden by the
link editor option `-Xlinker -z -Xlinker defs'). Only a few
systems support this option.
`-Xlinker OPTION'
Pass OPTION as an option to the linker. You can use this to
supply system-specific linker options which GNU CC does not know
how to recognize.
If you want to pass an option that takes an argument, you must use
`-Xlinker' twice, once for the option and once for the argument.
For example, to pass `-assert definitions', you must write
`-Xlinker -assert -Xlinker definitions'. It does not work to write
`-Xlinker "-assert definitions"', because this passes the entire
string as a single argument, which is not what the linker expects.
`-Wl,OPTION'
Pass OPTION as an option to the linker. If OPTION contains
commas, it is split into multiple options at the commas.
`-u SYMBOL'
Pretend the symbol SYMBOL is undefined, to force linking of
library modules to define it. You can use `-u' multiple times with
different symbols to force loading of additional library modules.
File: use, Node: Directory Options, Next: Target Options, Prev: Link Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options for Directory Search
============================
These options specify directories to search for header files, for
libraries and for parts of the compiler:
`-IDIR'
Add the directory DIRECTORY to the head of the list of directories
to be searched for header files. This can be used to override a
system header file, substituting your own version, since these
directories are searched before the system header file
directories. If you use more than one `-I' option, the
directories are scanned in left-to-right order; the standard
system directories come after.
`-I-'
Any directories you specify with `-I' options before the `-I-'
option are searched only for the case of `#include "FILE"'; they
are not searched for `#include <FILE>'.
If additional directories are specified with `-I' options after
the `-I-', these directories are searched for all `#include'
directives. (Ordinarily *all* `-I' directories are used this way.)
In addition, the `-I-' option inhibits the use of the current
directory (where the current input file came from) as the first
search directory for `#include "FILE"'. There is no way to
override this effect of `-I-'. With `-I.' you can specify
searching the directory which was current when the compiler was
invoked. That is not exactly the same as what the preprocessor
does by default, but it is often satisfactory.
`-I-' does not inhibit the use of the standard system directories
for header files. Thus, `-I-' and `-nostdinc' are independent.
`-LDIR'
Add directory DIR to the list of directories to be searched for
`-l'.
`-BPREFIX'
This option specifies where to find the executables, libraries,
include files, and data files of the compiler itself.
The compiler driver program runs one or more of the subprograms
`cpp', `cc1', `as' and `ld'. It tries PREFIX as a prefix for each
program it tries to run, both with and without `MACHINE/VERSION/'
(*note Target Options::.).
For each subprogram to be run, the compiler driver first tries the
`-B' prefix, if any. If that name is not found, or if `-B' was
not specified, the driver tries two standard prefixes, which are
`/usr/lib/gcc/' and `/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/'. If neither of
those results in a file name that is found, the unmodified program
name is searched for using the directories specified in your
`PATH' environment variable.
`-B' prefixes that effectively specify directory names also apply
to libraries in the linker, because the compiler translates these
options into `-L' options for the linker. They also apply to
includes files in the preprocessor, because the compiler
translates these options into `-isystem' options for the
preprocessor. In this case, the compiler appends `include' to the
prefix.
The run-time support file `libgcc.a' can also be searched for using
the `-B' prefix, if needed. If it is not found there, the two
standard prefixes above are tried, and that is all. The file is
left out of the link if it is not found by those means.
Another way to specify a prefix much like the `-B' prefix is to use
the environment variable `GCC_EXEC_PREFIX'. *Note Environment
Variables::.
File: use, Node: Target Options, Next: Submodel Options, Prev: Directory Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Specifying Target Machine and Compiler Version
==============================================
By default, GNU CC compiles code for the same type of machine that
you are using. However, it can also be installed as a cross-compiler,
to compile for some other type of machine. In fact, several different
configurations of GNU CC, for different target machines, can be
installed side by side. Then you specify which one to use with the
`-b' option.
In addition, older and newer versions of GNU CC can be installed side
by side. One of them (probably the newest) will be the default, but
you may sometimes wish to use another.
`-b MACHINE'
The argument MACHINE specifies the target machine for compilation.
This is useful when you have installed GNU CC as a cross-compiler.
The value to use for MACHINE is the same as was specified as the
machine type when configuring GNU CC as a cross-compiler. For
example, if a cross-compiler was configured with `configure
i386v', meaning to compile for an 80386 running System V, then you
would specify `-b i386v' to run that cross compiler.
When you do not specify `-b', it normally means to compile for the
same type of machine that you are using.
`-V VERSION'
The argument VERSION specifies which version of GNU CC to run.
This is useful when multiple versions are installed. For example,
VERSION might be `2.0', meaning to run GNU CC version 2.0.
The default version, when you do not specify `-V', is the last
version of GNU CC that you installed.
The `-b' and `-V' options actually work by controlling part of the
file name used for the executable files and libraries used for
compilation. A given version of GNU CC, for a given target machine, is
normally kept in the directory `/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/MACHINE/VERSION'.
Thus, sites can customize the effect of `-b' or `-V' either by
changing the names of these directories or adding alternate names (or
symbolic links). If in directory `/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/' the file
`80386' is a link to the file `i386v', then `-b 80386' becomes an alias
for `-b i386v'.
In one respect, the `-b' or `-V' do not completely change to a
different compiler: the top-level driver program `gcc' that you
originally invoked continues to run and invoke the other executables
(preprocessor, compiler per se, assembler and linker) that do the real
work. However, since no real work is done in the driver program, it
usually does not matter that the driver program in use is not the one
for the specified target and version.
The only way that the driver program depends on the target machine is
in the parsing and handling of special machine-specific options.
However, this is controlled by a file which is found, along with the
other executables, in the directory for the specified version and
target machine. As a result, a single installed driver program adapts
to any specified target machine and compiler version.
The driver program executable does control one significant thing,
however: the default version and target machine. Therefore, you can
install different instances of the driver program, compiled for
different targets or versions, under different names.
For example, if the driver for version 2.0 is installed as `ogcc'
and that for version 2.1 is installed as `gcc', then the command `gcc'
will use version 2.1 by default, while `ogcc' will use 2.0 by default.
However, you can choose either version with either command with the
`-V' option.
File: use, Node: Submodel Options, Next: Code Gen Options, Prev: Target Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Hardware Models and Configurations
==================================
Earlier we discussed the standard option `-b' which chooses among
different installed compilers for completely different target machines,
such as Vax vs. 68000 vs. 80386.
In addition, each of these target machine types can have its own
special options, starting with `-m', to choose among various hardware
models or configurations--for example, 68010 vs 68020, floating
coprocessor or none. A single installed version of the compiler can
compile for any model or configuration, according to the options
specified.
Some configurations of the compiler also support additional special
options, usually for compatibility with other compilers on the same
platform.
* Menu:
* M680x0 Options::
* VAX Options::
* SPARC Options::
* Convex Options::
* AMD29K Options::
* ARM Options::
* M88K Options::
* RS/6000 and PowerPC Options::
* RT Options::
* MIPS Options::
* i386 Options::
* HPPA Options::
* Intel 960 Options::
* DEC Alpha Options::
* Clipper Options::
* H8/300 Options::
* System V Options::
File: use, Node: M680x0 Options, Next: VAX Options, Up: Submodel Options
M680x0 Options
--------------
These are the `-m' options defined for the 68000 series. The default
values for these options depends on which style of 68000 was selected
when the compiler was configured; the defaults for the most common
choices are given below.
`-m68000'
`-mc68000'
Generate output for a 68000. This is the default when the
compiler is configured for 68000-based systems.
`-m68020'
`-mc68020'
Generate output for a 68020. This is the default when the
compiler is configured for 68020-based systems.
`-m68881'
Generate output containing 68881 instructions for floating point.
This is the default for most 68020 systems unless `-nfp' was
specified when the compiler was configured.
`-m68030'
Generate output for a 68030. This is the default when the
compiler is configured for 68030-based systems.
`-m68040'
Generate output for a 68040. This is the default when the
compiler is configured for 68040-based systems.
This option inhibits the use of 68881/68882 instructions that have
to be emulated by software on the 68040. If your 68040 does not
have code to emulate those instructions, use `-m68040'.
`-m68020-40'
Generate output for a 68040, without using any of the new
instructions. This results in code which can run relatively
efficiently on either a 68020/68881 or a 68030 or a 68040. The
generated code does use the 68881 instructions that are emulated
on the 68040.
`-mfpa'
Generate output containing Sun FPA instructions for floating point.
`-msoft-float'
Generate output containing library calls for floating point.
*Warning:* the requisite libraries are not available for all m68k
targets. Normally the facilities of the machine's usual C
compiler are used, but this can't be done directly in
cross-compilation. You must make your own arrangements to provide
suitable library functions for cross-compilation. The embedded
targets `m68k-*-aout' and `m68k-*-coff' do provide software
floating point support.
`-mshort'
Consider type `int' to be 16 bits wide, like `short int'.
`-mnobitfield'
Do not use the bit-field instructions. The `-m68000' option
implies `-mnobitfield'.
`-mbitfield'
Do use the bit-field instructions. The `-m68020' option implies
`-mbitfield'. This is the default if you use a configuration
designed for a 68020.
`-mrtd'
Use a different function-calling convention, in which functions
that take a fixed number of arguments return with the `rtd'
instruction, which pops their arguments while returning. This
saves one instruction in the caller since there is no need to pop
the arguments there.
This calling convention is incompatible with the one normally used
on Unix, so you cannot use it if you need to call libraries
compiled with the Unix compiler.
Also, you must provide function prototypes for all functions that
take variable numbers of arguments (including `printf'); otherwise
incorrect code will be generated for calls to those functions.
In addition, seriously incorrect code will result if you call a
function with too many arguments. (Normally, extra arguments are
harmlessly ignored.)
The `rtd' instruction is supported by the 68010 and 68020
processors, but not by the 68000.
File: use, Node: VAX Options, Next: SPARC Options, Prev: M680x0 Options, Up: Submodel Options
VAX Options
-----------
These `-m' options are defined for the Vax:
`-munix'
Do not output certain jump instructions (`aobleq' and so on) that
the Unix assembler for the Vax cannot handle across long ranges.
`-mgnu'
Do output those jump instructions, on the assumption that you will
assemble with the GNU assembler.
`-mg'
Output code for g-format floating point numbers instead of
d-format.
File: use, Node: SPARC Options, Next: Convex Options, Prev: VAX Options, Up: Submodel Options
SPARC Options
-------------
These `-m' switches are supported on the SPARC:
`-mno-app-regs'
`-mapp-regs'
Specify `-mapp-regs' to generate output using the global registers
2 through 4, which the SPARC SVR4 ABI reserves for applications.
This is the default.
To be fully SVR4 ABI compliant at the cost of some performance
loss, specify `-mno-app-regs'. You should compile libraries and
system software with this option.
`-mfpu'
`-mhard-float'
Generate output containing floating point instructions. This is
the default.
`-mno-fpu'
`-msoft-float'
Generate output containing library calls for floating point.
*Warning:* the requisite libraries are not available for all SPARC
targets. Normally the facilities of the machine's usual C
compiler are used, but this cannot be done directly in
cross-compilation. You must make your own arrangements to provide
suitable library functions for cross-compilation. The embedded
targets `sparc-*-aout' and `sparclite-*-*' do provide software
floating point support.
`-msoft-float' changes the calling convention in the output file;
therefore, it is only useful if you compile *all* of a program with
this option. In particular, you need to compile `libgcc.a', the
library that comes with GNU CC, with `-msoft-float' in order for
this to work.
`-mhard-quad-float'
Generate output containing quad-word (long double) floating point
instructions.
`-msoft-quad-float'
Generate output containing library calls for quad-word (long
double) floating point instructions. The functions called are
those specified in the SPARC ABI. This is the default.
As of this writing, there are no sparc implementations that have
hardware support for the quad-word floating point instructions.
They all invoke a trap handler for one of these instructions, and
then the trap handler emulates the effect of the instruction.
Because of the trap handler overhead, this is much slower than
calling the ABI library routines. Thus the `-msoft-quad-float'
option is the default.
`-mno-epilogue'
`-mepilogue'
With `-mepilogue' (the default), the compiler always emits code for
function exit at the end of each function. Any function exit in
the middle of the function (such as a return statement in C) will
generate a jump to the exit code at the end of the function.
With `-mno-epilogue', the compiler tries to emit exit code inline
at every function exit.
`-mno-flat'
`-mflat'
With `-mflat', the compiler does not generate save/restore
instructions and will use a "flat" or single register window
calling convention. This model uses %i7 as the frame pointer and
is compatible with the normal register window model. Code from
either may be intermixed although debugger support is still
incomplete. The local registers and the input registers (0-5) are
still treated as "call saved" registers and will be saved on the
stack as necessary.
With `-mno-flat' (the default), the compiler emits save/restore
instructions (except for leaf functions) and is the normal mode of
operation.
`-mno-unaligned-doubles'
`-munaligned-doubles'
Assume that doubles have 8 byte alignment. This is the default.
With `-munaligned-doubles', GNU CC assumes that doubles have 8 byte
alignment only if they are contained in another type, or if they
have an absolute address. Otherwise, it assumes they have 4 byte
alignment. Specifying this option avoids some rare compatibility
problems with code generated by other compilers. It is not the
default because it results in a performance loss, especially for
floating point code.
`-mv8'
`-msparclite'
These two options select variations on the SPARC architecture.
By default (unless specifically configured for the Fujitsu
SPARClite), GCC generates code for the v7 variant of the SPARC
architecture.
`-mv8' will give you SPARC v8 code. The only difference from v7
code is that the compiler emits the integer multiply and integer
divide instructions which exist in SPARC v8 but not in SPARC v7.
`-msparclite' will give you SPARClite code. This adds the integer
multiply, integer divide step and scan (`ffs') instructions which
exist in SPARClite but not in SPARC v7.
`-mcypress'
`-msupersparc'
These two options select the processor for which the code is
optimised.
With `-mcypress' (the default), the compiler optimizes code for the
Cypress CY7C602 chip, as used in the SparcStation/SparcServer 3xx
series. This is also appropriate for the older SparcStation 1, 2,
IPX etc.
With `-msupersparc' the compiler optimizes code for the SuperSparc
cpu, as used in the SparcStation 10, 1000 and 2000 series. This
flag also enables use of the full SPARC v8 instruction set.
In a future version of GCC, these options will very likely be
renamed to `-mcpu=cypress' and `-mcpu=supersparc'.
These `-m' switches are supported in addition to the above on SPARC
V9 processors:
`-mmedlow'
Generate code for the Medium/Low code model: assume a 32 bit
address space. Programs are statically linked, PIC is not
supported. Pointers are still 64 bits.
It is very likely that a future version of GCC will rename this
option.
`-mmedany'
Generate code for the Medium/Anywhere code model: assume a 32 bit
text segment starting at offset 0, and a 32 bit data segment
starting anywhere (determined at link time). Programs are
statically linked, PIC is not supported. Pointers are still 64
bits.
It is very likely that a future version of GCC will rename this
option.
`-mint64'
Types long and int are 64 bits.
`-mlong32'
Types long and int are 32 bits.
`-mlong64'
`-mint32'
Type long is 64 bits, and type int is 32 bits.
`-mstack-bias'
`-mno-stack-bias'
With `-mstack-bias', GNU CC assumes that the stack pointer, and
frame pointer if present, are offset by -2047 which must be added
back when making stack frame references. Otherwise, assume no
such offset is present.
File: use, Node: Convex Options, Next: AMD29K Options, Prev: SPARC Options, Up: Submodel Options
Convex Options
--------------
These `-m' options are defined for Convex:
`-mc1'
Generate output for C1. The code will run on any Convex machine.
The preprocessor symbol `__convex__c1__' is defined.
`-mc2'
Generate output for C2. Uses instructions not available on C1.
Scheduling and other optimizations are chosen for max performance
on C2. The preprocessor symbol `__convex_c2__' is defined.
`-mc32'
Generate output for C32xx. Uses instructions not available on C1.
Scheduling and other optimizations are chosen for max performance
on C32. The preprocessor symbol `__convex_c32__' is defined.
`-mc34'
Generate output for C34xx. Uses instructions not available on C1.
Scheduling and other optimizations are chosen for max performance
on C34. The preprocessor symbol `__convex_c34__' is defined.
`-mc38'
Generate output for C38xx. Uses instructions not available on C1.
Scheduling and other optimizations are chosen for max performance
on C38. The preprocessor symbol `__convex_c38__' is defined.
`-margcount'
Generate code which puts an argument count in the word preceding
each argument list. This is compatible with regular CC, and a few
programs may need the argument count word. GDB and other
source-level debuggers do not need it; this info is in the symbol
table.
`-mnoargcount'
Omit the argument count word. This is the default.
`-mvolatile-cache'
Allow volatile references to be cached. This is the default.
`-mvolatile-nocache'
Volatile references bypass the data cache, going all the way to
memory. This is only needed for multi-processor code that does
not use standard synchronization instructions. Making
non-volatile references to volatile locations will not necessarily
work.
`-mlong32'
Type long is 32 bits, the same as type int. This is the default.
`-mlong64'
Type long is 64 bits, the same as type long long. This option is
useless, because no library support exists for it.
File: use, Node: AMD29K Options, Next: ARM Options, Prev: Convex Options, Up: Submodel Options
AMD29K Options
--------------
These `-m' options are defined for the AMD Am29000:
`-mdw'
Generate code that assumes the `DW' bit is set, i.e., that byte and
halfword operations are directly supported by the hardware. This
is the default.
`-mndw'
Generate code that assumes the `DW' bit is not set.
`-mbw'
Generate code that assumes the system supports byte and halfword
write operations. This is the default.
`-mnbw'
Generate code that assumes the systems does not support byte and
halfword write operations. `-mnbw' implies `-mndw'.
`-msmall'
Use a small memory model that assumes that all function addresses
are either within a single 256 KB segment or at an absolute
address of less than 256k. This allows the `call' instruction to
be used instead of a `const', `consth', `calli' sequence.
`-mnormal'
Use the normal memory model: Generate `call' instructions only when
calling functions in the same file and `calli' instructions
otherwise. This works if each file occupies less than 256 KB but
allows the entire executable to be larger than 256 KB. This is
the default.
`-mlarge'
Always use `calli' instructions. Specify this option if you expect
a single file to compile into more than 256 KB of code.
`-m29050'
Generate code for the Am29050.
`-m29000'
Generate code for the Am29000. This is the default.
`-mkernel-registers'
Generate references to registers `gr64-gr95' instead of to
registers `gr96-gr127'. This option can be used when compiling
kernel code that wants a set of global registers disjoint from
that used by user-mode code.
Note that when this option is used, register names in `-f' flags
must use the normal, user-mode, names.
`-muser-registers'
Use the normal set of global registers, `gr96-gr127'. This is the
default.
`-mstack-check'
`-mno-stack-check'
Insert (or do not insert) a call to `__msp_check' after each stack
adjustment. This is often used for kernel code.
`-mstorem-bug'
`-mno-storem-bug'
`-mstorem-bug' handles 29k processors which cannot handle the
separation of a mtsrim insn and a storem instruction (most 29000
chips to date, but not the 29050).
`-mno-reuse-arg-regs'
`-mreuse-arg-regs'
`-mno-reuse-arg-regs' tells the compiler to only use incoming
argument registers for copying out arguments. This helps detect
calling a function with fewer arguments than it was declared with.
`-msoft-float'
Generate output containing library calls for floating point.
*Warning:* the requisite libraries are not part of GNU CC.
Normally the facilities of the machine's usual C compiler are
used, but this can't be done directly in cross-compilation. You
must make your own arrangements to provide suitable library
functions for cross-compilation.
File: use, Node: ARM Options, Next: M88K Options, Prev: AMD29K Options, Up: Submodel Options
ARM Options
-----------
These `-m' options are defined for Advanced RISC Machines (ARM)
architectures:
`-m2'
`-m3'
These options are identical. Generate code for the ARM2 and ARM3
processors. This option is the default. You should also use this
option to generate code for ARM6 processors that are running with a
26-bit program counter.
`-m6'
Generate code for the ARM6 processor when running with a 32-bit
program counter.
`-mapcs'
Generate a stack frame that is compliant with the ARM Procedure
Call Standard for all functions, even if this is not strictly
necessary for correct execution of the code.
`-mbsd'
This option only applies to RISC iX. Emulate the native BSD-mode
compiler. This is the default if `-ansi' is not specified.
`-mxopen'
This option only applies to RISC iX. Emulate the native
X/Open-mode compiler.
`-mno-symrename'
This option only applies to RISC iX. Do not run the assembler
post-processor, `symrename', after code has been assembled.
Normally it is necessary to modify some of the standard symbols in
preparation for linking with the RISC iX C library; this option
suppresses this pass. The post-processor is never run when the
compiler is built for cross-compilation.
File: use, Node: M88K Options, Next: RS/6000 and PowerPC Options, Prev: ARM Options, Up: Submodel Options
M88K Options
------------
These `-m' options are defined for Motorola 88k architectures:
`-m88000'
Generate code that works well on both the m88100 and the m88110.
`-m88100'
Generate code that works best for the m88100, but that also runs
on the m88110.
`-m88110'
Generate code that works best for the m88110, and may not run on
the m88100.
`-mbig-pic'
Obsolete option to be removed from the next revision. Use `-fPIC'.
`-midentify-revision'
Include an `ident' directive in the assembler output recording the
source file name, compiler name and version, timestamp, and
compilation flags used.
`-mno-underscores'
In assembler output, emit symbol names without adding an underscore
character at the beginning of each name. The default is to use an
underscore as prefix on each name.
`-mocs-debug-info'
`-mno-ocs-debug-info'
Include (or omit) additional debugging information (about
registers used in each stack frame) as specified in the 88open
Object Compatibility Standard, "OCS". This extra information
allows debugging of code that has had the frame pointer
eliminated. The default for DG/UX, SVr4, and Delta 88 SVr3.2 is
to include this information; other 88k configurations omit this
information by default.
`-mocs-frame-position'
When emitting COFF debugging information for automatic variables
and parameters stored on the stack, use the offset from the
canonical frame address, which is the stack pointer (register 31)
on entry to the function. The DG/UX, SVr4, Delta88 SVr3.2, and
BCS configurations use `-mocs-frame-position'; other 88k
configurations have the default `-mno-ocs-frame-position'.
`-mno-ocs-frame-position'
When emitting COFF debugging information for automatic variables
and parameters stored on the stack, use the offset from the frame
pointer register (register 30). When this option is in effect,
the frame pointer is not eliminated when debugging information is
selected by the -g switch.
`-moptimize-arg-area'
`-mno-optimize-arg-area'
Control how function arguments are stored in stack frames.
`-moptimize-arg-area' saves space by optimizing them, but this
conflicts with the 88open specifications. The opposite
alternative, `-mno-optimize-arg-area', agrees with 88open
standards. By default GNU CC does not optimize the argument area.
`-mshort-data-NUM'
Generate smaller data references by making them relative to `r0',
which allows loading a value using a single instruction (rather
than the usual two). You control which data references are
affected by specifying NUM with this option. For example, if you
specify `-mshort-data-512', then the data references affected are
those involving displacements of less than 512 bytes.
`-mshort-data-NUM' is not effective for NUM greater than 64k.
`-mserialize-volatile'
`-mno-serialize-volatile'
Do, or don't, generate code to guarantee sequential consistency of
volatile memory references. By default, consistency is guaranteed.
The order of memory references made by the MC88110 processor does
not always match the order of the instructions requesting those
references. In particular, a load instruction may execute before
a preceding store instruction. Such reordering violates
sequential consistency of volatile memory references, when there
are multiple processors. When consistency must be guaranteed,
GNU C generates special instructions, as needed, to force
execution in the proper order.
The MC88100 processor does not reorder memory references and so
always provides sequential consistency. However, by default, GNU
C generates the special instructions to guarantee consistency even
when you use `-m88100', so that the code may be run on an MC88110
processor. If you intend to run your code only on the MC88100
processor, you may use `-mno-serialize-volatile'.
The extra code generated to guarantee consistency may affect the
performance of your application. If you know that you can safely
forgo this guarantee, you may use `-mno-serialize-volatile'.
`-msvr4'
`-msvr3'
Turn on (`-msvr4') or off (`-msvr3') compiler extensions related
to System V release 4 (SVr4). This controls the following:
1. Which variant of the assembler syntax to emit.
2. `-msvr4' makes the C preprocessor recognize `#pragma weak'
that is used on System V release 4.
3. `-msvr4' makes GNU CC issue additional declaration directives
used in SVr4.
`-msvr4' is the default for the m88k-motorola-sysv4 and
m88k-dg-dgux m88k configurations. `-msvr3' is the default for all
other m88k configurations.
`-mversion-03.00'
This option is obsolete, and is ignored.
`-mno-check-zero-division'
`-mcheck-zero-division'
Do, or don't, generate code to guarantee that integer division by
zero will be detected. By default, detection is guaranteed.
Some models of the MC88100 processor fail to trap upon integer
division by zero under certain conditions. By default, when
compiling code that might be run on such a processor, GNU C
generates code that explicitly checks for zero-valued divisors and
traps with exception number 503 when one is detected. Use of
mno-check-zero-division suppresses such checking for code
generated to run on an MC88100 processor.
GNU C assumes that the MC88110 processor correctly detects all
instances of integer division by zero. When `-m88110' is
specified, both `-mcheck-zero-division' and
`-mno-check-zero-division' are ignored, and no explicit checks for
zero-valued divisors are generated.
`-muse-div-instruction'
Use the div instruction for signed integer division on the MC88100
processor. By default, the div instruction is not used.
On the MC88100 processor the signed integer division instruction
div) traps to the operating system on a negative operand. The
operating system transparently completes the operation, but at a
large cost in execution time. By default, when compiling code
that might be run on an MC88100 processor, GNU C emulates signed
integer division using the unsigned integer division instruction
divu), thereby avoiding the large penalty of a trap to the
operating system. Such emulation has its own, smaller, execution
cost in both time and space. To the extent that your code's
important signed integer division operations are performed on two
nonnegative operands, it may be desirable to use the div
instruction directly.
On the MC88110 processor the div instruction (also known as the
divs instruction) processes negative operands without trapping to
the operating system. When `-m88110' is specified,
`-muse-div-instruction' is ignored, and the div instruction is used
for signed integer division.
Note that the result of dividing INT_MIN by -1 is undefined. In
particular, the behavior of such a division with and without
`-muse-div-instruction' may differ.
`-mtrap-large-shift'
`-mhandle-large-shift'
Include code to detect bit-shifts of more than 31 bits;
respectively, trap such shifts or emit code to handle them
properly. By default GNU CC makes no special provision for large
bit shifts.
`-mwarn-passed-structs'
Warn when a function passes a struct as an argument or result.
Structure-passing conventions have changed during the evolution of
the C language, and are often the source of portability problems.
By default, GNU CC issues no such warning.
File: use, Node: RS/6000 and PowerPC Options, Next: RT Options, Prev: M88K Options, Up: Submodel Options
IBM RS/6000 and PowerPC Options
-------------------------------
These `-m' options are defined for the IBM RS/6000 and PowerPC:
`-mpower'
`-mno-power'
`-mpower2'
`-mno-power2'
`-mpowerpc'
`-mno-powerpc'
`-mpowerpc-gpopt'
`-mno-powerpc-gpopt'
`-mpowerpc-gfxopt'
`-mno-powerpc-gfxopt'
GNU CC supports two related instruction set architectures for the
RS/6000 and PowerPC. The "POWER" instruction set are those
instructions supported by the `rios' chip set used in the original
RS/6000 systems and the "PowerPC" instruction set is the
architecture of the Motorola MPC6xx microprocessors. The PowerPC
architecture defines 64-bit instructions, but they are not
supported by any current processors.
Neither architecture is a subset of the other. However there is a
large common subset of instructions supported by both. An MQ
register is included in processors supporting the POWER
architecture.
You use these options to specify which instructions are available
on the processor you are using. The default value of these
options is determined when configuring GNU CC. Specifying the
`-mcpu=CPU_TYPE' overrides the specification of these options. We
recommend you use that option rather than these.
The `-mpower' option allows GNU CC to generate instructions that
are found only in the POWER architecture and to use the MQ
register. Specifying `-mpower2' implies `-power' and also allows
GNU CC to generate instructions that are present in the POWER2
architecture but not the original POWER architecture.
The `-mpowerpc' option allows GNU CC to generate instructions that
are found only in the 32-bit subset of the PowerPC architecture.
Specifying `-mpowerpc-gpopt' implies `-mpowerpc' and also allows
GNU CC to use the optional PowerPC architecture instructions in the
General Purpose group, including floating-point square root.
Specifying `-mpowerpc-gfxopt' implies `-mpowerpc' and also allows
GNU CC to use the optional PowerPC architecture instructions in
the Graphics group, including floating-point select.
If you specify both `-mno-power' and `-mno-powerpc', GNU CC will
use only the instructions in the common subset of both
architectures plus some special AIX common-mode calls, and will
not use the MQ register. Specifying both `-mpower' and `-mpowerpc'
permits GNU CC to use any instruction from either architecture and
to allow use of the MQ register; specify this for the Motorola
MPC601.
`-mnew-mnemonics'
`-mold-mnemonics'
Select which mnemonics to use in the generated assembler code.
`-mnew-mnemonics' requests output that uses the assembler mnemonics
defined for the PowerPC architecture, while `-mold-mnemonics'
requests the assembler mnemonics defined for the POWER
architecture. Instructions defined in only one architecture have
only one mnemonic; GNU CC uses that mnemonic irrespective of which
of thse options is specified.
PowerPC assemblers support both the old and new mnemonics, as will
later POWER assemblers. Current POWER assemblers only support the
old mnemonics. Specify `-mnew-mnemonics' if you have an assembler
that supports them, otherwise specify `-mold-mnemonics'.
The default value of these options depends on how GNU CC was
configured. Specifying `-mcpu=CPU_TYPE' sometimes overrides the
value of these option. Unless you are building a cross-compiler,
you should normally not specify either `-mnew-mnemonics' or
`-mold-mnemonics', but should instead accept the default.
`-mcpu=CPU_TYPE'
Set architecture type, register usage, choice of mnemonics, and
instruction scheduling parameters for machine type CPU_TYPE. By
default, CPU_TYPE is the target system defined when GNU CC was
configured. Supported values for CPU_TYPE are `rios1', `rios2',
`rsc', `601', `603', `604', `power', `powerpc', `403', and
`common'. `-mcpu=power' and `-mcpu=powerpc' specify generic POWER
and pure PowerPC (i.e., not MPC601) architecture machine types,
with an appropriate, generic processor model assumed for
scheduling purposes.
Specifying `-mcpu=rios1', `-mcpu=rios2', `-mcpu=rsc', or
`-mcpu=power' enables the `-mpower' option and disables the
`-mpowerpc' option; `-mcpu=601' enables both the `-mpower' and
`-mpowerpc' options; `-mcpu=603', `-mcpu=604', `-mcpu=403', and
`-mcpu=powerpc' enable the `-mpowerpc' option and disable the
`-mpower' option; `-mcpu=common' disables both the `-mpower' and
`-mpowerpc' options.
To generate code that will operate on all members of the RS/6000
and PowerPC families, specify `-mcpu=common'. In that case, GNU CC
will use only the instructions in the common subset of both
architectures plus some special AIX common-mode calls, and will
not use the MQ register. GNU CC assumes a generic processor model
for scheduling purposes.
Specifying `-mcpu=rios1', `-mcpu=rios2', `-mcpu=rsc', or
`-mcpu=power' also disables the `new-mnemonics' option.
Specifying `-mcpu=601', `-mcpu=603', `-mcpu=604', `403', or
`-mcpu=powerpc' also enables the `new-mnemonics' option.
`-mfull-toc'
`-mno-fp-in-toc'
`-mno-sum-in-toc'
`-mminimal-toc'
Modify generation of the TOC (Table Of Contents), which is created
for every executable file. The `-mfull-toc' option is selected by
default. In that case, GNU CC will allocate at least one TOC
entry for each unique non-automatic variable reference in your
program. GNU CC will also place floating-point constants in the
TOC. However, only 16,384 entries are available in the TOC.
If you receive a linker error message that saying you have
overflowed the available TOC space, you can reduce the amount of
TOC space used with the `-mno-fp-in-toc' and `-mno-sum-in-toc'
options. `-mno-fp-in-toc' prevents GNU CC from putting
floating-point constants in the TOC and `-mno-sum-in-toc' forces
GNU CC to generate code to calculate the sum of an address and a
constant at run-time instead of putting that sum into the TOC.
You may specify one or both of these options. Each causes GNU CC
to produce very slightly slower and larger code at the expense of
conserving TOC space.
If you still run out of space in the TOC even when you specify
both of these options, specify `-mminimal-toc' instead. This
option causes GNU CC to make only one TOC entry for every file.
When you specify this option, GNU CC will produce code that is
slower and larger but which uses extremely little TOC space. You
may wish to use this option only on files that contain less
frequently executed code.
`-msoft-float'
`-mhard-float'
Generate code that does not use (uses) the floating-point register
set. Software floating point emulation is provided if you use the
`-msoft-float' option, and pass the option to GNU CC when linking.
`-mmultiple'
`-mno-multiple'
Generate code that uses (does not use) the load multiple word
instructions and the store multiple word instructions. These
instructions are generated by default on POWER systems, and not
generated on PowerPC systems. Do not use `-mmultiple' on little
endian PowerPC systems, since those instructions do not work when
the processor is in little endian mode.
`-mstring'
`-mno-string'
Generate code that uses (does not use) the load string
instructions and the store string word instructions to save
multiple registers and do small block moves. These instructions
are generated by default on POWER systems, anod not generated on
PowerPC systems. Do not use `-mstring' on little endian PowerPC
systems, since those instructions do not work when the processor
is in little endian mode.
`-mno-bit-align'
`-mbit-align'
On System V.4 and embedded PowerPC systems do not (do) force
structures and unions that contain bit fields to be aligned to the
base type of the bit field.
For example, by default a structure containing nothing but 8
`unsigned' bitfields of length 1 would be aligned to a 4 byte
boundary and have a size of 4 bytes. By using `-mno-bit-align',
the structure would be aligned to a 1 byte boundary and be one
byte in size.
`-mno-strict-align'
`-mstrict-align'
On System V.4 and embedded PowerPC systems do not (do) assume that
unaligned memory references will be handled by the system.
`-mrelocatable'
`-mno-relocatable'
On embedded PowerPC systems generate code that allows (does not
allow) the program to be relocated to a different address at
runtime.
`-mno-toc'
`-mtoc'
On System V.4 and embedded PowerPC systems do not (do) assume that
register 2 contains a pointer to a global area pointing to the
addresses used in the program.
`-mno-traceback'
`-mtraceback'
On embedded PowerPC systems do not (do) generate a traceback tag
before the start of the function. This tag can be used by the
debugger to identify where the start of a function is.
`-mlittle'
`-mlittle-endian'
On System V.4 and embedded PowerPC systems compile code for the
processor in little endian mode. The `-mlittle-endian' option is
the same as `-mlittle'.
`-mbig'
`-mbig-endian'
On System V.4 and embedded PowerPC systems compile code for the
processor in big endian mode. The `-mbig-endian' option is the
same as `-mbig'.
File: use, Node: RT Options, Next: MIPS Options, Prev: RS/6000 and PowerPC Options, Up: Submodel Options
IBM RT Options
--------------
These `-m' options are defined for the IBM RT PC:
`-min-line-mul'
Use an in-line code sequence for integer multiplies. This is the
default.
`-mcall-lib-mul'
Call `lmul$$' for integer multiples.
`-mfull-fp-blocks'
Generate full-size floating point data blocks, including the
minimum amount of scratch space recommended by IBM. This is the
default.
`-mminimum-fp-blocks'
Do not include extra scratch space in floating point data blocks.
This results in smaller code, but slower execution, since scratch
space must be allocated dynamically.
`-mfp-arg-in-fpregs'
Use a calling sequence incompatible with the IBM calling
convention in which floating point arguments are passed in
floating point registers. Note that `varargs.h' and `stdargs.h'
will not work with floating point operands if this option is
specified.
`-mfp-arg-in-gregs'
Use the normal calling convention for floating point arguments.
This is the default.
`-mhc-struct-return'
Return structures of more than one word in memory, rather than in a
register. This provides compatibility with the MetaWare HighC (hc)
compiler. Use the option `-fpcc-struct-return' for compatibility
with the Portable C Compiler (pcc).
`-mnohc-struct-return'
Return some structures of more than one word in registers, when
convenient. This is the default. For compatibility with the
IBM-supplied compilers, use the option `-fpcc-struct-return' or the
option `-mhc-struct-return'.
File: use, Node: MIPS Options, Next: i386 Options, Prev: RT Options, Up: Submodel Options
MIPS Options
------------
These `-m' options are defined for the MIPS family of computers:
`-mcpu=CPU TYPE'
Assume the defaults for the machine type CPU TYPE when scheduling
instructions. The choices for CPU TYPE are `r2000', `r3000',
`r4000', `r4400', `r4600', and `r6000'. While picking a specific
CPU TYPE will schedule things appropriately for that particular
chip, the compiler will not generate any code that does not meet
level 1 of the MIPS ISA (instruction set architecture) without the
`-mips2' or `-mips3' switches being used.
`-mips1'
Issue instructions from level 1 of the MIPS ISA. This is the
default. `r3000' is the default CPU TYPE at this ISA level.
`-mips2'
Issue instructions from level 2 of the MIPS ISA (branch likely,
square root instructions). `r6000' is the default CPU TYPE at this
ISA level.
`-mips3'
Issue instructions from level 3 of the MIPS ISA (64 bit
instructions). `r4000' is the default CPU TYPE at this ISA level.
This option does not change the sizes of any of the C data types.
`-mfp32'
Assume that 32 32-bit floating point registers are available.
This is the default.
`-mfp64'
Assume that 32 64-bit floating point registers are available.
This is the default when the `-mips3' option is used.
`-mgp32'
Assume that 32 32-bit general purpose registers are available.
This is the default.
`-mgp64'
Assume that 32 64-bit general purpose registers are available.
This is the default when the `-mips3' option is used.
`-mint64'
Types long, int, and pointer are 64 bits. This works only if
`-mips3' is also specified.
`-mlong64'
Types long and pointer are 64 bits, and type int is 32 bits. This
works only if `-mips3' is also specified.
`-mmips-as'
Generate code for the MIPS assembler, and invoke `mips-tfile' to
add normal debug information. This is the default for all
platforms except for the OSF/1 reference platform, using the
OSF/rose object format. If the either of the `-gstabs' or
`-gstabs+' switches are used, the `mips-tfile' program will
encapsulate the stabs within MIPS ECOFF.
`-mgas'
Generate code for the GNU assembler. This is the default on the
OSF/1 reference platform, using the OSF/rose object format.
`-mrnames'
`-mno-rnames'
The `-mrnames' switch says to output code using the MIPS software
names for the registers, instead of the hardware names (ie, A0
instead of $4). The only known assembler that supports this option
is the Algorithmics assembler.
`-mgpopt'
`-mno-gpopt'
The `-mgpopt' switch says to write all of the data declarations
before the instructions in the text section, this allows the MIPS
assembler to generate one word memory references instead of using
two words for short global or static data items. This is on by
default if optimization is selected.
`-mstats'
`-mno-stats'
For each non-inline function processed, the `-mstats' switch
causes the compiler to emit one line to the standard error file to
print statistics about the program (number of registers saved,
stack size, etc.).
`-mmemcpy'
`-mno-memcpy'
The `-mmemcpy' switch makes all block moves call the appropriate
string function (`memcpy' or `bcopy') instead of possibly
generating inline code.
`-mmips-tfile'
`-mno-mips-tfile'
The `-mno-mips-tfile' switch causes the compiler not postprocess
the object file with the `mips-tfile' program, after the MIPS
assembler has generated it to add debug support. If `mips-tfile'
is not run, then no local variables will be available to the
debugger. In addition, `stage2' and `stage3' objects will have
the temporary file names passed to the assembler embedded in the
object file, which means the objects will not compare the same.
The `-mno-mips-tfile' switch should only be used when there are
bugs in the `mips-tfile' program that prevents compilation.
`-msoft-float'
Generate output containing library calls for floating point.
*Warning:* the requisite libraries are not part of GNU CC.
Normally the facilities of the machine's usual C compiler are
used, but this can't be done directly in cross-compilation. You
must make your own arrangements to provide suitable library
functions for cross-compilation.
`-mhard-float'
Generate output containing floating point instructions. This is
the default if you use the unmodified sources.
`-mabicalls'
`-mno-abicalls'
Emit (or do not emit) the pseudo operations `.abicalls',
`.cpload', and `.cprestore' that some System V.4 ports use for
position independent code.
`-mlong-calls'
`-mno-long-calls'
Do all calls with the `JALR' instruction, which requires loading
up a function's address into a register before the call. You need
to use this switch, if you call outside of the current 512
megabyte segment to functions that are not through pointers.
`-mhalf-pic'
`-mno-half-pic'
Put pointers to extern references into the data section and load
them up, rather than put the references in the text section.
`-membedded-pic'
`-mno-embedded-pic'
Generate PIC code suitable for some embedded systems. All calls
are made using PC relative address, and all data is addressed
using the $gp register. This requires GNU as and GNU ld which do
most of the work.
`-membedded-data'
`-mno-embedded-data'
Allocate variables to the read-only data section first if
possible, then next in the small data section if possible,
otherwise in data. This gives slightly slower code than the
default, but reduces the amount of RAM required when executing,
and thus may be preferred for some embedded systems.
`-msingle-float'
`-mdouble-float'
The `-msingle-float' switch tells gcc to assume that the floating
point coprocessor only supports single precision operations, as on
the `r4650' chip. The `-mdouble-float' switch permits gcc to use
double precision operations. This is the default.
`-mmad'
`-mno-mad'
Permit use of the `mad', `madu' and `mul' instructions, as on the
`r4650' chip.
`-m4650'
Turns on `-msingle-float', `-mmad', and, at least for now,
`-mcpu=r4650'.
`-EL'
Compile code for the processor in little endian mode. The
requisite libraries are assumed to exist.
`-EB'
Compile code for the processor in big endian mode. The requisite
libraries are assumed to exist.
`-G NUM'
Put global and static items less than or equal to NUM bytes into
the small data or bss sections instead of the normal data or bss
section. This allows the assembler to emit one word memory
reference instructions based on the global pointer (GP or $28),
instead of the normal two words used. By default, NUM is 8 when
the MIPS assembler is used, and 0 when the GNU assembler is used.
The `-G NUM' switch is also passed to the assembler and linker.
All modules should be compiled with the same `-G NUM' value.
`-nocpp'
Tell the MIPS assembler to not run it's preprocessor over user
assembler files (with a `.s' suffix) when assembling them.
File: use, Node: i386 Options, Next: HPPA Options, Prev: MIPS Options, Up: Submodel Options
Intel 386 Options
-----------------
These `-m' options are defined for the i386 family of computers:
`-m486'
`-m386'
Control whether or not code is optimized for a 486 instead of an
386. Code generated for an 486 will run on a 386 and vice versa.
`-mieee-fp'
`-mno-ieee-fp'
Control whether or not the compiler uses IEEE floating point
comparisons. These handle correctly the case where the result of a
comparison is unordered.
`-msoft-float'
Generate output containing library calls for floating point.
*Warning:* the requisite libraries are not part of GNU CC.
Normally the facilities of the machine's usual C compiler are
used, but this can't be done directly in cross-compilation. You
must make your own arrangements to provide suitable library
functions for cross-compilation.
On machines where a function returns floating point results in the
80387 register stack, some floating point opcodes may be emitted
even if `-msoft-float' is used.
`-mno-fp-ret-in-387'
Do not use the FPU registers for return values of functions.
The usual calling convention has functions return values of types
`float' and `double' in an FPU register, even if there is no FPU.
The idea is that the operating system should emulate an FPU.
The option `-mno-fp-ret-in-387' causes such values to be returned
in ordinary CPU registers instead.
`-mno-fancy-math-387'
Some 387 emulators do not support the `sin', `cos' and `sqrt'
instructions for the 387. Specify this option to avoid generating
those instructions. This option is the default on FreeBSD. As of
revision 2.6.1, these instructions are not generated unless you
also use the `-ffast-math' switch.
`-malign-double'
`-mno-align-double'
Control whether GNU CC aligns `double', `long double', and `long
long' variables on a two word boundary or a one word boundary.
Aligning `double' variables on a two word boundary will produce
code that runs somewhat faster on a `Pentium' at the expense of
more memory.
*Warning:* if you use the `-malign-double' switch, structures
containing the above types will be aligned differently than the
published application binary interface specifications for the 386.
`-msvr3-shlib'
`-mno-svr3-shlib'
Control whether GNU CC places uninitialized locals into `bss' or
`data'. `-msvr3-shlib' places these locals into `bss'. These
options are meaningful only on System V Release 3.
`-mno-wide-multiply'
`-mwide-multiply'
Control whether GNU CC uses the `mul' and `imul' that produce 64
bit results in `eax:edx' from 32 bit operands to do `long long'
multiplies and 32-bit division by constants.
`-mrtd'
Use a different function-calling convention, in which functions
that take a fixed number of arguments return with the `ret' NUM
instruction, which pops their arguments while returning. This
saves one instruction in the caller since there is no need to pop
the arguments there.
You can specify that an individual function is called with this
calling sequence with the function attribute `stdcall'. You can
also override the `-mrtd' option by using the function attribute
`cdecl'. *Note Function Attributes::
*Warning:* this calling convention is incompatible with the one
normally used on Unix, so you cannot use it if you need to call
libraries compiled with the Unix compiler.
Also, you must provide function prototypes for all functions that
take variable numbers of arguments (including `printf'); otherwise
incorrect code will be generated for calls to those functions.
In addition, seriously incorrect code will result if you call a
function with too many arguments. (Normally, extra arguments are
harmlessly ignored.)
`-mreg-alloc=REGS'
Control the default allocation order of integer registers. The
string REGS is a series of letters specifying a register. The
supported letters are: `a' allocate EAX; `b' allocate EBX; `c'
allocate ECX; `d' allocate EDX; `S' allocate ESI; `D' allocate
EDI; `B' allocate EBP.
`-mregparm=NUM'
Control how many registers are used to pass integer arguments. By
default, no registers are used to pass arguments, and at most 3
registers can be used. You can control this behavior for a
specific function by using the function attribute `regparm'.
*Note Function Attributes::
*Warning:* if you use this switch, and NUM is nonzero, then you
must build all modules with the same value, including any
libraries. This includes the system libraries and startup modules.
`-malign-loops=NUM'
Align loops to a 2 raised to a NUM byte boundary. If
`-malign-loops' is not specified, the default is 2.
`-malign-jumps=NUM'
Align instructions that are only jumped to to a 2 raised to a NUM
byte boundary. If `-malign-jumps' is not specified, the default is
2 if optimizing for a 386, and 4 if optimizing for a 486.
`-malign-functions=NUM'
Align the start of functions to a 2 raised to NUM byte boundary.
If `-malign-jumps' is not specified, the default is 2 if optimizing
for a 386, and 4 if optimizing for a 486.
File: use, Node: HPPA Options, Next: Intel 960 Options, Prev: i386 Options, Up: Submodel Options
HPPA Options
------------
These `-m' options are defined for the HPPA family of computers:
`-mpa-risc-1-0'
Generate code for a PA 1.0 processor.
`-mpa-risc-1-1'
Generate code for a PA 1.1 processor.
`-mjump-in-delay'
Fill delay slots of function calls with unconditional jump
instructions by modifying the return pointer for the function call
to be the target of the conditional jump.
`-mmillicode-long-calls'
Generate code which assumes millicode routines can not be reached
by the standard millicode call sequence, linker-generated
long-calls, or linker-modified millicode calls. In practice this
should only be needed for dynamicly linked executables with
extremely large SHLIB_INFO sections.
`-mdisable-fpregs'
Prevent floating point registers from being used in any manner.
This is necessary for compiling kernels which perform lazy context
switching of floating point registers. If you use this option and
attempt to perform floating point operations, the compiler will
abort.
`-mdisable-indexing'
Prevent the compiler from using indexing address modes. This
avoids some rather obscure problems when compiling MIG generated
code under MACH.
`-mfast-indirect-calls'
Generate code which performs faster indirect calls. Such code is
suitable for kernels and for static linking. The fast indirect
call code will fail miserably if it's part of a dynamically linked
executable and in the presense of nested functions.
`-mportable-runtime'
Use the portable calling conventions proposed by HP for ELF
systems.
`-mgas'
Enable the use of assembler directives only GAS understands.
`-mschedule=CPU TYPE'
Schedule code according to the constraints for the machine type
CPU TYPE. The choices for CPU TYPE are `700' for 7N0 machines,
`7100' for 7N5 machines, and `7100' for 7N2 machines. `700' is
the default for CPU TYPE.
Note the `7100LC' scheduling information is incomplete and using
`7100LC' often leads to bad schedules. For now it's probably best
to use `7100' instead of `7100LC' for the 7N2 machines.
`-msoft-float'
Generate output containing library calls for floating point.
*Warning:* the requisite libraries are not available for all HPPA
targets. Normally the facilities of the machine's usual C
compiler are used, but this cannot be done directly in
cross-compilation. You must make your own arrangements to provide
suitable library functions for cross-compilation. The embedded
target `hppa1.1-*-pro' does provide software floating point
support.
`-msoft-float' changes the calling convention in the output file;
therefore, it is only useful if you compile *all* of a program with
this option. In particular, you need to compile `libgcc.a', the
library that comes with GNU CC, with `-msoft-float' in order for
this to work.
File: use, Node: Intel 960 Options, Next: DEC Alpha Options, Prev: HPPA Options, Up: Submodel Options
Intel 960 Options
-----------------
These `-m' options are defined for the Intel 960 implementations:
`-mCPU TYPE'
Assume the defaults for the machine type CPU TYPE for some of the
other options, including instruction scheduling, floating point
support, and addressing modes. The choices for CPU TYPE are `ka',
`kb', `mc', `ca', `cf', `sa', and `sb'. The default is `kb'.
`-mnumerics'
`-msoft-float'
The `-mnumerics' option indicates that the processor does support
floating-point instructions. The `-msoft-float' option indicates
that floating-point support should not be assumed.
`-mleaf-procedures'
`-mno-leaf-procedures'
Do (or do not) attempt to alter leaf procedures to be callable
with the `bal' instruction as well as `call'. This will result in
more efficient code for explicit calls when the `bal' instruction
can be substituted by the assembler or linker, but less efficient
code in other cases, such as calls via function pointers, or using
a linker that doesn't support this optimization.
`-mtail-call'
`-mno-tail-call'
Do (or do not) make additional attempts (beyond those of the
machine-independent portions of the compiler) to optimize
tail-recursive calls into branches. You may not want to do this
because the detection of cases where this is not valid is not
totally complete. The default is `-mno-tail-call'.
`-mcomplex-addr'
`-mno-complex-addr'
Assume (or do not assume) that the use of a complex addressing
mode is a win on this implementation of the i960. Complex
addressing modes may not be worthwhile on the K-series, but they
definitely are on the C-series. The default is currently
`-mcomplex-addr' for all processors except the CB and CC.
`-mcode-align'
`-mno-code-align'
Align code to 8-byte boundaries for faster fetching (or don't
bother). Currently turned on by default for C-series
implementations only.
`-mic-compat'
`-mic2.0-compat'
`-mic3.0-compat'
Enable compatibility with iC960 v2.0 or v3.0.
`-masm-compat'
`-mintel-asm'
Enable compatibility with the iC960 assembler.
`-mstrict-align'
`-mno-strict-align'
Do not permit (do permit) unaligned accesses.
`-mold-align'
Enable structure-alignment compatibility with Intel's gcc release
version 1.3 (based on gcc 1.37). Currently this is buggy in that
`#pragma align 1' is always assumed as well, and cannot be turned
off.
File: use, Node: DEC Alpha Options, Next: Clipper Options, Prev: Intel 960 Options, Up: Submodel Options
DEC Alpha Options
-----------------
These `-m' options are defined for the DEC Alpha implementations:
`-mno-soft-float'
`-msoft-float'
Use (do not use) the hardware floating-point instructions for
floating-point operations. When `-msoft-float' is specified,
functions in `libgcc1.c' will be used to perform floating-point
operations. Unless they are replaced by routines that emulate the
floating-point operations, or compiled in such a way as to call
such emulations routines, these routines will issue floating-point
operations. If you are compiling for an Alpha without
floating-point operations, you must ensure that the library is
built so as not to call them.
Note that Alpha implementations without floating-point operations
are required to have floating-point registers.
`-mfp-reg'
`-mno-fp-regs'
Generate code that uses (does not use) the floating-point register
set. `-mno-fp-regs' implies `-msoft-float'. If the floating-point
register set is not used, floating point operands are passed in
integer registers as if they were integers and floating-point
results are passed in $0 instead of $f0. This is a non-standard
calling sequence, so any function with a floating-point argument
or return value called by code compiled with `-mno-fp-regs' must
also be compiled with that option.
A typical use of this option is building a kernel that does not
use, and hence need not save and restore, any floating-point
registers.
File: use, Node: Clipper Options, Next: H8/300 Options, Prev: DEC Alpha Options, Up: Submodel Options
Clipper Options
---------------
These `-m' options are defined for the Clipper implementations:
`-mc300'
Produce code for a C300 Clipper processor. This is the default.
`-mc400'
Produce code for a C400 Clipper processor i.e. use floating point
registers f8..f15.
File: use, Node: H8/300 Options, Next: System V Options, Prev: Clipper Options, Up: Submodel Options
H8/300 Options
--------------
These `-m' options are defined for the H8/300 implementations:
`-mrelax'
Shorten some address references at link time, when possible; uses
the linker option `-relax'. *Note `ld' and the H8/300:
(ld.info)H8/300, for a fuller description.
`-mh'
Generate code for the H8/300H.
File: use, Node: System V Options, Prev: H8/300 Options, Up: Submodel Options
Options for System V
--------------------
These additional options are available on System V Release 4 for
compatibility with other compilers on those systems:
`-Qy'
Identify the versions of each tool used by the compiler, in a
`.ident' assembler directive in the output.
`-Qn'
Refrain from adding `.ident' directives to the output file (this is
the default).
`-YP,DIRS'
Search the directories DIRS, and no others, for libraries
specified with `-l'.
`-Ym,DIR'
Look in the directory DIR to find the M4 preprocessor. The
assembler uses this option.
File: use, Node: Code Gen Options, Next: Environment Variables, Prev: Submodel Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Options for Code Generation Conventions
=======================================
These machine-independent options control the interface conventions
used in code generation.
Most of them have both positive and negative forms; the negative form
of `-ffoo' would be `-fno-foo'. In the table below, only one of the
forms is listed--the one which is not the default. You can figure out
the other form by either removing `no-' or adding it.
`-fpcc-struct-return'
Return "short" `struct' and `union' values in memory like longer
ones, rather than in registers. This convention is less
efficient, but it has the advantage of allowing intercallability
between GNU CC-compiled files and files compiled with other
compilers.
The precise convention for returning structures in memory depends
on the target configuration macros.
Short structures and unions are those whose size and alignment
match that of some integer type.
`-freg-struct-return'
Use the convention that `struct' and `union' values are returned
in registers when possible. This is more efficient for small
structures than `-fpcc-struct-return'.
If you specify neither `-fpcc-struct-return' nor its contrary
`-freg-struct-return', GNU CC defaults to whichever convention is
standard for the target. If there is no standard convention, GNU
CC defaults to `-fpcc-struct-return', except on targets where GNU
CC is the principal compiler. In those cases, we can choose the
standard, and we chose the more efficient register return
alternative.
`-fshort-enums'
Allocate to an `enum' type only as many bytes as it needs for the
declared range of possible values. Specifically, the `enum' type
will be equivalent to the smallest integer type which has enough
room.
`-fshort-double'
Use the same size for `double' as for `float'.
`-fshared-data'
Requests that the data and non-`const' variables of this
compilation be shared data rather than private data. The
distinction makes sense only on certain operating systems, where
shared data is shared between processes running the same program,
while private data exists in one copy per process.
`-fno-common'
Allocate even uninitialized global variables in the bss section of
the object file, rather than generating them as common blocks.
This has the effect that if the same variable is declared (without
`extern') in two different compilations, you will get an error
when you link them. The only reason this might be useful is if
you wish to verify that the program will work on other systems
which always work this way.
`-fno-ident'
Ignore the `#ident' directive.
`-fno-gnu-linker'
Do not output global initializations (such as C++ constructors and
destructors) in the form used by the GNU linker (on systems where
the GNU linker is the standard method of handling them). Use this
option when you want to use a non-GNU linker, which also requires
using the `collect2' program to make sure the system linker
includes constructors and destructors. (`collect2' is included in
the GNU CC distribution.) For systems which *must* use
`collect2', the compiler driver `gcc' is configured to do this
automatically.
`-finhibit-size-directive'
Don't output a `.size' assembler directive, or anything else that
would cause trouble if the function is split in the middle, and the
two halves are placed at locations far apart in memory. This
option is used when compiling `crtstuff.c'; you should not need to
use it for anything else.
`-fverbose-asm'
Put extra commentary information in the generated assembly code to
make it more readable. This option is generally only of use to
those who actually need to read the generated assembly code
(perhaps while debugging the compiler itself).
`-fvolatile'
Consider all memory references through pointers to be volatile.
`-fvolatile-global'
Consider all memory references to extern and global data items to
be volatile.
`-fpic'
Generate position-independent code (PIC) suitable for use in a
shared library, if supported for the target machine. Such code
accesses all constant addresses through a global offset table
(GOT). If the GOT size for the linked executable exceeds a
machine-specific maximum size, you get an error message from the
linker indicating that `-fpic' does not work; in that case,
recompile with `-fPIC' instead. (These maximums are 16k on the
m88k, 8k on the Sparc, and 32k on the m68k and RS/6000. The 386
has no such limit.)
Position-independent code requires special support, and therefore
works only on certain machines. For the 386, GNU CC supports PIC
for System V but not for the Sun 386i. Code generated for the IBM
RS/6000 is always position-independent.
The GNU assembler does not fully support PIC. Currently, you must
use some other assembler in order for PIC to work. We would
welcome volunteers to upgrade GAS to handle this; the first part
of the job is to figure out what the assembler must do differently.
`-fPIC'
If supported for the target machine, emit position-independent
code, suitable for dynamic linking and avoiding any limit on the
size of the global offset table. This option makes a difference
on the m68k, m88k and the Sparc.
Position-independent code requires special support, and therefore
works only on certain machines.
`-ffixed-REG'
Treat the register named REG as a fixed register; generated code
should never refer to it (except perhaps as a stack pointer, frame
pointer or in some other fixed role).
REG must be the name of a register. The register names accepted
are machine-specific and are defined in the `REGISTER_NAMES' macro
in the machine description macro file.
This flag does not have a negative form, because it specifies a
three-way choice.
`-fcall-used-REG'
Treat the register named REG as an allocatable register that is
clobbered by function calls. It may be allocated for temporaries
or variables that do not live across a call. Functions compiled
this way will not save and restore the register REG.
Use of this flag for a register that has a fixed pervasive role in
the machine's execution model, such as the stack pointer or frame
pointer, will produce disastrous results.
This flag does not have a negative form, because it specifies a
three-way choice.
`-fcall-saved-REG'
Treat the register named REG as an allocatable register saved by
functions. It may be allocated even for temporaries or variables
that live across a call. Functions compiled this way will save
and restore the register REG if they use it.
Use of this flag for a register that has a fixed pervasive role in
the machine's execution model, such as the stack pointer or frame
pointer, will produce disastrous results.
A different sort of disaster will result from the use of this flag
for a register in which function values may be returned.
This flag does not have a negative form, because it specifies a
three-way choice.
`-fpack-struct'
Pack all structure members together without holes. Usually you
would not want to use this option, since it makes the code
suboptimal, and the offsets of structure members won't agree with
system libraries.
`+e0'
`+e1'
Control whether virtual function definitions in classes are used to
generate code, or only to define interfaces for their callers.
(C++ only).
These options are provided for compatibility with `cfront' 1.x
usage; the recommended alternative GNU C++ usage is in flux.
*Note Declarations and Definitions in One Header: C++ Interface.
With `+e0', virtual function definitions in classes are declared
`extern'; the declaration is used only as an interface
specification, not to generate code for the virtual functions (in
this compilation).
With `+e1', G++ actually generates the code implementing virtual
functions defined in the code, and makes them publicly visible.
File: use, Node: Environment Variables, Next: Running Protoize, Prev: Code Gen Options, Up: Invoking GCC
Environment Variables Affecting GNU CC
======================================
This section describes several environment variables that affect how
GNU CC operates. They work by specifying directories or prefixes to use
when searching for various kinds of files.
Note that you can also specify places to search using options such as
`-B', `-I' and `-L' (*note Directory Options::.). These take
precedence over places specified using environment variables, which in
turn take precedence over those specified by the configuration of GNU
CC.
`TMPDIR'
If `TMPDIR' is set, it specifies the directory to use for temporary
files. GNU CC uses temporary files to hold the output of one
stage of compilation which is to be used as input to the next
stage: for example, the output of the preprocessor, which is the
input to the compiler proper.
`GCC_EXEC_PREFIX'
If `GCC_EXEC_PREFIX' is set, it specifies a prefix to use in the
names of the subprograms executed by the compiler. No slash is
added when this prefix is combined with the name of a subprogram,
but you can specify a prefix that ends with a slash if you wish.
If GNU CC cannot find the subprogram using the specified prefix, it
tries looking in the usual places for the subprogram.
The default value of `GCC_EXEC_PREFIX' is `PREFIX/lib/gcc-lib/'
where PREFIX is the value of `prefix' when you ran the `configure'
script.
Other prefixes specified with `-B' take precedence over this
prefix.
This prefix is also used for finding files such as `crt0.o' that
are used for linking.
In addition, the prefix is used in an unusual way in finding the
directories to search for header files. For each of the standard
directories whose name normally begins with
`/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib' (more precisely, with the value of
`GCC_INCLUDE_DIR'), GNU CC tries replacing that beginning with the
specified prefix to produce an alternate directory name. Thus,
with `-Bfoo/', GNU CC will search `foo/bar' where it would
normally search `/usr/local/lib/bar'. These alternate directories
are searched first; the standard directories come next.
`COMPILER_PATH'
The value of `COMPILER_PATH' is a colon-separated list of
directories, much like `PATH'. GNU CC tries the directories thus
specified when searching for subprograms, if it can't find the
subprograms using `GCC_EXEC_PREFIX'.
`LIBRARY_PATH'
The value of `LIBRARY_PATH' is a colon-separated list of
directories, much like `PATH'. When configured as a native
compiler, GNU CC tries the directories thus specified when
searching for special linker files, if it can't find them using
`GCC_EXEC_PREFIX'. Linking using GNU CC also uses these
directories when searching for ordinary libraries for the `-l'
option (but directories specified with `-L' come first).
`C_INCLUDE_PATH'
`CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH'
`OBJC_INCLUDE_PATH'
These environment variables pertain to particular languages. Each
variable's value is a colon-separated list of directories, much
like `PATH'. When GNU CC searches for header files, it tries the
directories listed in the variable for the language you are using,
after the directories specified with `-I' but before the standard
header file directories.
`DEPENDENCIES_OUTPUT'
If this variable is set, its value specifies how to output
dependencies for Make based on the header files processed by the
compiler. This output looks much like the output from the `-M'
option (*note Preprocessor Options::.), but it goes to a separate
file, and is in addition to the usual results of compilation.
The value of `DEPENDENCIES_OUTPUT' can be just a file name, in
which case the Make rules are written to that file, guessing the
target name from the source file name. Or the value can have the
form `FILE TARGET', in which case the rules are written to file
FILE using TARGET as the target name.
File: use, Node: Running Protoize, Prev: Environment Variables, Up: Invoking GCC
Running Protoize
================
The program `protoize' is an optional part of GNU C. You can use it
to add prototypes to a program, thus converting the program to ANSI C
in one respect. The companion program `unprotoize' does the reverse:
it removes argument types from any prototypes that are found.
When you run these programs, you must specify a set of source files
as command line arguments. The conversion programs start out by
compiling these files to see what functions they define. The
information gathered about a file FOO is saved in a file named `FOO.X'.
After scanning comes actual conversion. The specified files are all
eligible to be converted; any files they include (whether sources or
just headers) are eligible as well.
But not all the eligible files are converted. By default,
`protoize' and `unprotoize' convert only source and header files in the
current directory. You can specify additional directories whose files
should be converted with the `-d DIRECTORY' option. You can also
specify particular files to exclude with the `-x FILE' option. A file
is converted if it is eligible, its directory name matches one of the
specified directory names, and its name within the directory has not
been excluded.
Basic conversion with `protoize' consists of rewriting most function
definitions and function declarations to specify the types of the
arguments. The only ones not rewritten are those for varargs functions.
`protoize' optionally inserts prototype declarations at the
beginning of the source file, to make them available for any calls that
precede the function's definition. Or it can insert prototype
declarations with block scope in the blocks where undeclared functions
are called.
Basic conversion with `unprotoize' consists of rewriting most
function declarations to remove any argument types, and rewriting
function definitions to the old-style pre-ANSI form.
Both conversion programs print a warning for any function
declaration or definition that they can't convert. You can suppress
these warnings with `-q'.
The output from `protoize' or `unprotoize' replaces the original
source file. The original file is renamed to a name ending with
`.save'. If the `.save' file already exists, then the source file is
simply discarded.
`protoize' and `unprotoize' both depend on GNU CC itself to scan the
program and collect information about the functions it uses. So
neither of these programs will work until GNU CC is installed.
Here is a table of the options you can use with `protoize' and
`unprotoize'. Each option works with both programs unless otherwise
stated.
`-B DIRECTORY'
Look for the file `SYSCALLS.c.X' in DIRECTORY, instead of the
usual directory (normally `/usr/local/lib'). This file contains
prototype information about standard system functions. This option
applies only to `protoize'.
`-c COMPILATION-OPTIONS'
Use COMPILATION-OPTIONS as the options when running `gcc' to
produce the `.X' files. The special option `-aux-info' is always
passed in addition, to tell `gcc' to write a `.X' file.
Note that the compilation options must be given as a single
argument to `protoize' or `unprotoize'. If you want to specify
several `gcc' options, you must quote the entire set of
compilation options to make them a single word in the shell.
There are certain `gcc' arguments that you cannot use, because they
would produce the wrong kind of output. These include `-g', `-O',
`-c', `-S', and `-o' If you include these in the
COMPILATION-OPTIONS, they are ignored.
`-C'
Rename files to end in `.C' instead of `.c'. This is convenient
if you are converting a C program to C++. This option applies
only to `protoize'.
`-g'
Add explicit global declarations. This means inserting explicit
declarations at the beginning of each source file for each function
that is called in the file and was not declared. These
declarations precede the first function definition that contains a
call to an undeclared function. This option applies only to
`protoize'.
`-i STRING'
Indent old-style parameter declarations with the string STRING.
This option applies only to `protoize'.
`unprotoize' converts prototyped function definitions to old-style
function definitions, where the arguments are declared between the
argument list and the initial `{'. By default, `unprotoize' uses
five spaces as the indentation. If you want to indent with just
one space instead, use `-i " "'.
`-k'
Keep the `.X' files. Normally, they are deleted after conversion
is finished.
`-l'
Add explicit local declarations. `protoize' with `-l' inserts a
prototype declaration for each function in each block which calls
the function without any declaration. This option applies only to
`protoize'.
`-n'
Make no real changes. This mode just prints information about the
conversions that would have been done without `-n'.
`-N'
Make no `.save' files. The original files are simply deleted.
Use this option with caution.
`-p PROGRAM'
Use the program PROGRAM as the compiler. Normally, the name `gcc'
is used.
`-q'
Work quietly. Most warnings are suppressed.
`-v'
Print the version number, just like `-v' for `gcc'.
If you need special compiler options to compile one of your program's
source files, then you should generate that file's `.X' file specially,
by running `gcc' on that source file with the appropriate options and
the option `-aux-info'. Then run `protoize' on the entire set of
files. `protoize' will use the existing `.X' file because it is newer
than the source file. For example:
gcc -Dfoo=bar file1.c -aux-info
protoize *.c
You need to include the special files along with the rest in the
`protoize' command, even though their `.X' files already exist, because
otherwise they won't get converted.
*Note Protoize Caveats::, for more information on how to use
`protoize' successfully.
File: use, Node: Installation, Next: C Extensions, Prev: Invoking GCC, Up: Top
Installing GNU CC
*****************
* Menu:
* Configurations:: Configurations Supported by GNU CC.
* Other Dir:: Compiling in a separate directory (not where the source is).
* Cross-Compiler:: Building and installing a cross-compiler.
* Sun Install:: See below for installation on the Sun.
* VMS Install:: See below for installation on VMS.
* Collect2:: How `collect2' works; how it finds `ld'.
* Header Dirs:: Understanding the standard header file directories.
Here is the procedure for installing GNU CC on a Unix system. See
*Note VMS Install::, for VMS systems. In this section we assume you
compile in the same directory that contains the source files; see *Note
Other Dir::, to find out how to compile in a separate directory on Unix
systems.
You cannot install GNU C by itself on MSDOS; it will not compile
under any MSDOS compiler except itself. You need to get the complete
compilation package DJGPP, which includes binaries as well as sources,
and includes all the necessary compilation tools and libraries.
1. If you have built GNU CC previously in the same directory for a
different target machine, do `make distclean' to delete all files
that might be invalid. One of the files this deletes is
`Makefile'; if `make distclean' complains that `Makefile' does not
exist, it probably means that the directory is already suitably
clean.
2. On a System V release 4 system, make sure `/usr/bin' precedes
`/usr/ucb' in `PATH'. The `cc' command in `/usr/ucb' uses
libraries which have bugs.
3. Specify the host, build and target machine configurations. You do
this by running the file `configure'.
The "build" machine is the system which you are using, the "host"
machine is the system where you want to run the resulting compiler
(normally the build machine), and the "target" machine is the
system for which you want the compiler to generate code.
If you are building a compiler to produce code for the machine it
runs on (a native compiler), you normally do not need to specify
any operands to `configure'; it will try to guess the type of
machine you are on and use that as the build, host and target
machines. So you don't need to specify a configuration when
building a native compiler unless `configure' cannot figure out
what your configuration is or guesses wrong.
In those cases, specify the build machine's "configuration name"
with the `--build' option; the host and target will default to be
the same as the build machine. (If you are building a
cross-compiler, see *Note Cross-Compiler::.)
Here is an example:
from an MSDOS console window or from the program manager dialog
box. Configure.bat assumes that you have already installed and in
your path a Unix-like sed program which is used to modify
Makefile.in to create a working Makefile.
./configure --build=sparc-sun-sunos4.1
A configuration name may be canonical or it may be more or less
abbreviated.
A canonical configuration name has three parts, separated by
dashes. It looks like this: `CPU-COMPANY-SYSTEM'. (The three
parts may themselves contain dashes; `configure' can figure out
which dashes serve which purpose.) For example,
`m68k-sun-sunos4.1' specifies a Sun 3.
You can also replace parts of the configuration by nicknames or
aliases. For example, `sun3' stands for `m68k-sun', so
`sun3-sunos4.1' is another way to specify a Sun 3. You can also
use simply `sun3-sunos', since the version of SunOS is assumed by
default to be version 4. `sun3-bsd' also works, since `configure'
knows that the only BSD variant on a Sun 3 is SunOS.
You can specify a version number after any of the system types,
and some of the CPU types. In most cases, the version is
irrelevant, and will be ignored. So you might as well specify the
version if you know it.
See *Note Configurations::, for a list of supported configuration
names and notes on many of the configurations. You should check
the notes in that section before proceeding any further with the
installation of GNU CC.
There are four additional options you can specify independently to
describe variant hardware and software configurations. These are
`--with-gnu-as', `--with-gnu-ld', `--with-stabs' and `--nfp'.
`--with-gnu-as'
If you will use GNU CC with the GNU assembler (GAS), you
should declare this by using the `--with-gnu-as' option when
you run `configure'.
Using this option does not install GAS. It only modifies the
output of GNU CC to work with GAS. Building and installing
GAS is up to you.
Conversely, if you *do not* wish to use GAS and do not specify
`--with-gnu-as' when building GNU CC, it is up to you to make
sure that GAS is not installed. GNU CC searches for a
program named `as' in various directories; if the program it
finds is GAS, then it runs GAS. If you are not sure where
GNU CC finds the assembler it is using, try specifying `-v'
when you run it.
The systems where it makes a difference whether you use GAS
are
`hppa1.0-ANY-ANY', `hppa1.1-ANY-ANY', `i386-ANY-sysv',
`i386-ANY-isc',
`i860-ANY-bsd', `m68k-bull-sysv', `m68k-hp-hpux',
`m68k-sony-bsd',
`m68k-altos-sysv', `m68000-hp-hpux', `m68000-att-sysv',
`ANY-lynx-lynxos', and `mips-ANY'). On any other system,
`--with-gnu-as' has no effect.
On the systems listed above (except for the HP-PA, for ISC on
the 386, and for `mips-sgi-irix5.*'), if you use GAS, you
should also use the GNU linker (and specify `--with-gnu-ld').
`--with-gnu-ld'
Specify the option `--with-gnu-ld' if you plan to use the GNU
linker with GNU CC.
This option does not cause the GNU linker to be installed; it
just modifies the behavior of GNU CC to work with the GNU
linker. Specifically, it inhibits the installation of
`collect2', a program which otherwise serves as a front-end
for the system's linker on most configurations.
`--with-stabs'
On MIPS based systems and on Alphas, you must specify whether
you want GNU CC to create the normal ECOFF debugging format,
or to use BSD-style stabs passed through the ECOFF symbol
table. The normal ECOFF debug format cannot fully handle
languages other than C. BSD stabs format can handle other
languages, but it only works with the GNU debugger GDB.
Normally, GNU CC uses the ECOFF debugging format by default;
if you prefer BSD stabs, specify `--with-stabs' when you
configure GNU CC.
No matter which default you choose when you configure GNU CC,
the user can use the `-gcoff' and `-gstabs+' options to
specify explicitly the debug format for a particular
compilation.
`--with-stabs' is meaningful on the ISC system on the 386,
also, if `--with-gas' is used. It selects use of stabs
debugging information embedded in COFF output. This kind of
debugging information supports C++ well; ordinary COFF
debugging information does not.
`--with-stabs' is also meaningful on 386 systems running
SVR4. It selects use of stabs debugging information embedded
in ELF output. The C++ compiler currently (2.6.0) does not
support the DWARF debugging information normally used on 386
SVR4 platforms; stabs provide a workable alternative. This
requires gas and gdb, as the normal SVR4 tools can not
generate or interpret stabs.
`--nfp'
On certain systems, you must specify whether the machine has
a floating point unit. These systems include
`m68k-sun-sunosN' and `m68k-isi-bsd'. On any other system,
`--nfp' currently has no effect, though perhaps there are
other systems where it could usefully make a difference.
The `configure' script searches subdirectories of the source
directory for other compilers that are to be integrated into GNU
CC. The GNU compiler for C++, called G++ is in a subdirectory
named `cp'. `configure' inserts rules into `Makefile' to build
all of those compilers.
Here we spell out what files will be set up by `configure'.
Normally you need not be concerned with these files.
* A symbolic link named `config.h' is made to the top-level
config file for the machine you plan to run the compiler on
(*note The Configuration File: (gcc.info)Config.). This file
is responsible for defining information about the host
machine. It includes `tm.h'.
The top-level config file is located in the subdirectory
`config'. Its name is always `xm-SOMETHING.h'; usually
`xm-MACHINE.h', but there are some exceptions.
If your system does not support symbolic links, you might
want to set up `config.h' to contain a `#include' command
which refers to the appropriate file.
* A symbolic link named `tconfig.h' is made to the top-level
config file for your target machine. This is used for
compiling certain programs to run on that machine.
* A symbolic link named `tm.h' is made to the
machine-description macro file for your target machine. It
should be in the subdirectory `config' and its name is often
`MACHINE.h'.
* A symbolic link named `md' will be made to the machine
description pattern file. It should be in the `config'
subdirectory and its name should be `MACHINE.md'; but MACHINE
is often not the same as the name used in the `tm.h' file
because the `md' files are more general.
* A symbolic link named `aux-output.c' will be made to the
output subroutine file for your machine. It should be in the
`config' subdirectory and its name should be `MACHINE.c'.
* The command file `configure' also constructs the file
`Makefile' by adding some text to the template file
`Makefile.in'. The additional text comes from files in the
`config' directory, named `t-TARGET' and `x-HOST'. If these
files do not exist, it means nothing needs to be added for a
given target or host.
4. The standard directory for installing GNU CC is `/usr/local/lib'.
If you want to install its files somewhere else, specify
`--prefix=DIR' when you run `configure'. Here DIR is a directory
name to use instead of `/usr/local' for all purposes with one
exception: the directory `/usr/local/include' is searched for
header files no matter where you install the compiler. To override
this name, use the `--local-prefix' option below.
5. Specify `--local-prefix=DIR' if you want the compiler to search
directory `DIR/include' for locally installed header files
*instead* of `/usr/local/include'.
You should specify `--local-prefix' *only* if your site has a
different convention (not `/usr/local') for where to put
site-specific files.
*Do not* specify `/usr' as the `--local-prefix'! The directory
you use for `--local-prefix' *must not* contain any of the
system's standard header files. If it did contain them, certain
programs would be miscompiled (including GNU Emacs, on certain
targets), because this would override and nullify the header file
corrections made by the `fixincludes' script.
6. Make sure the Bison parser generator is installed. (This is
unnecessary if the Bison output files `c-parse.c' and `cexp.c' are
more recent than `c-parse.y' and `cexp.y' and you do not plan to
change the `.y' files.)
Bison versions older than Sept 8, 1988 will produce incorrect
output for `c-parse.c'.
7. If you have chosen a configuration for GNU CC which requires other
GNU tools (such as GAS or the GNU linker) instead of the standard
system tools, install the required tools in the build directory
under the names `as', `ld' or whatever is appropriate. This will
enable the compiler to find the proper tools for compilation of
the program `enquire'.
Alternatively, you can do subsequent compilation using a value of
the `PATH' environment variable such that the necessary GNU tools
come before the standard system tools.
8. Build the compiler. Just type `make LANGUAGES=c' in the compiler
directory.
`LANGUAGES=c' specifies that only the C compiler should be
compiled. The makefile normally builds compilers for all the
supported languages; currently, C, C++ and Objective C. However,
C is the only language that is sure to work when you build with
other non-GNU C compilers. In addition, building anything but C
at this stage is a waste of time.
In general, you can specify the languages to build by typing the
argument `LANGUAGES="LIST"', where LIST is one or more words from
the list `c', `c++', and `objective-c'. If you have any
additional GNU compilers as subdirectories of the GNU CC source
directory, you may also specify their names in this list.
Ignore any warnings you may see about "statement not reached" in
`insn-emit.c'; they are normal. Also, warnings about "unknown
escape sequence" are normal in `genopinit.c' and perhaps some
other files. Likewise, you should ignore warnings about "constant
is so large that it is unsigned" in `insn-emit.c' and
`insn-recog.c'. Any other compilation errors may represent bugs in
the port to your machine or operating system, and should be
investigated and reported (*note Bugs::.).
Some commercial compilers fail to compile GNU CC because they have
bugs or limitations. For example, the Microsoft compiler is said
to run out of macro space. Some Ultrix compilers run out of
expression space; then you need to break up the statement where
the problem happens.
9. If you are building a cross-compiler, stop here. *Note
Cross-Compiler::.
10. Move the first-stage object files and executables into a
subdirectory with this command:
make stage1
The files are moved into a subdirectory named `stage1'. Once
installation is complete, you may wish to delete these files with
`rm -r stage1'.
11. If you have chosen a configuration for GNU CC which requires other
GNU tools (such as GAS or the GNU linker) instead of the standard
system tools, install the required tools in the `stage1'
subdirectory under the names `as', `ld' or whatever is
appropriate. This will enable the stage 1 compiler to find the
proper tools in the following stage.
Alternatively, you can do subsequent compilation using a value of
the `PATH' environment variable such that the necessary GNU tools
come before the standard system tools.
12. Recompile the compiler with itself, with this command:
make CC="stage1/xgcc -Bstage1/" CFLAGS="-g -O"
This is called making the stage 2 compiler.
The command shown above builds compilers for all the supported
languages. If you don't want them all, you can specify the
languages to build by typing the argument `LANGUAGES="LIST"'. LIST
should contain one or more words from the list `c', `c++',
`objective-c', and `proto'. Separate the words with spaces.
`proto' stands for the programs `protoize' and `unprotoize'; they
are not a separate language, but you use `LANGUAGES' to enable or
disable their installation.
If you are going to build the stage 3 compiler, then you might
want to build only the C language in stage 2.
Once you have built the stage 2 compiler, if you are short of disk
space, you can delete the subdirectory `stage1'.
On a 68000 or 68020 system lacking floating point hardware, unless
you have selected a `tm.h' file that expects by default that there
is no such hardware, do this instead:
make CC="stage1/xgcc -Bstage1/" CFLAGS="-g -O -msoft-float"
13. If you wish to test the compiler by compiling it with itself one
more time, install any other necessary GNU tools (such as GAS or
the GNU linker) in the `stage2' subdirectory as you did in the
`stage1' subdirectory, then do this:
make stage2
make CC="stage2/xgcc -Bstage2/" CFLAGS="-g -O2"
This is called making the stage 3 compiler. Aside from the `-B'
option, the compiler options should be the same as when you made
the stage 2 compiler. But the `LANGUAGES' option need not be the
same. The command shown above builds compilers for all the
supported languages; if you don't want them all, you can specify
the languages to build by typing the argument `LANGUAGES="LIST"',
as described above.
If you do not have to install any additional GNU tools, you may
use the command
make bootstrap LANGUAGES=LANGUAGE-LIST BOOT_CFLAGS=OPTION-LIST
instead of making `stage1', `stage2', and performing the two
compiler builds.
14. Then compare the latest object files with the stage 2 object
files--they ought to be identical, aside from time stamps (if any).
On some systems, meaningful comparison of object files is
impossible; they always appear "different." This is currently
true on Solaris and probably on all systems that use ELF object
file format. On some versions of Irix on SGI machines and OSF/1
on Alpha systems, you will not be able to compare the files
without specifying `-save-temps'; see the description of
individual systems above to see if you get comparison failures.
You may have similar problems on other systems.
Use this command to compare the files:
make compare
This will mention any object files that differ between stage 2 and
stage 3. Any difference, no matter how innocuous, indicates that
the stage 2 compiler has compiled GNU CC incorrectly, and is
therefore a potentially serious bug which you should investigate
and report (*note Bugs::.).
If your system does not put time stamps in the object files, then
this is a faster way to compare them (using the Bourne shell):
for file in *.o; do
cmp $file stage2/$file
done
If you have built the compiler with the `-mno-mips-tfile' option on
MIPS machines, you will not be able to compare the files.
15. Build the Objective C library (if you have built the Objective C
compiler). Here is the command to do this:
make objc-runtime CC="stage2/xgcc -Bstage2/" CFLAGS="-g -O"
16. Install the compiler driver, the compiler's passes and run-time
support with `make install'. Use the same value for `CC',
`CFLAGS' and `LANGUAGES' that you used when compiling the files
that are being installed. One reason this is necessary is that
some versions of Make have bugs and recompile files gratuitously
when you do this step. If you use the same variable values, those
files will be recompiled properly.
For example, if you have built the stage 2 compiler, you can use
the following command:
make install CC="stage2/xgcc -Bstage2/" CFLAGS="-g -O" LANGUAGES="LIST"
This copies the files `cc1', `cpp' and `libgcc.a' to files `cc1',
`cpp' and `libgcc.a' in the directory
`/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/TARGET/VERSION', which is where the
compiler driver program looks for them. Here TARGET is the target
machine type specified when you ran `configure', and VERSION is
the version number of GNU CC. This naming scheme permits various
versions and/or cross-compilers to coexist.
This also copies the driver program `xgcc' into
`/usr/local/bin/gcc', so that it appears in typical execution
search paths.
On some systems, this command causes recompilation of some files.
This is usually due to bugs in `make'. You should either ignore
this problem, or use GNU Make.
*Warning: there is a bug in `alloca' in the Sun library. To avoid
this bug, be sure to install the executables of GNU CC that were
compiled by GNU CC. (That is, the executables from stage 2 or 3,
not stage 1.) They use `alloca' as a built-in function and never
the one in the library.*
(It is usually better to install GNU CC executables from stage 2
or 3, since they usually run faster than the ones compiled with
some other compiler.)
17. Install the Objective C library (if you are installing the
Objective C compiler). Here is the command to do this:
make install-libobjc CC="stage2/xgcc -Bstage2/" CFLAGS="-g -O"
18. If you're going to use C++, it's likely that you need to also
install the libg++ distribution. It should be available from the
same place where you got the GNU C distribution. Just as GNU C
does not distribute a C runtime library, it also does not include
a C++ run-time library. All I/O functionality, special class
libraries, etc., are available in the libg++ distribution.
File: use, Node: Configurations, Next: Other Dir, Up: Installation
Configurations Supported by GNU CC
==================================
Here are the possible CPU types:
1750a, a29k, alpha, arm, cN, clipper, dsp16xx, elxsi, h8300,
hppa1.0, hppa1.1, i370, i386, i486, i586, i860, i960, m68000, m68k,
m88k, mips, mipsel, mips64, mips64el, ns32k, powerpc, powerpcle,
pyramid, romp, rs6000, sh, sparc, sparclite, sparc64, vax, we32k.
Here are the recognized company names. As you can see, customary
abbreviations are used rather than the longer official names.
acorn, alliant, altos, apollo, att, bull, cbm, convergent, convex,
crds, dec, dg, dolphin, elxsi, encore, harris, hitachi, hp, ibm,
intergraph, isi, mips, motorola, ncr, next, ns, omron, plexus,
sequent, sgi, sony, sun, tti, unicom, wrs.
The company name is meaningful only to disambiguate when the rest of
the information supplied is insufficient. You can omit it, writing
just `CPU-SYSTEM', if it is not needed. For example, `vax-ultrix4.2'
is equivalent to `vax-dec-ultrix4.2'.
Here is a list of system types:
386bsd, aix, acis, amigados, aos, aout, bosx, bsd, clix, coff,
ctix, cxux, dgux, dynix, ebmon, ecoff, elf, esix, freebsd, hms,
genix, gnu, gnu/linux, hiux, hpux, iris, irix, isc, luna, lynxos,
mach, minix, msdos, mvs, netbsd, newsos, nindy, ns, osf, osfrose,
ptx, riscix, riscos, rtu, sco, sim, solaris, sunos, sym, sysv,
udi, ultrix, unicos, uniplus, unos, vms, vsta, vxworks, winnt,
xenix.
You can omit the system type; then `configure' guesses the operating
system from the CPU and company.
You can add a version number to the system type; this may or may not
make a difference. For example, you can write `bsd4.3' or `bsd4.4' to
distinguish versions of BSD. In practice, the version number is most
needed for `sysv3' and `sysv4', which are often treated differently.
If you specify an impossible combination such as `i860-dg-vms', then
you may get an error message from `configure', or it may ignore part of
the information and do the best it can with the rest. `configure'
always prints the canonical name for the alternative that it used. GNU
CC does not support all possible alternatives.
Often a particular model of machine has a name. Many machine names
are recognized as aliases for CPU/company combinations. Thus, the
machine name `sun3', mentioned above, is an alias for `m68k-sun'.
Sometimes we accept a company name as a machine name, when the name is
popularly used for a particular machine. Here is a table of the known
machine names:
3300, 3b1, 3bN, 7300, altos3068, altos, apollo68, att-7300,
balance, convex-cN, crds, decstation-3100, decstation, delta,
encore, fx2800, gmicro, hp7NN, hp8NN, hp9k2NN, hp9k3NN, hp9k7NN,
hp9k8NN, iris4d, iris, isi68, m3230, magnum, merlin, miniframe,
mmax, news-3600, news800, news, next, pbd, pc532, pmax, powerpc,
powerpcle, ps2, risc-news, rtpc, sun2, sun386i, sun386, sun3,
sun4, symmetry, tower-32, tower.
Remember that a machine name specifies both the cpu type and the company
name. If you want to install your own homemade configuration files,
you can use `local' as the company name to access them. If you use
configuration `CPU-local', the configuration name without the cpu prefix
is used to form the configuration file names.
Thus, if you specify `m68k-local', configuration uses files
`m68k.md', `local.h', `m68k.c', `xm-local.h', `t-local', and `x-local',
all in the directory `config/m68k'.
Here is a list of configurations that have special treatment or
special things you must know:
`1750a-*-*'
MIL-STD-1750A processors.
Starting with GCC 2.6.1, the MIL-STD-1750A cross configuration no
longer supports the Tektronix Assembler, but instead produces
output for `as1750', an assembler/linker available under the GNU
Public License for the 1750A. Contact *okellogg@salyko.cube.net*
for more details on obtaining `as1750'. A similarly licensed
simulator for the 1750A is available from same address.
You should ignore a fatal error during the building of libgcc
(libgcc is not yet implemented for the 1750A.)
The `as1750' assembler requires the file `ms1750.inc', which is
found in the directory `config/1750a'.
GNU CC produced the same sections as the Fairchild F9450 C
Compiler, namely:
`NREL'
The program code section.
`SREL'
The read/write (RAM) data section.
`KREL'
The read-only (ROM) constants section.
`IREL'
Initialization section (code to copy KREL to SREL).
The smallest addressable unit is 16 bits (BITS_PER_UNIT is 16).
This means that type `char' is represented with a 16-bit word per
character. The 1750A's "Load/Store Upper/Lower Byte" instructions
are not used by GNU CC.
There is a problem with long argument lists to functions. The
compiler aborts if the sum of space needed by all arguments
exceeds 14 words. This is because the arguments are passed in
registers (R0..R13) not on the stack, and there is a problem with
passing further arguments (i.e. beyond those in R0..R13) via the
stack.
If efficiency is less important than using long argument lists, you
can change the definition of the `FUNCTION_ARG' macro in
`config/1750/1750a.h' to always return zero. If you do that, GNU
CC will pass all parameters on the stack.
`alpha-*-osf1'
Systems using processors that implement the DEC Alpha architecture
and are running the OSF/1 operating system, for example the DEC
Alpha AXP systems. (VMS on the Alpha is not currently supported
by GNU CC.)
GNU CC writes a `.verstamp' directive to the assembler output file
unless it is built as a cross-compiler. It gets the version to
use from the system header file `/usr/include/stamp.h'. If you
install a new version of OSF/1, you should rebuild GCC to pick up
the new version stamp.
Note that since the Alpha is a 64-bit architecture,
cross-compilers from 32-bit machines will not generate code as
efficient as that generated when the compiler is running on a
64-bit machine because many optimizations that depend on being
able to represent a word on the target in an integral value on the
host cannot be performed. Building cross-compilers on the Alpha
for 32-bit machines has only been tested in a few cases and may
not work properly.
`make compare' may fail on old versions of OSF/1 unless you add
`-save-temps' to `CFLAGS'. On these systems, the name of the
assembler input file is stored in the object file, and that makes
comparison fail if it differs between the `stage1' and `stage2'
compilations. The option `-save-temps' forces a fixed name to be
used for the assembler input file, instead of a randomly chosen
name in `/tmp'. Do not add `-save-temps' unless the comparisons
fail without that option. If you add `-save-temps', you will have
to manually delete the `.i' and `.s' files after each series of
compilations.
GNU CC now supports both the native (ECOFF) debugging format used
by DBX and GDB and an encapsulated STABS format for use only with
GDB. See the discussion of the `--with-stabs' option of
`configure' above for more information on these formats and how to
select them.
There is a bug in DEC's assembler that produces incorrect line
numbers for ECOFF format when the `.align' directive is used. To
work around this problem, GNU CC will not emit such alignment
directives while writing ECOFF format debugging information even
if optimization is being performed. Unfortunately, this has the
very undesirable side-effect that code addresses when `-O' is
specified are different depending on whether or not `-g' is also
specified.
To avoid this behavior, specify `-gstabs+' and use GDB instead of
DBX. DEC is now aware of this problem with the assembler and
hopes to provide a fix shortly.
`arm'
Advanced RISC Machines ARM-family processors. These are often
used in embedded applications. There are no standard Unix
configurations. This configuration corresponds to the basic
instruction sequences and will produce a.out format object modules.
You may need to make a variant of the file `arm.h' for your
particular configuration.
`arm-*-riscix'
The ARM2 or ARM3 processor running RISC iX, Acorn's port of BSD
Unix. If you are running a version of RISC iX prior to 1.2 then
you must specify the version number during configuration. Note
that the assembler shipped with RISC iX does not support stabs
debugging information; a new version of the assembler, with stabs
support included, is now available from Acorn.
`a29k'
AMD Am29k-family processors. These are normally used in embedded
applications. There are no standard Unix configurations. This
configuration corresponds to AMD's standard calling sequence and
binary interface and is compatible with other 29k tools.
You may need to make a variant of the file `a29k.h' for your
particular configuration.
`a29k-*-bsd'
AMD Am29050 used in a system running a variant of BSD Unix.
`decstation-*'
DECstations can support three different personalities: Ultrix, DEC
OSF/1, and OSF/rose. To configure GCC for these platforms use the
following configurations:
`decstation-ultrix'
Ultrix configuration.
`decstation-osf1'
Dec's version of OSF/1.
`decstation-osfrose'
Open Software Foundation reference port of OSF/1 which uses
the OSF/rose object file format instead of ECOFF. Normally,
you would not select this configuration.
The MIPS C compiler needs to be told to increase its table size
for switch statements with the `-Wf,-XNg1500' option in order to
compile `cp/parse.c'. If you use the `-O2' optimization option,
you also need to use `-Olimit 3000'. Both of these options are
automatically generated in the `Makefile' that the shell script
`configure' builds. If you override the `CC' make variable and
use the MIPS compilers, you may need to add `-Wf,-XNg1500 -Olimit
3000'.
`elxsi-elxsi-bsd'
The Elxsi's C compiler has known limitations that prevent it from
compiling GNU C. Please contact `mrs@cygnus.com' for more details.
`dsp16xx'
A port to the AT&T DSP1610 family of processors.
`h8300-*-*'
The calling convention and structure layout has changed in release
2.6. All code must be recompiled. The calling convention now
passes the first three arguments in function calls in registers.
Structures are no longer a multiple of 2 bytes.
`hppa*-*-*'
There are two variants of this CPU, called 1.0 and 1.1, which have
different machine descriptions. You must use the right one for
your machine. All 7NN machines and 8N7 machines use 1.1, while
all other 8NN machines use 1.0.
The easiest way to handle this problem is to use `configure hpNNN'
or `configure hpNNN-hpux', where NNN is the model number of the
machine. Then `configure' will figure out if the machine is a 1.0
or 1.1. Use `uname -a' to find out the model number of your
machine.
`-g' does not work on HP-UX, since that system uses a peculiar
debugging format which GNU CC does not know about. However, `-g'
will work if you also use GAS and GDB in conjunction with GCC. We
highly recommend using GAS for all HP-PA configurations.
You should be using GAS-2.3 (or later) along with GDB-4.12 (or
later). These can be retrieved from all the traditional GNU ftp
archive sites.
Build GAS and install the resulting binary as:
/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/CONFIGURATION/GCCVERSION/as
where CONFIGURATION is the configuration name (perhaps
`hpNNN-hpux') and GCCVERSION is the GNU CC version number. Do
this *before* starting the build process, otherwise you will get
errors from the HPUX assembler while building `libgcc2.a'. The
command
make install-dir
will create the necessary directory hierarchy so you can install
GAS before building GCC.
To enable debugging, configure GNU CC with the `--with-gnu-as'
option before building.
It has been reported that GNU CC produces invalid assembly code for
1.1 machines running HP-UX 8.02 when using the HP assembler.
Typically the errors look like this:
as: bug.s @line#15 [err#1060]
Argument 0 or 2 in FARG upper
- lookahead = ARGW1=FR,RTNVAL=GR
as: foo.s @line#28 [err#1060]
Argument 0 or 2 in FARG upper
- lookahead = ARGW1=FR
You can check the version of HP-UX you are running by executing
the command `uname -r'. If you are indeed running HP-UX 8.02 on
a PA and using the HP assembler then configure GCC with
"hpNNN-hpux8.02".
`i370-*-*'
This port is very preliminary and has many known bugs. We hope to
have a higher-quality port for this machine soon.
`i386-*-linuxoldld'
Use this configuration to generate a.out binaries on Linux if you
do not have gas/binutils version 2.5.2 or later installed. This is
an obsolete configuration.
`i386-*-linuxaout'
Use this configuration to generate a.out binaries on Linux. This
is an obsolete configuration. You must use gas/binutils version
2.5.2 or later.
`i386-*-linux'
Use this configuration to generate ELF binaries on Linux. You must
use gas/binutils version 2.5.2 or later.
`i386-*-sco'
Compilation with RCC is recommended. Also, it may be a good idea
to link with GNU malloc instead of the malloc that comes with the
system.
`i386-*-sco3.2v4'
Use this configuration for SCO release 3.2 version 4.
`i386-*-isc'
It may be a good idea to link with GNU malloc instead of the
malloc that comes with the system.
In ISC version 4.1, `sed' core dumps when building `deduced.h'.
Use the version of `sed' from version 4.0.
`i386-*-esix'
It may be good idea to link with GNU malloc instead of the malloc
that comes with the system.
`i386-ibm-aix'
You need to use GAS version 2.1 or later, and and LD from GNU
binutils version 2.2 or later.
`i386-sequent-bsd'
Go to the Berkeley universe before compiling. In addition, you
probably need to create a file named `string.h' containing just
one line: `#include <strings.h>'.
`i386-sequent-ptx1*'
Sequent DYNIX/ptx 1.x.
`i386-sequent-ptx2*'
Sequent DYNIX/ptx 2.x.
`i386-sun-sunos4'
You may find that you need another version of GNU CC to begin
bootstrapping with, since the current version when built with the
system's own compiler seems to get an infinite loop compiling part
of `libgcc2.c'. GNU CC version 2 compiled with GNU CC (any
version) seems not to have this problem.
See *Note Sun Install::, for information on installing GNU CC on
Sun systems.
`i[345]86-*-winnt3.5'
This version requires a GAS that has not let been released. Until
it is, you can get a prebuilt binary version via anonymous ftp from
`cs.washington.edu:pub/gnat' or `cs.nyu.edu:pub/gnat'. You must
also use the Microsoft header files from the Windows NT 3.5 SDK.
Find these on the CDROM in the `/mstools/h' directory dated
9/4/94. You must use a fixed version of Microsoft linker made
especially for NT 3.5, which is also is available on the NT 3.5
SDK CDROM. If you do not have this linker, can you also use the
linker from Visual C/C++ 1.0 or 2.0.
Installing GNU CC for NT builds a wrapper linker, called `ld.exe',
which mimics the behaviour of Unix `ld' in the specification of
libraries (`-L' and `-l'). `ld.exe' looks for both Unix and
Microsoft named libraries. For example, if you specify `-lfoo',
`ld.exe' will look first for `libfoo.a' and then for `foo.lib'.
You may install GNU CC for Windows NT in one of two ways,
depending on whether or not you have a Unix-like shell and various
Unix-like utilities.
1. If you do not have a Unix-like shell and few Unix-like
utilities, you will use a DOS style batch script called
`configure.bat'. Invoke it as `configure winnt' from an
MSDOS console window or from the program manager dialog box.
`configure.bat' assumes you have already installed and have
in your path a Unix-like `sed' program which is used to
create a working `Makefile' from `Makefile.in'.
`Makefile' uses the Microsoft Nmake program maintenance
utility and the Visual C/C++ V8.00 compiler to build GNU CC.
You need only have the utilities `sed' and `touch' to use
this installation method, which only automatically builds the
compiler itself. You must then examine what `fixinc.winnt'
does, edit the header files by hand and build `libgcc.a'
manually.
2. The second type of installation assumes you are running a
Unix-like shell, have a complete suite of Unix-like utilities
in your path, and have a previous version of GNU CC already
installed, either through building it via the above
installation method or acquiring a pre-built binary. In this
case, use the `configure' script in the normal fashion.
`i860-intel-osf1'
This is the Paragon. If you have version 1.0 of the operating
system, see *Note Installation Problems::, for special things you
need to do to compensate for peculiarities in the system.
`*-lynx-lynxos'
LynxOS 2.2 and earlier comes with GNU CC 1.x already installed as
`/bin/gcc'. You should compile with this instead of `/bin/cc'.
You can tell GNU CC to use the GNU assembler and linker, by
specifying `--with-gnu-as --with-gnu-ld' when configuring. These
will produce COFF format object files and executables; otherwise
GNU CC will use the installed tools, which produce a.out format
executables.
`m68000-hp-bsd'
HP 9000 series 200 running BSD. Note that the C compiler that
comes with this system cannot compile GNU CC; contact
`law@cs.utah.edu' to get binaries of GNU CC for bootstrapping.
`m68k-altos'
Altos 3068. You must use the GNU assembler, linker and debugger.
Also, you must fix a kernel bug. Details in the file
`README.ALTOS'.
`m68k-att-sysv'
AT&T 3b1, a.k.a. 7300 PC. Special procedures are needed to
compile GNU CC with this machine's standard C compiler, due to
bugs in that compiler. You can bootstrap it more easily with
previous versions of GNU CC if you have them.
Installing GNU CC on the 3b1 is difficult if you do not already
have GNU CC running, due to bugs in the installed C compiler.
However, the following procedure might work. We are unable to
test it.
1. Comment out the `#include "config.h"' line on line 37 of
`cccp.c' and do `make cpp'. This makes a preliminary version
of GNU cpp.
2. Save the old `/lib/cpp' and copy the preliminary GNU cpp to
that file name.
3. Undo your change in `cccp.c', or reinstall the original
version, and do `make cpp' again.
4. Copy this final version of GNU cpp into `/lib/cpp'.
5. Replace every occurrence of `obstack_free' in the file
`tree.c' with `_obstack_free'.
6. Run `make' to get the first-stage GNU CC.
7. Reinstall the original version of `/lib/cpp'.
8. Now you can compile GNU CC with itself and install it in the
normal fashion.
`m68k-bull-sysv'
Bull DPX/2 series 200 and 300 with BOS-2.00.45 up to BOS-2.01. GNU
CC works either with native assembler or GNU assembler. You can use
GNU assembler with native coff generation by providing
`--with-gnu-as' to the configure script or use GNU assembler with
dbx-in-coff encapsulation by providing `--with-gnu-as --stabs'.
For any problem with native assembler or for availability of the
DPX/2 port of GAS, contact `F.Pierresteguy@frcl.bull.fr'.
`m68k-crds-unox'
Use `configure unos' for building on Unos.
The Unos assembler is named `casm' instead of `as'. For some
strange reason linking `/bin/as' to `/bin/casm' changes the
behavior, and does not work. So, when installing GNU CC, you
should install the following script as `as' in the subdirectory
where the passes of GCC are installed:
#!/bin/sh
casm $*
The default Unos library is named `libunos.a' instead of `libc.a'.
To allow GNU CC to function, either change all references to
`-lc' in `gcc.c' to `-lunos' or link `/lib/libc.a' to
`/lib/libunos.a'.
When compiling GNU CC with the standard compiler, to overcome bugs
in the support of `alloca', do not use `-O' when making stage 2.
Then use the stage 2 compiler with `-O' to make the stage 3
compiler. This compiler will have the same characteristics as the
usual stage 2 compiler on other systems. Use it to make a stage 4
compiler and compare that with stage 3 to verify proper
compilation.
(Perhaps simply defining `ALLOCA' in `x-crds' as described in the
comments there will make the above paragraph superfluous. Please
inform us of whether this works.)
Unos uses memory segmentation instead of demand paging, so you
will need a lot of memory. 5 Mb is barely enough if no other
tasks are running. If linking `cc1' fails, try putting the object
files into a library and linking from that library.
`m68k-hp-hpux'
HP 9000 series 300 or 400 running HP-UX. HP-UX version 8.0 has a
bug in the assembler that prevents compilation of GNU CC. To fix
it, get patch PHCO_4484 from HP.
In addition, if you wish to use gas `--with-gnu-as' you must use
gas version 2.1 or later, and you must use the GNU linker version
2.1 or later. Earlier versions of gas relied upon a program which
converted the gas output into the native HP/UX format, but that
program has not been kept up to date. gdb does not understand
that native HP/UX format, so you must use gas if you wish to use
gdb.
`m68k-sun'
Sun 3. We do not provide a configuration file to use the Sun FPA
by default, because programs that establish signal handlers for
floating point traps inherently cannot work with the FPA.
See *Note Sun Install::, for information on installing GNU CC on
Sun systems.
`m88k-*-svr3'
Motorola m88k running the AT&T/Unisoft/Motorola V.3 reference port.
These systems tend to use the Green Hills C, revision 1.8.5, as the
standard C compiler. There are apparently bugs in this compiler
that result in object files differences between stage 2 and stage
3. If this happens, make the stage 4 compiler and compare it to
the stage 3 compiler. If the stage 3 and stage 4 object files are
identical, this suggests you encountered a problem with the
standard C compiler; the stage 3 and 4 compilers may be usable.
It is best, however, to use an older version of GNU CC for
bootstrapping if you have one.
`m88k-*-dgux'
Motorola m88k running DG/UX. To build 88open BCS native or cross
compilers on DG/UX, specify the configuration name as
`m88k-*-dguxbcs' and build in the 88open BCS software development
environment. To build ELF native or cross compilers on DG/UX,
specify `m88k-*-dgux' and build in the DG/UX ELF development
environment. You set the software development environment by
issuing `sde-target' command and specifying either `m88kbcs' or
`m88kdguxelf' as the operand.
If you do not specify a configuration name, `configure' guesses the
configuration based on the current software development
environment.
`m88k-tektronix-sysv3'
Tektronix XD88 running UTekV 3.2e. Do not turn on optimization
while building stage1 if you bootstrap with the buggy Green Hills
compiler. Also, The bundled LAI System V NFS is buggy so if you
build in an NFS mounted directory, start from a fresh reboot, or
avoid NFS all together. Otherwise you may have trouble getting
clean comparisons between stages.
`mips-mips-bsd'
MIPS machines running the MIPS operating system in BSD mode. It's
possible that some old versions of the system lack the functions
`memcpy', `memcmp', and `memset'. If your system lacks these, you
must remove or undo the definition of `TARGET_MEM_FUNCTIONS' in
`mips-bsd.h'.
The MIPS C compiler needs to be told to increase its table size
for switch statements with the `-Wf,-XNg1500' option in order to
compile `cp/parse.c'. If you use the `-O2' optimization option,
you also need to use `-Olimit 3000'. Both of these options are
automatically generated in the `Makefile' that the shell script
`configure' builds. If you override the `CC' make variable and
use the MIPS compilers, you may need to add `-Wf,-XNg1500 -Olimit
3000'.
`mips-mips-riscos*'
The MIPS C compiler needs to be told to increase its table size
for switch statements with the `-Wf,-XNg1500' option in order to
compile `cp/parse.c'. If you use the `-O2' optimization option,
you also need to use `-Olimit 3000'. Both of these options are
automatically generated in the `Makefile' that the shell script
`configure' builds. If you override the `CC' make variable and
use the MIPS compilers, you may need to add `-Wf,-XNg1500 -Olimit
3000'.
MIPS computers running RISC-OS can support four different
personalities: default, BSD 4.3, System V.3, and System V.4 (older
versions of RISC-OS don't support V.4). To configure GCC for
these platforms use the following configurations:
`mips-mips-riscos`rev''
Default configuration for RISC-OS, revision `rev'.
`mips-mips-riscos`rev'bsd'
BSD 4.3 configuration for RISC-OS, revision `rev'.
`mips-mips-riscos`rev'sysv4'
System V.4 configuration for RISC-OS, revision `rev'.
`mips-mips-riscos`rev'sysv'
System V.3 configuration for RISC-OS, revision `rev'.
The revision `rev' mentioned above is the revision of RISC-OS to
use. You must reconfigure GCC when going from a RISC-OS revision
4 to RISC-OS revision 5. This has the effect of avoiding a linker
bug (see *Note Installation Problems::, for more details).
`mips-sgi-*'
In order to compile GCC on an SGI running IRIX 4, the "c.hdr.lib"
option must be installed from the CD-ROM supplied from Silicon
Graphics. This is found on the 2nd CD in release 4.0.1.
In order to compile GCC on an SGI running IRIX 5, the
"compiler_dev.hdr" subsystem must be installed from the IDO CD-ROM
supplied by Silicon Graphics.
`make compare' may fail on version 5 of IRIX unless you add
`-save-temps' to `CFLAGS'. On these systems, the name of the
assembler input file is stored in the object file, and that makes
comparison fail if it differs between the `stage1' and `stage2'
compilations. The option `-save-temps' forces a fixed name to be
used for the assembler input file, instead of a randomly chosen
name in `/tmp'. Do not add `-save-temps' unless the comparisons
fail without that option. If you do you `-save-temps', you will
have to manually delete the `.i' and `.s' files after each series
of compilations.
The MIPS C compiler needs to be told to increase its table size
for switch statements with the `-Wf,-XNg1500' option in order to
compile `cp/parse.c'. If you use the `-O2' optimization option,
you also need to use `-Olimit 3000'. Both of these options are
automatically generated in the `Makefile' that the shell script
`configure' builds. If you override the `CC' make variable and
use the MIPS compilers, you may need to add `-Wf,-XNg1500 -Olimit
3000'.
On Irix version 4.0.5F, and perhaps on some other versions as well,
there is an assembler bug that reorders instructions incorrectly.
To work around it, specify the target configuration
`mips-sgi-irix4loser'. This configuration inhibits assembler
optimization.
In a compiler configured with target `mips-sgi-irix4', you can turn
off assembler optimization by using the `-noasmopt' option. This
compiler option passes the option `-O0' to the assembler, to
inhibit reordering.
The `-noasmopt' option can be useful for testing whether a problem
is due to erroneous assembler reordering. Even if a problem does
not go away with `-noasmopt', it may still be due to assembler
reordering--perhaps GNU CC itself was miscompiled as a result.
To enable debugging under Irix 5, you must use GNU as 2.5 or later,
and use the `--with-gnu-as' configure option when configuring gcc.
GNU as is distributed as part of the binutils package.
`mips-sony-sysv'
Sony MIPS NEWS. This works in NEWSOS 5.0.1, but not in 5.0.2
(which uses ELF instead of COFF). Support for 5.0.2 will probably
be provided soon by volunteers. In particular, the linker does
not like the code generated by GCC when shared libraries are
linked in.
`ns32k-encore'
Encore ns32000 system. Encore systems are supported only under
BSD.
`ns32k-*-genix'
National Semiconductor ns32000 system. Genix has bugs in `alloca'
and `malloc'; you must get the compiled versions of these from GNU
Emacs.
`ns32k-sequent'
Go to the Berkeley universe before compiling. In addition, you
probably need to create a file named `string.h' containing just
one line: `#include <strings.h>'.
`ns32k-utek'
UTEK ns32000 system ("merlin"). The C compiler that comes with
this system cannot compile GNU CC; contact `tektronix!reed!mason'
to get binaries of GNU CC for bootstrapping.
`romp-*-aos'
`romp-*-mach'
The only operating systems supported for the IBM RT PC are AOS and
MACH. GNU CC does not support AIX running on the RT. We
recommend you compile GNU CC with an earlier version of itself; if
you compile GNU CC with `hc', the Metaware compiler, it will work,
but you will get mismatches between the stage 2 and stage 3
compilers in various files. These errors are minor differences in
some floating-point constants and can be safely ignored; the stage
3 compiler is correct.
`rs6000-*-aix'
If you are running AIX version 3.2.5 and have XLC version 1.3.0.0,
you must obtain XLC 1.3.0.1 by requesting PTF 421749 from IBM.
Likewise, XLC-1.3.0.19 cannot correctly compile GNU CC; you must
obtain XLC-1.3.0.24 by requesting PTF 432238 from IBM. If you are
using an older version of AIX you may have an old version of the
IBM assembler, which cannot correctly handle debugging directives.
See the file `README.RS6000' for more details on both of these
problems.
The PowerPC and POWER2 architectures are now supported, but have
not been very extensively tested due to lack of appropriate
systems. Only AIX is supported on the PowerPC. GNU CC does not
yet support the 64-bit PowerPC instructions.
Objective C does not work on this architecture.
AIX on the RS/6000 provides support (NLS) for environments outside
of the United States. Compilers and assemblers use NLS to support
locale-specific representations of various objects including
floating-point numbers ("." vs "," for separating decimal
fractions). There have been problems reported where the library
linked with GNU CC does not produce the same floating-point
formats that the assembler accepts. If you have this problem, set
the LANG environment variable to "C" or "En_US".
`powerpc-*-elf'
`powerpc-*-sysv4'
PowerPC system in big endian mode, running System V.4. This
system is currently under development.
`powerpc-*-eabi'
Embedded PowerPC system in big endian mode. This system is
currently under development.
`powerpcle-*-elf'
`powerpcle-*-eabi'
PowerPC system in little endian mode, running System V.4. This
system is currently under development.
`powerpcle-*-sysv4'
Embedded PowerPC system in little endian mode. This system is
currently under development.
`vax-dec-ultrix'
Don't try compiling with Vax C (`vcc'). It produces incorrect code
in some cases (for example, when `alloca' is used).
Meanwhile, compiling `cp/parse.c' with pcc does not work because of
an internal table size limitation in that compiler. To avoid this
problem, compile just the GNU C compiler first, and use it to
recompile building all the languages that you want to run.
`sparc-sun-*'
See *Note Sun Install::, for information on installing GNU CC on
Sun systems.
`vax-dec-vms'
See *Note VMS Install::, for details on how to install GNU CC on
VMS.
`we32k-*-*'
These computers are also known as the 3b2, 3b5, 3b20 and other
similar names. (However, the 3b1 is actually a 68000; see *Note
Configurations::.)
Don't use `-g' when compiling with the system's compiler. The
system's linker seems to be unable to handle such a large program
with debugging information.
The system's compiler runs out of capacity when compiling `stmt.c'
in GNU CC. You can work around this by building `cpp' in GNU CC
first, then use that instead of the system's preprocessor with the
system's C compiler to compile `stmt.c'. Here is how:
mv /lib/cpp /lib/cpp.att
cp cpp /lib/cpp.gnu
echo '/lib/cpp.gnu -traditional ${1+"$@"}' > /lib/cpp
chmod +x /lib/cpp
The system's compiler produces bad code for some of the GNU CC
optimization files. So you must build the stage 2 compiler without
optimization. Then build a stage 3 compiler with optimization.
That executable should work. Here are the necessary commands:
make LANGUAGES=c CC=stage1/xgcc CFLAGS="-Bstage1/ -g"
make stage2
make CC=stage2/xgcc CFLAGS="-Bstage2/ -g -O"
You may need to raise the ULIMIT setting to build a C++ compiler,
as the file `cc1plus' is larger than one megabyte.
File: use, Node: Other Dir, Next: Cross-Compiler, Prev: Configurations, Up: Installation
Compilation in a Separate Directory
===================================
If you wish to build the object files and executables in a directory
other than the one containing the source files, here is what you must
do differently:
1. Make sure you have a version of Make that supports the `VPATH'
feature. (GNU Make supports it, as do Make versions on most BSD
systems.)
2. If you have ever run `configure' in the source directory, you must
undo the configuration. Do this by running:
make distclean
3. Go to the directory in which you want to build the compiler before
running `configure':
mkdir gcc-sun3
cd gcc-sun3
On systems that do not support symbolic links, this directory must
be on the same file system as the source code directory.
4. Specify where to find `configure' when you run it:
../gcc/configure ...
This also tells `configure' where to find the compiler sources;
`configure' takes the directory from the file name that was used to
invoke it. But if you want to be sure, you can specify the source
directory with the `--srcdir' option, like this:
../gcc/configure --srcdir=../gcc OTHER OPTIONS
The directory you specify with `--srcdir' need not be the same as
the one that `configure' is found in.
Now, you can run `make' in that directory. You need not repeat the
configuration steps shown above, when ordinary source files change. You
must, however, run `configure' again when the configuration files
change, if your system does not support symbolic links.
File: use, Node: Cross-Compiler, Next: Sun Install, Prev: Other Dir, Up: Installation
Building and Installing a Cross-Compiler
========================================
GNU CC can function as a cross-compiler for many machines, but not
all.
* Cross-compilers for the Mips as target using the Mips assembler
currently do not work, because the auxiliary programs
`mips-tdump.c' and `mips-tfile.c' can't be compiled on anything
but a Mips. It does work to cross compile for a Mips if you use
the GNU assembler and linker.
* Cross-compilers between machines with different floating point
formats have not all been made to work. GNU CC now has a floating
point emulator with which these can work, but each target machine
description needs to be updated to take advantage of it.
* Cross-compilation between machines of different word sizes is
somewhat problematic and sometimes does not work.
Since GNU CC generates assembler code, you probably need a
cross-assembler that GNU CC can run, in order to produce object files.
If you want to link on other than the target machine, you need a
cross-linker as well. You also need header files and libraries suitable
for the target machine that you can install on the host machine.
* Menu:
* Steps of Cross:: Using a cross-compiler involves several steps
that may be carried out on different machines.
* Configure Cross:: Configuring a cross-compiler.
* Tools and Libraries:: Where to put the linker and assembler, and the C library.
* Cross Headers:: Finding and installing header files
for a cross-compiler.
* Cross Runtime:: Supplying arithmetic runtime routines (`libgcc1.a').
* Build Cross:: Actually compiling the cross-compiler.
File: use, Node: Steps of Cross, Next: Configure Cross, Up: Cross-Compiler
Steps of Cross-Compilation
--------------------------
To compile and run a program using a cross-compiler involves several
steps:
* Run the cross-compiler on the host machine to produce assembler
files for the target machine. This requires header files for the
target machine.
* Assemble the files produced by the cross-compiler. You can do this
either with an assembler on the target machine, or with a
cross-assembler on the host machine.
* Link those files to make an executable. You can do this either
with a linker on the target machine, or with a cross-linker on the
host machine. Whichever machine you use, you need libraries and
certain startup files (typically `crt....o') for the target
machine.
It is most convenient to do all of these steps on the same host
machine, since then you can do it all with a single invocation of GNU
CC. This requires a suitable cross-assembler and cross-linker. For
some targets, the GNU assembler and linker are available.
File: use, Node: Configure Cross, Next: Tools and Libraries, Prev: Steps of Cross, Up: Cross-Compiler
Configuring a Cross-Compiler
----------------------------
To build GNU CC as a cross-compiler, you start out by running
`configure'. Use the `--target=TARGET' to specify the target type. If
`configure' was unable to correctly identify the system you are running
on, also specify the `--build=BUILD' option. For example, here is how
to configure for a cross-compiler that produces code for an HP 68030
system running BSD on a system that `configure' can correctly identify:
./configure --target=m68k-hp-bsd4.3
File: use, Node: Tools and Libraries, Next: Cross Headers, Prev: Configure Cross, Up: Cross-Compiler
Tools and Libraries for a Cross-Compiler
----------------------------------------
If you have a cross-assembler and cross-linker available, you should
install them now. Put them in the directory `/usr/local/TARGET/bin'.
Here is a table of the tools you should put in this directory:
`as'
This should be the cross-assembler.
`ld'
This should be the cross-linker.
`ar'
This should be the cross-archiver: a program which can manipulate
archive files (linker libraries) in the target machine's format.
`ranlib'
This should be a program to construct a symbol table in an archive
file.
The installation of GNU CC will find these programs in that
directory, and copy or link them to the proper place to for the
cross-compiler to find them when run later.
The easiest way to provide these files is to build the Binutils
package and GAS. Configure them with the same `--host' and `--target'
options that you use for configuring GNU CC, then build and install
them. They install their executables automatically into the proper
directory. Alas, they do not support all the targets that GNU CC
supports.
If you want to install libraries to use with the cross-compiler,
such as a standard C library, put them in the directory
`/usr/local/TARGET/lib'; installation of GNU CC copies all all the
files in that subdirectory into the proper place for GNU CC to find
them and link with them. Here's an example of copying some libraries
from a target machine:
ftp TARGET-MACHINE
lcd /usr/local/TARGET/lib
cd /lib
get libc.a
cd /usr/lib
get libg.a
get libm.a
quit
The precise set of libraries you'll need, and their locations on the
target machine, vary depending on its operating system.
Many targets require "start files" such as `crt0.o' and `crtn.o'
which are linked into each executable; these too should be placed in
`/usr/local/TARGET/lib'. There may be several alternatives for
`crt0.o', for use with profiling or other compilation options. Check
your target's definition of `STARTFILE_SPEC' to find out what start
files it uses. Here's an example of copying these files from a target
machine:
ftp TARGET-MACHINE
lcd /usr/local/TARGET/lib
prompt
cd /lib
mget *crt*.o
cd /usr/lib
mget *crt*.o
quit
File: use, Node: Cross Runtime, Next: Build Cross, Prev: Cross Headers, Up: Cross-Compiler
`libgcc.a' and Cross-Compilers
------------------------------
Code compiled by GNU CC uses certain runtime support functions
implicitly. Some of these functions can be compiled successfully with
GNU CC itself, but a few cannot be. These problem functions are in the
source file `libgcc1.c'; the library made from them is called
`libgcc1.a'.
When you build a native compiler, these functions are compiled with
some other compiler-the one that you use for bootstrapping GNU CC.
Presumably it knows how to open code these operations, or else knows how
to call the run-time emulation facilities that the machine comes with.
But this approach doesn't work for building a cross-compiler. The
compiler that you use for building knows about the host system, not the
target system.
So, when you build a cross-compiler you have to supply a suitable
library `libgcc1.a' that does the job it is expected to do.
To compile `libgcc1.c' with the cross-compiler itself does not work.
The functions in this file are supposed to implement arithmetic
operations that GNU CC does not know how to open code for your target
machine. If these functions are compiled with GNU CC itself, they will
compile into infinite recursion.
On any given target, most of these functions are not needed. If GNU
CC can open code an arithmetic operation, it will not call these
functions to perform the operation. It is possible that on your target
machine, none of these functions is needed. If so, you can supply an
empty library as `libgcc1.a'.
Many targets need library support only for multiplication and
division. If you are linking with a library that contains functions for
multiplication and division, you can tell GNU CC to call them directly
by defining the macros `MULSI3_LIBCALL', and the like. These macros
need to be defined in the target description macro file. For some
targets, they are defined already. This may be sufficient to avoid the
need for libgcc1.a; if so, you can supply an empty library.
Some targets do not have floating point instructions; they need other
functions in `libgcc1.a', which do floating arithmetic. Recent
versions of GNU CC have a file which emulates floating point. With a
certain amount of work, you should be able to construct a floating
point emulator that can be used as `libgcc1.a'. Perhaps future
versions will contain code to do this automatically and conveniently.
That depends on whether someone wants to implement it.
Some embedded targets come with all the necessary `libgcc1.a'
routines written in C or assembler. These targets build `libgcc1.a'
automatically and you do not need to do anything special for them.
Other embedded targets do not need any `libgcc1.a' routines since all
the necessary operations are supported by the hardware.
If your target system has another C compiler, you can configure GNU
CC as a native compiler on that machine, build just `libgcc1.a' with
`make libgcc1.a' on that machine, and use the resulting file with the
cross-compiler. To do this, execute the following on the target
machine:
cd TARGET-BUILD-DIR
./configure --host=sparc --target=sun3
make libgcc1.a
And then this on the host machine:
ftp TARGET-MACHINE
binary
cd TARGET-BUILD-DIR
get libgcc1.a
quit
Another way to provide the functions you need in `libgcc1.a' is to
define the appropriate `perform_...' macros for those functions. If
these definitions do not use the C arithmetic operators that they are
meant to implement, you should be able to compile them with the
cross-compiler you are building. (If these definitions already exist
for your target file, then you are all set.)
To build `libgcc1.a' using the perform macros, use
`LIBGCC1=libgcc1.a OLDCC=./xgcc' when building the compiler.
Otherwise, you should place your replacement library under the name
`libgcc1.a' in the directory in which you will build the
cross-compiler, before you run `make'.
File: use, Node: Cross Headers, Next: Cross Runtime, Prev: Tools and Libraries, Up: Cross-Compiler
Cross-Compilers and Header Files
--------------------------------
If you are cross-compiling a standalone program or a program for an
embedded system, then you may not need any header files except the few
that are part of GNU CC (and those of your program). However, if you
intend to link your program with a standard C library such as `libc.a',
then you probably need to compile with the header files that go with
the library you use.
The GNU C compiler does not come with these files, because (1) they
are system-specific, and (2) they belong in a C library, not in a
compiler.
If the GNU C library supports your target machine, then you can get
the header files from there (assuming you actually use the GNU library
when you link your program).
If your target machine comes with a C compiler, it probably comes
with suitable header files also. If you make these files accessible
from the host machine, the cross-compiler can use them also.
Otherwise, you're on your own in finding header files to use when
cross-compiling.
When you have found suitable header files, put them in
`/usr/local/TARGET/include', before building the cross compiler. Then
installation will run fixincludes properly and install the corrected
versions of the header files where the compiler will use them.
Provide the header files before you build the cross-compiler, because
the build stage actually runs the cross-compiler to produce parts of
`libgcc.a'. (These are the parts that *can* be compiled with GNU CC.)
Some of them need suitable header files.
Here's an example showing how to copy the header files from a target
machine. On the target machine, do this:
(cd /usr/include; tar cf - .) > tarfile
Then, on the host machine, do this:
ftp TARGET-MACHINE
lcd /usr/local/TARGET/include
get tarfile
quit
tar xf tarfile
File: use, Node: Build Cross, Prev: Cross Runtime, Up: Cross-Compiler
Actually Building the Cross-Compiler
------------------------------------
Now you can proceed just as for compiling a single-machine compiler
through the step of building stage 1. If you have not provided some
sort of `libgcc1.a', then compilation will give up at the point where
it needs that file, printing a suitable error message. If you do
provide `libgcc1.a', then building the compiler will automatically
compile and link a test program called `libgcc1-test'; if you get
errors in the linking, it means that not all of the necessary routines
in `libgcc1.a' are available.
You must provide the header file `float.h'. One way to do this is
to compile `enquire' and run it on your target machine. The job of
`enquire' is to run on the target machine and figure out by experiment
the nature of its floating point representation. `enquire' records its
findings in the header file `float.h'. If you can't produce this file
by running `enquire' on the target machine, then you will need to come
up with a suitable `float.h' in some other way (or else, avoid using it
in your programs).
Do not try to build stage 2 for a cross-compiler. It doesn't work to
rebuild GNU CC as a cross-compiler using the cross-compiler, because
that would produce a program that runs on the target machine, not on the
host. For example, if you compile a 386-to-68030 cross-compiler with
itself, the result will not be right either for the 386 (because it was
compiled into 68030 code) or for the 68030 (because it was configured
for a 386 as the host). If you want to compile GNU CC into 68030 code,
whether you compile it on a 68030 or with a cross-compiler on a 386, you
must specify a 68030 as the host when you configure it.
To install the cross-compiler, use `make install', as usual.
File: use, Node: Sun Install, Next: VMS Install, Prev: Cross-Compiler, Up: Installation
Installing GNU CC on the Sun
============================
On Solaris (version 2.1), do not use the linker or other tools in
`/usr/ucb' to build GNU CC. Use `/usr/ccs/bin'.
Make sure the environment variable `FLOAT_OPTION' is not set when
you compile `libgcc.a'. If this option were set to `f68881' when
`libgcc.a' is compiled, the resulting code would demand to be linked
with a special startup file and would not link properly without special
pains.
There is a bug in `alloca' in certain versions of the Sun library.
To avoid this bug, install the binaries of GNU CC that were compiled by
GNU CC. They use `alloca' as a built-in function and never the one in
the library.
Some versions of the Sun compiler crash when compiling GNU CC. The
problem is a segmentation fault in cpp. This problem seems to be due to
the bulk of data in the environment variables. You may be able to avoid
it by using the following command to compile GNU CC with Sun CC:
make CC="TERMCAP=x OBJS=x LIBFUNCS=x STAGESTUFF=x cc"
File: use, Node: VMS Install, Next: Collect2, Prev: Sun Install, Up: Installation
Installing GNU CC on VMS
========================
The VMS version of GNU CC is distributed in a backup saveset
containing both source code and precompiled binaries.
To install the `gcc' command so you can use the compiler easily, in
the same manner as you use the VMS C compiler, you must install the VMS
CLD file for GNU CC as follows:
1. Define the VMS logical names `GNU_CC' and `GNU_CC_INCLUDE' to
point to the directories where the GNU CC executables
(`gcc-cpp.exe', `gcc-cc1.exe', etc.) and the C include files are
kept respectively. This should be done with the commands:
$ assign /system /translation=concealed -
disk:[gcc.] gnu_cc
$ assign /system /translation=concealed -
disk:[gcc.include.] gnu_cc_include
with the appropriate disk and directory names. These commands can
be placed in your system startup file so they will be executed
whenever the machine is rebooted. You may, if you choose, do this
via the `GCC_INSTALL.COM' script in the `[GCC]' directory.
2. Install the `GCC' command with the command line:
$ set command /table=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables -
/output=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables gnu_cc:[000000]gcc
$ install replace sys$common:[syslib]dcltables
3. To install the help file, do the following:
$ library/help sys$library:helplib.hlb gcc.hlp
Now you can invoke the compiler with a command like `gcc /verbose
file.c', which is equivalent to the command `gcc -v -c file.c' in
Unix.
If you wish to use GNU C++ you must first install GNU CC, and then
perform the following steps:
1. Define the VMS logical name `GNU_GXX_INCLUDE' to point to the
directory where the preprocessor will search for the C++ header
files. This can be done with the command:
$ assign /system /translation=concealed -
disk:[gcc.gxx_include.] gnu_gxx_include
with the appropriate disk and directory name. If you are going to
be using libg++, this is where the libg++ install procedure will
install the libg++ header files.
2. Obtain the file `gcc-cc1plus.exe', and place this in the same
directory that `gcc-cc1.exe' is kept.
The GNU C++ compiler can be invoked with a command like `gcc /plus
/verbose file.cc', which is equivalent to the command `g++ -v -c
file.cc' in Unix.
We try to put corresponding binaries and sources on the VMS
distribution tape. But sometimes the binaries will be from an older
version than the sources, because we don't always have time to update
them. (Use the `/version' option to determine the version number of
the binaries and compare it with the source file `version.c' to tell
whether this is so.) In this case, you should use the binaries you get
to recompile the sources. If you must recompile, here is how:
1. Execute the command procedure `vmsconfig.com' to set up the files
`tm.h', `config.h', `aux-output.c', and `md.', and to create files
`tconfig.h' and `hconfig.h'. This procedure also creates several
linker option files used by `make-cc1.com' and a data file used by
`make-l2.com'.
$ @vmsconfig.com
2. Setup the logical names and command tables as defined above. In
addition, define the VMS logical name `GNU_BISON' to point at the
to the directories where the Bison executable is kept. This
should be done with the command:
$ assign /system /translation=concealed -
disk:[bison.] gnu_bison
You may, if you choose, use the `INSTALL_BISON.COM' script in the
`[BISON]' directory.
3. Install the `BISON' command with the command line:
$ set command /table=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables -
/output=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables -
gnu_bison:[000000]bison
$ install replace sys$common:[syslib]dcltables
4. Type `@make-gcc' to recompile everything (alternatively, submit
the file `make-gcc.com' to a batch queue). If you wish to build
the GNU C++ compiler as well as the GNU CC compiler, you must
first edit `make-gcc.com' and follow the instructions that appear
in the comments.
5. In order to use GCC, you need a library of functions which GCC
compiled code will call to perform certain tasks, and these
functions are defined in the file `libgcc2.c'. To compile this
you should use the command procedure `make-l2.com', which will
generate the library `libgcc2.olb'. `libgcc2.olb' should be built
using the compiler built from the same distribution that
`libgcc2.c' came from, and `make-gcc.com' will automatically do
all of this for you.
To install the library, use the following commands:
$ library gnu_cc:[000000]gcclib/delete=(new,eprintf)
$ library gnu_cc:[000000]gcclib/delete=L_*
$ library libgcc2/extract=*/output=libgcc2.obj
$ library gnu_cc:[000000]gcclib libgcc2.obj
The first command simply removes old modules that will be replaced
with modules from `libgcc2' under different module names. The
modules `new' and `eprintf' may not actually be present in your
`gcclib.olb'--if the VMS librarian complains about those modules
not being present, simply ignore the message and continue on with
the next command. The second command removes the modules that
came from the previous version of the library `libgcc2.c'.
Whenever you update the compiler on your system, you should also
update the library with the above procedure.
6. You may wish to build GCC in such a way that no files are written
to the directory where the source files reside. An example would
be the when the source files are on a read-only disk. In these
cases, execute the following DCL commands (substituting your
actual path names):
$ assign dua0:[gcc.build_dir.]/translation=concealed, -
dua1:[gcc.source_dir.]/translation=concealed gcc_build
$ set default gcc_build:[000000]
where the directory `dua1:[gcc.source_dir]' contains the source
code, and the directory `dua0:[gcc.build_dir]' is meant to contain
all of the generated object files and executables. Once you have
done this, you can proceed building GCC as described above. (Keep
in mind that `gcc_build' is a rooted logical name, and thus the
device names in each element of the search list must be an actual
physical device name rather than another rooted logical name).
7. *If you are building GNU CC with a previous version of GNU CC, you
also should check to see that you have the newest version of the
assembler*. In particular, GNU CC version 2 treats global constant
variables slightly differently from GNU CC version 1, and GAS
version 1.38.1 does not have the patches required to work with GCC
version 2. If you use GAS 1.38.1, then `extern const' variables
will not have the read-only bit set, and the linker will generate
warning messages about mismatched psect attributes for these
variables. These warning messages are merely a nuisance, and can
safely be ignored.
If you are compiling with a version of GNU CC older than 1.33,
specify `/DEFINE=("inline=")' as an option in all the
compilations. This requires editing all the `gcc' commands in
`make-cc1.com'. (The older versions had problems supporting
`inline'.) Once you have a working 1.33 or newer GNU CC, you can
change this file back.
8. If you want to build GNU CC with the VAX C compiler, you will need
to make minor changes in `make-cccp.com' and `make-cc1.com' to
choose alternate definitions of `CC', `CFLAGS', and `LIBS'. See
comments in those files. However, you must also have a working
version of the GNU assembler (GNU as, aka GAS) as it is used as
the back-end for GNU CC to produce binary object modules and is
not included in the GNU CC sources. GAS is also needed to compile
`libgcc2' in order to build `gcclib' (see above); `make-l2.com'
expects to be able to find it operational in
`gnu_cc:[000000]gnu-as.exe'.
To use GNU CC on VMS, you need the VMS driver programs `gcc.exe',
`gcc.com', and `gcc.cld'. They are distributed with the VMS
binaries (`gcc-vms') rather than the GNU CC sources. GAS is also
included in `gcc-vms', as is Bison.
Once you have successfully built GNU CC with VAX C, you should use
the resulting compiler to rebuild itself. Before doing this, be
sure to restore the `CC', `CFLAGS', and `LIBS' definitions in
`make-cccp.com' and `make-cc1.com'. The second generation
compiler will be able to take advantage of many optimizations that
must be suppressed when building with other compilers.
Under previous versions of GNU CC, the generated code would
occasionally give strange results when linked with the sharable
`VAXCRTL' library. Now this should work.
Even with this version, however, GNU CC itself should not be linked
with the sharable `VAXCRTL'. The version of `qsort' in `VAXCRTL' has a
bug (known to be present in VMS versions V4.6 through V5.5) which
causes the compiler to fail.
The executables are generated by `make-cc1.com' and `make-cccp.com'
use the object library version of `VAXCRTL' in order to make use of the
`qsort' routine in `gcclib.olb'. If you wish to link the compiler
executables with the shareable image version of `VAXCRTL', you should
edit the file `tm.h' (created by `vmsconfig.com') to define the macro
`QSORT_WORKAROUND'.
`QSORT_WORKAROUND' is always defined when GNU CC is compiled with
VAX C, to avoid a problem in case `gcclib.olb' is not yet available.
File: use, Node: Collect2, Next: Header Dirs, Prev: VMS Install, Up: Installation
`collect2'
==========
Many target systems do not have support in the assembler and linker
for "constructors"--initialization functions to be called before the
official "start" of `main'. On such systems, GNU CC uses a utility
called `collect2' to arrange to call these functions at start time.
The program `collect2' works by linking the program once and looking
through the linker output file for symbols with particular names
indicating they are constructor functions. If it finds any, it creates
a new temporary `.c' file containing a table of them, compiles it, and
links the program a second time including that file.
The actual calls to the constructors are carried out by a subroutine
called `__main', which is called (automatically) at the beginning of
the body of `main' (provided `main' was compiled with GNU CC). Calling
`__main' is necessary, even when compiling C code, to allow linking C
and C++ object code together. (If you use `-nostdlib', you get an
unresolved reference to `__main', since it's defined in the standard
GCC library. Include `-lgcc' at the end of your compiler command line
to resolve this reference.)
The program `collect2' is installed as `ld' in the directory where
the passes of the compiler are installed. When `collect2' needs to
find the *real* `ld', it tries the following file names:
* `real-ld' in the directories listed in the compiler's search
directories.
* `real-ld' in the directories listed in the environment variable
`PATH'.
* The file specified in the `REAL_LD_FILE_NAME' configuration macro,
if specified.
* `ld' in the compiler's search directories, except that `collect2'
will not execute itself recursively.
* `ld' in `PATH'.
"The compiler's search directories" means all the directories where
`gcc' searches for passes of the compiler. This includes directories
that you specify with `-B'.
Cross-compilers search a little differently:
* `real-ld' in the compiler's search directories.
* `TARGET-real-ld' in `PATH'.
* The file specified in the `REAL_LD_FILE_NAME' configuration macro,
if specified.
* `ld' in the compiler's search directories.
* `TARGET-ld' in `PATH'.
`collect2' explicitly avoids running `ld' using the file name under
which `collect2' itself was invoked. In fact, it remembers up a list
of such names--in case one copy of `collect2' finds another copy (or
version) of `collect2' installed as `ld' in a second place in the
search path.
`collect2' searches for the utilities `nm' and `strip' using the
same algorithm as above for `ld'.
File: use, Node: Header Dirs, Prev: Collect2, Up: Installation
Standard Header File Directories
================================
`GCC_INCLUDE_DIR' means the same thing for native and cross. It is
where GNU CC stores its private include files, and also where GNU CC
stores the fixed include files. A cross compiled GNU CC runs
`fixincludes' on the header files in `$(tooldir)/include'. (If the
cross compilation header files need to be fixed, they must be installed
before GNU CC is built. If the cross compilation header files are
already suitable for ANSI C and GNU CC, nothing special need be done).
`GPLUS_INCLUDE_DIR' means the same thing for native and cross. It
is where `g++' looks first for header files. `libg++' installs only
target independent header files in that directory.
`LOCAL_INCLUDE_DIR' is used only for a native compiler. It is
normally `/usr/local/include'. GNU CC searches this directory so that
users can install header files in `/usr/local/include'.
`CROSS_INCLUDE_DIR' is used only for a cross compiler. GNU CC
doesn't install anything there.
`TOOL_INCLUDE_DIR' is used for both native and cross compilers. It
is the place for other packages to install header files that GNU CC will
use. For a cross-compiler, this is the equivalent of `/usr/include'.
When you build a cross-compiler, `fixincludes' processes any header
files in this directory.
File: use, Node: C Extensions, Next: C++ Extensions, Prev: Installation, Up: Top
Extensions to the C Language Family
***********************************
GNU C provides several language features not found in ANSI standard
C. (The `-pedantic' option directs GNU CC to print a warning message if
any of these features is used.) To test for the availability of these
features in conditional compilation, check for a predefined macro
`__GNUC__', which is always defined under GNU CC.
These extensions are available in C and Objective C. Most of them
are also available in C++. *Note Extensions to the C++ Language: C++
Extensions, for extensions that apply *only* to C++.
* Menu:
* Statement Exprs:: Putting statements and declarations inside expressions.
* Local Labels:: Labels local to a statement-expression.
* Labels as Values:: Getting pointers to labels, and computed gotos.
* Nested Functions:: As in Algol and Pascal, lexical scoping of functions.
* Constructing Calls:: Dispatching a call to another function.
* Naming Types:: Giving a name to the type of some expression.
* Typeof:: `typeof': referring to the type of an expression.
* Lvalues:: Using `?:', `,' and casts in lvalues.
* Conditionals:: Omitting the middle operand of a `?:' expression.
* Long Long:: Double-word integers--`long long int'.
* Complex:: Data types for complex numbers.
* Zero Length:: Zero-length arrays.
* Variable Length:: Arrays whose length is computed at run time.
* Macro Varargs:: Macros with variable number of arguments.
* Subscripting:: Any array can be subscripted, even if not an lvalue.
* Pointer Arith:: Arithmetic on `void'-pointers and function pointers.
* Initializers:: Non-constant initializers.
* Constructors:: Constructor expressions give structures, unions
or arrays as values.
* Labeled Elements:: Labeling elements of initializers.
* Cast to Union:: Casting to union type from any member of the union.
* Case Ranges:: `case 1 ... 9' and such.
* Function Attributes:: Declaring that functions have no side effects,
or that they can never return.
* Function Prototypes:: Prototype declarations and old-style definitions.
* Dollar Signs:: Dollar sign is allowed in identifiers.
* Character Escapes:: `\e' stands for the character ESC.
* Variable Attributes:: Specifying attributes of variables.
* Type Attributes:: Specifying attributes of types.
* Alignment:: Inquiring about the alignment of a type or variable.
* Inline:: Defining inline functions (as fast as macros).
* Extended Asm:: Assembler instructions with C expressions as operands.
(With them you can define "built-in" functions.)
* Constraints:: Constraints for asm operands
* Asm Labels:: Specifying the assembler name to use for a C symbol.
* Explicit Reg Vars:: Defining variables residing in specified registers.
* Alternate Keywords:: `__const__', `__asm__', etc., for header files.
* Incomplete Enums:: `enum foo;', with details to follow.
* Function Names:: Printable strings which are the name of the current
function.
File: use, Node: Statement Exprs, Next: Local Labels, Up: C Extensions
Statements and Declarations in Expressions
==========================================
A compound statement enclosed in parentheses may appear as an
expression in GNU C. This allows you to use loops, switches, and local
variables within an expression.
Recall that a compound statement is a sequence of statements
surrounded by braces; in this construct, parentheses go around the
braces. For example:
({ int y = foo (); int z;
if (y > 0) z = y;
else z = - y;
z; })
is a valid (though slightly more complex than necessary) expression for
the absolute value of `foo ()'.
The last thing in the compound statement should be an expression
followed by a semicolon; the value of this subexpression serves as the
value of the entire construct. (If you use some other kind of statement
last within the braces, the construct has type `void', and thus
effectively no value.)
This feature is especially useful in making macro definitions "safe"
(so that they evaluate each operand exactly once). For example, the
"maximum" function is commonly defined as a macro in standard C as
follows:
#define max(a,b) ((a) > (b) ? (a) : (b))
But this definition computes either A or B twice, with bad results if
the operand has side effects. In GNU C, if you know the type of the
operands (here let's assume `int'), you can define the macro safely as
follows:
#define maxint(a,b) \
({int _a = (a), _b = (b); _a > _b ? _a : _b; })
Embedded statements are not allowed in constant expressions, such as
the value of an enumeration constant, the width of a bit field, or the
initial value of a static variable.
If you don't know the type of the operand, you can still do this,
but you must use `typeof' (*note Typeof::.) or type naming (*note
Naming Types::.).
File: use, Node: Local Labels, Next: Labels as Values, Prev: Statement Exprs, Up: C Extensions
Locally Declared Labels
=======================
Each statement expression is a scope in which "local labels" can be
declared. A local label is simply an identifier; you can jump to it
with an ordinary `goto' statement, but only from within the statement
expression it belongs to.
A local label declaration looks like this:
__label__ LABEL;
or
__label__ LABEL1, LABEL2, ...;
Local label declarations must come at the beginning of the statement
expression, right after the `({', before any ordinary declarations.
The label declaration defines the label *name*, but does not define
the label itself. You must do this in the usual way, with `LABEL:',
within the statements of the statement expression.
The local label feature is useful because statement expressions are
often used in macros. If the macro contains nested loops, a `goto' can
be useful for breaking out of them. However, an ordinary label whose
scope is the whole function cannot be used: if the macro can be
expanded several times in one function, the label will be multiply
defined in that function. A local label avoids this problem. For
example:
#define SEARCH(array, target) \
({ \
__label__ found; \
typeof (target) _SEARCH_target = (target); \
typeof (*(array)) *_SEARCH_array = (array); \
int i, j; \
int value; \
for (i = 0; i < max; i++) \
for (j = 0; j < max; j++) \
if (_SEARCH_array[i][j] == _SEARCH_target) \
{ value = i; goto found; } \
value = -1; \
found: \
value; \
})
File: use, Node: Labels as Values, Next: Nested Functions, Prev: Local Labels, Up: C Extensions
Labels as Values
================
You can get the address of a label defined in the current function
(or a containing function) with the unary operator `&&'. The value has
type `void *'. This value is a constant and can be used wherever a
constant of that type is valid. For example:
void *ptr;
...
ptr = &&foo;
To use these values, you need to be able to jump to one. This is
done with the computed goto statement(1), `goto *EXP;'. For example,
goto *ptr;
Any expression of type `void *' is allowed.
One way of using these constants is in initializing a static array
that will serve as a jump table:
static void *array[] = { &&foo, &&bar, &&hack };
Then you can select a label with indexing, like this:
goto *array[i];
Note that this does not check whether the subscript is in bounds--array
indexing in C never does that.
Such an array of label values serves a purpose much like that of the
`switch' statement. The `switch' statement is cleaner, so use that
rather than an array unless the problem does not fit a `switch'
statement very well.
Another use of label values is in an interpreter for threaded code.
The labels within the interpreter function can be stored in the
threaded code for super-fast dispatching.
You can use this mechanism to jump to code in a different function.
If you do that, totally unpredictable things will happen. The best way
to avoid this is to store the label address only in automatic variables
and never pass it as an argument.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) The analogous feature in Fortran is called an assigned goto,
but that name seems inappropriate in C, where one can do more than
simply store label addresses in label variables.
File: use, Node: Nested Functions, Next: Constructing Calls, Prev: Labels as Values, Up: C Extensions
Nested Functions
================
A "nested function" is a function defined inside another function.
(Nested functions are not supported for GNU C++.) The nested function's
name is local to the block where it is defined. For example, here we
define a nested function named `square', and call it twice:
foo (double a, double b)
{
double square (double z) { return z * z; }
return square (a) + square (b);
}
The nested function can access all the variables of the containing
function that are visible at the point of its definition. This is
called "lexical scoping". For example, here we show a nested function
which uses an inherited variable named `offset':
bar (int *array, int offset, int size)
{
int access (int *array, int index)
{ return array[index + offset]; }
int i;
...
for (i = 0; i < size; i++)
... access (array, i) ...
}
Nested function definitions are permitted within functions in the
places where variable definitions are allowed; that is, in any block,
before the first statement in the block.
It is possible to call the nested function from outside the scope of
its name by storing its address or passing the address to another
function:
hack (int *array, int size)
{
void store (int index, int value)
{ array[index] = value; }
intermediate (store, size);
}
Here, the function `intermediate' receives the address of `store' as
an argument. If `intermediate' calls `store', the arguments given to
`store' are used to store into `array'. But this technique works only
so long as the containing function (`hack', in this example) does not
exit.
If you try to call the nested function through its address after the
containing function has exited, all hell will break loose. If you try
to call it after a containing scope level has exited, and if it refers
to some of the variables that are no longer in scope, you may be lucky,
but it's not wise to take the risk. If, however, the nested function
does not refer to anything that has gone out of scope, you should be
safe.
GNU CC implements taking the address of a nested function using a
technique called "trampolines". A paper describing them is available
from `maya.idiap.ch' in directory `pub/tmb', file `usenix88-lexic.ps.Z'.
A nested function can jump to a label inherited from a containing
function, provided the label was explicitly declared in the containing
function (*note Local Labels::.). Such a jump returns instantly to the
containing function, exiting the nested function which did the `goto'
and any intermediate functions as well. Here is an example:
bar (int *array, int offset, int size)
{
__label__ failure;
int access (int *array, int index)
{
if (index > size)
goto failure;
return array[index + offset];
}
int i;
...
for (i = 0; i < size; i++)
... access (array, i) ...
...
return 0;
/* Control comes here from `access'
if it detects an error. */
failure:
return -1;
}
A nested function always has internal linkage. Declaring one with
`extern' is erroneous. If you need to declare the nested function
before its definition, use `auto' (which is otherwise meaningless for
function declarations).
bar (int *array, int offset, int size)
{
__label__ failure;
auto int access (int *, int);
...
int access (int *array, int index)
{
if (index > size)
goto failure;
return array[index + offset];
}
...
}
File: use, Node: Constructing Calls, Next: Naming Types, Prev: Nested Functions, Up: C Extensions
Constructing Function Calls
===========================
Using the built-in functions described below, you can record the
arguments a function received, and call another function with the same
arguments, without knowing the number or types of the arguments.
You can also record the return value of that function call, and
later return that value, without knowing what data type the function
tried to return (as long as your caller expects that data type).
`__builtin_apply_args ()'
This built-in function returns a pointer of type `void *' to data
describing how to perform a call with the same arguments as were
passed to the current function.
The function saves the arg pointer register, structure value
address, and all registers that might be used to pass arguments to
a function into a block of memory allocated on the stack. Then it
returns the address of that block.
`__builtin_apply (FUNCTION, ARGUMENTS, SIZE)'
This built-in function invokes FUNCTION (type `void (*)()') with a
copy of the parameters described by ARGUMENTS (type `void *') and
SIZE (type `int').
The value of ARGUMENTS should be the value returned by
`__builtin_apply_args'. The argument SIZE specifies the size of
the stack argument data, in bytes.
This function returns a pointer of type `void *' to data describing
how to return whatever value was returned by FUNCTION. The data
is saved in a block of memory allocated on the stack.
It is not always simple to compute the proper value for SIZE. The
value is used by `__builtin_apply' to compute the amount of data
that should be pushed on the stack and copied from the incoming
argument area.
`__builtin_return (RESULT)'
This built-in function returns the value described by RESULT from
the containing function. You should specify, for RESULT, a value
returned by `__builtin_apply'.
File: use, Node: Naming Types, Next: Typeof, Prev: Constructing Calls, Up: C Extensions
Naming an Expression's Type
===========================
You can give a name to the type of an expression using a `typedef'
declaration with an initializer. Here is how to define NAME as a type
name for the type of EXP:
typedef NAME = EXP;
This is useful in conjunction with the statements-within-expressions
feature. Here is how the two together can be used to define a safe
"maximum" macro that operates on any arithmetic type:
#define max(a,b) \
({typedef _ta = (a), _tb = (b); \
_ta _a = (a); _tb _b = (b); \
_a > _b ? _a : _b; })
The reason for using names that start with underscores for the local
variables is to avoid conflicts with variable names that occur within
the expressions that are substituted for `a' and `b'. Eventually we
hope to design a new form of declaration syntax that allows you to
declare variables whose scopes start only after their initializers;
this will be a more reliable way to prevent such conflicts.
File: use, Node: Typeof, Next: Lvalues, Prev: Naming Types, Up: C Extensions
Referring to a Type with `typeof'
=================================
Another way to refer to the type of an expression is with `typeof'.
The syntax of using of this keyword looks like `sizeof', but the
construct acts semantically like a type name defined with `typedef'.
There are two ways of writing the argument to `typeof': with an
expression or with a type. Here is an example with an expression:
typeof (x[0](1))
This assumes that `x' is an array of functions; the type described is
that of the values of the functions.
Here is an example with a typename as the argument:
typeof (int *)
Here the type described is that of pointers to `int'.
If you are writing a header file that must work when included in
ANSI C programs, write `__typeof__' instead of `typeof'. *Note
Alternate Keywords::.
A `typeof'-construct can be used anywhere a typedef name could be
used. For example, you can use it in a declaration, in a cast, or
inside of `sizeof' or `typeof'.
* This declares `y' with the type of what `x' points to.
typeof (*x) y;
* This declares `y' as an array of such values.
typeof (*x) y[4];
* This declares `y' as an array of pointers to characters:
typeof (typeof (char *)[4]) y;
It is equivalent to the following traditional C declaration:
char *y[4];
To see the meaning of the declaration using `typeof', and why it
might be a useful way to write, let's rewrite it with these macros:
#define pointer(T) typeof(T *)
#define array(T, N) typeof(T [N])
Now the declaration can be rewritten this way:
array (pointer (char), 4) y;
Thus, `array (pointer (char), 4)' is the type of arrays of 4
pointers to `char'.
File: use, Node: Lvalues, Next: Conditionals, Prev: Typeof, Up: C Extensions
Generalized Lvalues
===================
Compound expressions, conditional expressions and casts are allowed
as lvalues provided their operands are lvalues. This means that you
can take their addresses or store values into them.
Standard C++ allows compound expressions and conditional expressions
as lvalues, and permits casts to reference type, so use of this
extension is deprecated for C++ code.
For example, a compound expression can be assigned, provided the last
expression in the sequence is an lvalue. These two expressions are
equivalent:
(a, b) += 5
a, (b += 5)
Similarly, the address of the compound expression can be taken.
These two expressions are equivalent:
&(a, b)
a, &b
A conditional expression is a valid lvalue if its type is not void
and the true and false branches are both valid lvalues. For example,
these two expressions are equivalent:
(a ? b : c) = 5
(a ? b = 5 : (c = 5))
A cast is a valid lvalue if its operand is an lvalue. A simple
assignment whose left-hand side is a cast works by converting the
right-hand side first to the specified type, then to the type of the
inner left-hand side expression. After this is stored, the value is
converted back to the specified type to become the value of the
assignment. Thus, if `a' has type `char *', the following two
expressions are equivalent:
(int)a = 5
(int)(a = (char *)(int)5)
An assignment-with-arithmetic operation such as `+=' applied to a
cast performs the arithmetic using the type resulting from the cast,
and then continues as in the previous case. Therefore, these two
expressions are equivalent:
(int)a += 5
(int)(a = (char *)(int) ((int)a + 5))
You cannot take the address of an lvalue cast, because the use of its
address would not work out coherently. Suppose that `&(int)f' were
permitted, where `f' has type `float'. Then the following statement
would try to store an integer bit-pattern where a floating point number
belongs:
*&(int)f = 1;
This is quite different from what `(int)f = 1' would do--that would
convert 1 to floating point and store it. Rather than cause this
inconsistency, we think it is better to prohibit use of `&' on a cast.
If you really do want an `int *' pointer with the address of `f',
you can simply write `(int *)&f'.
File: use, Node: Conditionals, Next: Long Long, Prev: Lvalues, Up: C Extensions
Conditionals with Omitted Operands
==================================
The middle operand in a conditional expression may be omitted. Then
if the first operand is nonzero, its value is the value of the
conditional expression.
Therefore, the expression
x ? : y
has the value of `x' if that is nonzero; otherwise, the value of `y'.
This example is perfectly equivalent to
x ? x : y
In this simple case, the ability to omit the middle operand is not
especially useful. When it becomes useful is when the first operand
does, or may (if it is a macro argument), contain a side effect. Then
repeating the operand in the middle would perform the side effect
twice. Omitting the middle operand uses the value already computed
without the undesirable effects of recomputing it.
File: use, Node: Long Long, Next: Complex, Prev: Conditionals, Up: C Extensions
Double-Word Integers
====================
GNU C supports data types for integers that are twice as long as
`long int'. Simply write `long long int' for a signed integer, or
`unsigned long long int' for an unsigned integer. To make an integer
constant of type `long long int', add the suffix `LL' to the integer.
To make an integer constant of type `unsigned long long int', add the
suffix `ULL' to the integer.
You can use these types in arithmetic like any other integer types.
Addition, subtraction, and bitwise boolean operations on these types
are open-coded on all types of machines. Multiplication is open-coded
if the machine supports fullword-to-doubleword a widening multiply
instruction. Division and shifts are open-coded only on machines that
provide special support. The operations that are not open-coded use
special library routines that come with GNU CC.
There may be pitfalls when you use `long long' types for function
arguments, unless you declare function prototypes. If a function
expects type `int' for its argument, and you pass a value of type `long
long int', confusion will result because the caller and the subroutine
will disagree about the number of bytes for the argument. Likewise, if
the function expects `long long int' and you pass `int'. The best way
to avoid such problems is to use prototypes.
File: use, Node: Complex, Next: Zero Length, Prev: Long Long, Up: C Extensions
Complex Numbers
===============
GNU C supports complex data types. You can declare both complex
integer types and complex floating types, using the keyword
`__complex__'.
For example, `__complex__ double x;' declares `x' as a variable
whose real part and imaginary part are both of type `double'.
`__complex__ short int y;' declares `y' to have real and imaginary
parts of type `short int'; this is not likely to be useful, but it
shows that the set of complex types is complete.
To write a constant with a complex data type, use the suffix `i' or
`j' (either one; they are equivalent). For example, `2.5fi' has type
`__complex__ float' and `3i' has type `__complex__ int'. Such a
constant always has a pure imaginary value, but you can form any
complex value you like by adding one to a real constant.
To extract the real part of a complex-valued expression EXP, write
`__real__ EXP'. Likewise, use `__imag__' to extract the imaginary part.
The operator `~' performs complex conjugation when used on a value
with a complex type.
GNU CC can allocate complex automatic variables in a noncontiguous
fashion; it's even possible for the real part to be in a register while
the imaginary part is on the stack (or vice-versa). None of the
supported debugging info formats has a way to represent noncontiguous
allocation like this, so GNU CC describes a noncontiguous complex
variable as if it were two separate variables of noncomplex type. If
the variable's actual name is `foo', the two fictitious variables are
named `foo$real' and `foo$imag'. You can examine and set these two
fictitious variables with your debugger.
A future version of GDB will know how to recognize such pairs and
treat them as a single variable with a complex type.
File: use, Node: Zero Length, Next: Variable Length, Prev: Complex, Up: C Extensions
Arrays of Length Zero
=====================
Zero-length arrays are allowed in GNU C. They are very useful as
the last element of a structure which is really a header for a
variable-length object:
struct line {
int length;
char contents[0];
};
{
struct line *thisline = (struct line *)
malloc (sizeof (struct line) + this_length);
thisline->length = this_length;
}
In standard C, you would have to give `contents' a length of 1, which
means either you waste space or complicate the argument to `malloc'.
File: use, Node: Variable Length, Next: Macro Varargs, Prev: Zero Length, Up: C Extensions
Arrays of Variable Length
=========================
Variable-length automatic arrays are allowed in GNU C. These arrays
are declared like any other automatic arrays, but with a length that is
not a constant expression. The storage is allocated at the point of
declaration and deallocated when the brace-level is exited. For
example:
FILE *
concat_fopen (char *s1, char *s2, char *mode)
{
char str[strlen (s1) + strlen (s2) + 1];
strcpy (str, s1);
strcat (str, s2);
return fopen (str, mode);
}
Jumping or breaking out of the scope of the array name deallocates
the storage. Jumping into the scope is not allowed; you get an error
message for it.
You can use the function `alloca' to get an effect much like
variable-length arrays. The function `alloca' is available in many
other C implementations (but not in all). On the other hand,
variable-length arrays are more elegant.
There are other differences between these two methods. Space
allocated with `alloca' exists until the containing *function* returns.
The space for a variable-length array is deallocated as soon as the
array name's scope ends. (If you use both variable-length arrays and
`alloca' in the same function, deallocation of a variable-length array
will also deallocate anything more recently allocated with `alloca'.)
You can also use variable-length arrays as arguments to functions:
struct entry
tester (int len, char data[len][len])
{
...
}
The length of an array is computed once when the storage is allocated
and is remembered for the scope of the array in case you access it with
`sizeof'.
If you want to pass the array first and the length afterward, you can
use a forward declaration in the parameter list--another GNU extension.
struct entry
tester (int len; char data[len][len], int len)
{
...
}
The `int len' before the semicolon is a "parameter forward
declaration", and it serves the purpose of making the name `len' known
when the declaration of `data' is parsed.
You can write any number of such parameter forward declarations in
the parameter list. They can be separated by commas or semicolons, but
the last one must end with a semicolon, which is followed by the "real"
parameter declarations. Each forward declaration must match a "real"
declaration in parameter name and data type.
File: use, Node: Macro Varargs, Next: Subscripting, Prev: Variable Length, Up: C Extensions
Macros with Variable Numbers of Arguments
=========================================
In GNU C, a macro can accept a variable number of arguments, much as
a function can. The syntax for defining the macro looks much like that
used for a function. Here is an example:
#define eprintf(format, args...) \
fprintf (stderr, format , ## args)
Here `args' is a "rest argument": it takes in zero or more
arguments, as many as the call contains. All of them plus the commas
between them form the value of `args', which is substituted into the
macro body where `args' is used. Thus, we have this expansion:
eprintf ("%s:%d: ", input_file_name, line_number)
==>
fprintf (stderr, "%s:%d: " , input_file_name, line_number)
Note that the comma after the string constant comes from the definition
of `eprintf', whereas the last comma comes from the value of `args'.
The reason for using `##' is to handle the case when `args' matches
no arguments at all. In this case, `args' has an empty value. In this
case, the second comma in the definition becomes an embarrassment: if
it got through to the expansion of the macro, we would get something
like this:
fprintf (stderr, "success!\n" , )
which is invalid C syntax. `##' gets rid of the comma, so we get the
following instead:
fprintf (stderr, "success!\n")
This is a special feature of the GNU C preprocessor: `##' before a
rest argument that is empty discards the preceding sequence of
non-whitespace characters from the macro definition. (If another macro
argument precedes, none of it is discarded.)
It might be better to discard the last preprocessor token instead of
the last preceding sequence of non-whitespace characters; in fact, we
may someday change this feature to do so. We advise you to write the
macro definition so that the preceding sequence of non-whitespace
characters is just a single token, so that the meaning will not change
if we change the definition of this feature.
File: use, Node: Subscripting, Next: Pointer Arith, Prev: Macro Varargs, Up: C Extensions
Non-Lvalue Arrays May Have Subscripts
=====================================
Subscripting is allowed on arrays that are not lvalues, even though
the unary `&' operator is not. For example, this is valid in GNU C
though not valid in other C dialects:
struct foo {int a[4];};
struct foo f();
bar (int index)
{
return f().a[index];
}
File: use, Node: Pointer Arith, Next: Initializers, Prev: Subscripting, Up: C Extensions
Arithmetic on `void'- and Function-Pointers
===========================================
In GNU C, addition and subtraction operations are supported on
pointers to `void' and on pointers to functions. This is done by
treating the size of a `void' or of a function as 1.
A consequence of this is that `sizeof' is also allowed on `void' and
on function types, and returns 1.
The option `-Wpointer-arith' requests a warning if these extensions
are used.
File: use, Node: Initializers, Next: Constructors, Prev: Pointer Arith, Up: C Extensions
Non-Constant Initializers
=========================
As in standard C++, the elements of an aggregate initializer for an
automatic variable are not required to be constant expressions in GNU C.
Here is an example of an initializer with run-time varying elements:
foo (float f, float g)
{
float beat_freqs[2] = { f-g, f+g };
...
}
File: use, Node: Constructors, Next: Labeled Elements, Prev: Initializers, Up: C Extensions
Constructor Expressions
=======================
GNU C supports constructor expressions. A constructor looks like a
cast containing an initializer. Its value is an object of the type
specified in the cast, containing the elements specified in the
initializer.
Usually, the specified type is a structure. Assume that `struct
foo' and `structure' are declared as shown:
struct foo {int a; char b[2];} structure;
Here is an example of constructing a `struct foo' with a constructor:
structure = ((struct foo) {x + y, 'a', 0});
This is equivalent to writing the following:
{
struct foo temp = {x + y, 'a', 0};
structure = temp;
}
You can also construct an array. If all the elements of the
constructor are (made up of) simple constant expressions, suitable for
use in initializers, then the constructor is an lvalue and can be
coerced to a pointer to its first element, as shown here:
char **foo = (char *[]) { "x", "y", "z" };
Array constructors whose elements are not simple constants are not
very useful, because the constructor is not an lvalue. There are only
two valid ways to use it: to subscript it, or initialize an array
variable with it. The former is probably slower than a `switch'
statement, while the latter does the same thing an ordinary C
initializer would do. Here is an example of subscripting an array
constructor:
output = ((int[]) { 2, x, 28 }) [input];
Constructor expressions for scalar types and union types are is also
allowed, but then the constructor expression is equivalent to a cast.
File: use, Node: Labeled Elements, Next: Cast to Union, Prev: Constructors, Up: C Extensions
Labeled Elements in Initializers
================================
Standard C requires the elements of an initializer to appear in a
fixed order, the same as the order of the elements in the array or
structure being initialized.
In GNU C you can give the elements in any order, specifying the array
indices or structure field names they apply to. This extension is not
implemented in GNU C++.
To specify an array index, write `[INDEX]' or `[INDEX] =' before the
element value. For example,
int a[6] = { [4] 29, [2] = 15 };
is equivalent to
int a[6] = { 0, 0, 15, 0, 29, 0 };
The index values must be constant expressions, even if the array being
initialized is automatic.
To initialize a range of elements to the same value, write `[FIRST
... LAST] = VALUE'. For example,
int widths[] = { [0 ... 9] = 1, [10 ... 99] = 2, [100] = 3 };
Note that the length of the array is the highest value specified plus
one.
In a structure initializer, specify the name of a field to initialize
with `FIELDNAME:' before the element value. For example, given the
following structure,
struct point { int x, y; };
the following initialization
struct point p = { y: yvalue, x: xvalue };
is equivalent to
struct point p = { xvalue, yvalue };
Another syntax which has the same meaning is `.FIELDNAME ='., as
shown here:
struct point p = { .y = yvalue, .x = xvalue };
You can also use an element label (with either the colon syntax or
the period-equal syntax) when initializing a union, to specify which
element of the union should be used. For example,
union foo { int i; double d; };
union foo f = { d: 4 };
will convert 4 to a `double' to store it in the union using the second
element. By contrast, casting 4 to type `union foo' would store it
into the union as the integer `i', since it is an integer. (*Note Cast
to Union::.)
You can combine this technique of naming elements with ordinary C
initialization of successive elements. Each initializer element that
does not have a label applies to the next consecutive element of the
array or structure. For example,
int a[6] = { [1] = v1, v2, [4] = v4 };
is equivalent to
int a[6] = { 0, v1, v2, 0, v4, 0 };
Labeling the elements of an array initializer is especially useful
when the indices are characters or belong to an `enum' type. For
example:
int whitespace[256]
= { [' '] = 1, ['\t'] = 1, ['\h'] = 1,
['\f'] = 1, ['\n'] = 1, ['\r'] = 1 };
File: use, Node: Case Ranges, Next: Function Attributes, Prev: Cast to Union, Up: C Extensions
Case Ranges
===========
You can specify a range of consecutive values in a single `case'
label, like this:
case LOW ... HIGH:
This has the same effect as the proper number of individual `case'
labels, one for each integer value from LOW to HIGH, inclusive.
This feature is especially useful for ranges of ASCII character
codes:
case 'A' ... 'Z':
*Be careful:* Write spaces around the `...', for otherwise it may be
parsed wrong when you use it with integer values. For example, write
this:
case 1 ... 5:
rather than this:
case 1...5:
File: use, Node: Cast to Union, Next: Case Ranges, Prev: Labeled Elements, Up: C Extensions
Cast to a Union Type
====================
A cast to union type is similar to other casts, except that the type
specified is a union type. You can specify the type either with `union
TAG' or with a typedef name. A cast to union is actually a constructor
though, not a cast, and hence does not yield an lvalue like normal
casts. (*Note Constructors::.)
The types that may be cast to the union type are those of the members
of the union. Thus, given the following union and variables:
union foo { int i; double d; };
int x;
double y;
both `x' and `y' can be cast to type `union' foo.
Using the cast as the right-hand side of an assignment to a variable
of union type is equivalent to storing in a member of the union:
union foo u;
...
u = (union foo) x == u.i = x
u = (union foo) y == u.d = y
You can also use the union cast as a function argument:
void hack (union foo);
...
hack ((union foo) x);
File: use, Node: Function Attributes, Next: Function Prototypes, Prev: Case Ranges, Up: C Extensions
Declaring Attributes of Functions
=================================
In GNU C, you declare certain things about functions called in your
program which help the compiler optimize function calls and check your
code more carefully.
The keyword `__attribute__' allows you to specify special attributes
when making a declaration. This keyword is followed by an attribute
specification inside double parentheses. Eight attributes, `noreturn',
`const', `format', `section', `constructor', `destructor', `unused' and
`weak' are currently defined for functions. Other attributes, including
`section' are supported for variables declarations (*note Variable
Attributes::.) and for types (*note Type Attributes::.).
You may also specify attributes with `__' preceding and following
each keyword. This allows you to use them in header files without
being concerned about a possible macro of the same name. For example,
you may use `__noreturn__' instead of `noreturn'.
`noreturn'
A few standard library functions, such as `abort' and `exit',
cannot return. GNU CC knows this automatically. Some programs
define their own functions that never return. You can declare them
`noreturn' to tell the compiler this fact. For example,
void fatal () __attribute__ ((noreturn));
void
fatal (...)
{
... /* Print error message. */ ...
exit (1);
}
The `noreturn' keyword tells the compiler to assume that `fatal'
cannot return. It can then optimize without regard to what would
happen if `fatal' ever did return. This makes slightly better
code. More importantly, it helps avoid spurious warnings of
uninitialized variables.
Do not assume that registers saved by the calling function are
restored before calling the `noreturn' function.
It does not make sense for a `noreturn' function to have a return
type other than `void'.
The attribute `noreturn' is not implemented in GNU C versions
earlier than 2.5. An alternative way to declare that a function
does not return, which works in the current version and in some
older versions, is as follows:
typedef void voidfn ();
volatile voidfn fatal;
`const'
Many functions do not examine any values except their arguments,
and have no effects except the return value. Such a function can
be subject to common subexpression elimination and loop
optimization just as an arithmetic operator would be. These
functions should be declared with the attribute `const'. For
example,
int square (int) __attribute__ ((const));
says that the hypothetical function `square' is safe to call fewer
times than the program says.
The attribute `const' is not implemented in GNU C versions earlier
than 2.5. An alternative way to declare that a function has no
side effects, which works in the current version and in some older
versions, is as follows:
typedef int intfn ();
extern const intfn square;
This approach does not work in GNU C++ from 2.6.0 on, since the
language specifies that the `const' must be attached to the return
value.
Note that a function that has pointer arguments and examines the
data pointed to must *not* be declared `const'. Likewise, a
function that calls a non-`const' function usually must not be
`const'. It does not make sense for a `const' function to return
`void'.
`format (ARCHETYPE, STRING-INDEX, FIRST-TO-CHECK)'
The `format' attribute specifies that a function takes `printf' or
`scanf' style arguments which should be type-checked against a
format string. For example, the declaration:
extern int
my_printf (void *my_object, const char *my_format, ...)
__attribute__ ((format (printf, 2, 3)));
causes the compiler to check the arguments in calls to `my_printf'
for consistency with the `printf' style format string argument
`my_format'.
The parameter ARCHETYPE determines how the format string is
interpreted, and should be either `printf' or `scanf'. The
parameter STRING-INDEX specifies which argument is the format
string argument (starting from 1), while FIRST-TO-CHECK is the
number of the first argument to check against the format string.
For functions where the arguments are not available to be checked
(such as `vprintf'), specify the third parameter as zero. In this
case the compiler only checks the format string for consistency.
In the example above, the format string (`my_format') is the second
argument of the function `my_print', and the arguments to check
start with the third argument, so the correct parameters for the
format attribute are 2 and 3.
The `format' attribute allows you to identify your own functions
which take format strings as arguments, so that GNU CC can check
the calls to these functions for errors. The compiler always
checks formats for the ANSI library functions `printf', `fprintf',
`sprintf', `scanf', `fscanf', `sscanf', `vprintf', `vfprintf' and
`vsprintf' whenever such warnings are requested (using
`-Wformat'), so there is no need to modify the header file
`stdio.h'.
`section ("section-name")'
Normally, the compiler places the code it generates in the `text'
section. Sometimes, however, you need additional sections, or you
need certain particular functions to appear in special sections.
The `section' attribute specifies that a function lives in a
particular section. For example, the declaration:
extern void foobar (void) __attribute__ ((section ("bar")));
puts the function `foobar' in the `bar' section.
Some file formats do not support arbitrary sections so the
`section' attribute is not available on all platforms. If you
need to map the entire contents of a module to a particular
section, consider using the facilities of the linker instead.
`constructor'
`destructor'
The `constructor' attribute causes the function to be called
automatically before execution enters `main ()'. Similarly, the
`destructor' attribute causes the function to be called
automatically after `main ()' has completed or `exit ()' has been
called. Functions with these attributes are useful for
initializing data that will be used implicitly during the
execution of the program.
These attributes are not currently implemented for Objective C.
`unused'
This attribute, attached to a function, means that the function is
meant to be possibly unused. GNU CC will not produce a warning
for this function.
`weak'
The `weak' attribute causes the declaration to be emitted as a weak
symbol rather than a global. This is primarily useful in defining
library functions which can be overridden in user code, though it
can also be used with non-function declarations. Weak symbols are
supported for ELF targets, and also for a.out targets when using
the GNU assembler and linker.
`alias ("target")'
The `alias' attribute causes the declaration to be emitted as an
alias for another symbol, which must be specified. For instance,
void __f () { /* do something */; }
void f () __attribute__ ((weak, alias ("__f")));
declares `f' to be a weak alias for `__f'. In C++, the mangled
name for the target must be used.
`regparm (NUMBER)'
On the Intel 386, the `regparm' attribute causes the compiler to
pass up to NUMBER integer arguments in registers EAX, EDX, and ECX
instead of on the stack. Functions that take a variable number of
arguments will continue to be passed all of their arguments on the
stack.
`stdcall'
On the Intel 386, the `stdcall' attribute causes the compiler to
assume that the called function will pop off the stack space used
to pass arguments, unless it takes a variable number of arguments.
`cdecl'
On the Intel 386, the `cdecl' attribute causes the compiler to
assume that the called function will pop off the stack space used
to pass arguments, unless it takes a variable number of arguments.
This is useful to override the effects of the `-mrtd' switch.
You can specify multiple attributes in a declaration by separating
them by commas within the double parentheses or by immediately
following an attribute declaration with another attribute declaration.
Some people object to the `__attribute__' feature, suggesting that
ANSI C's `#pragma' should be used instead. There are two reasons for
not doing this.
1. It is impossible to generate `#pragma' commands from a macro.
2. There is no telling what the same `#pragma' might mean in another
compiler.
These two reasons apply to almost any application that might be
proposed for `#pragma'. It is basically a mistake to use `#pragma' for
*anything*.
File: use, Node: Function Prototypes, Next: Dollar Signs, Prev: Function Attributes, Up: C Extensions
Prototypes and Old-Style Function Definitions
=============================================
GNU C extends ANSI C to allow a function prototype to override a
later old-style non-prototype definition. Consider the following
example:
/* Use prototypes unless the compiler is old-fashioned. */
#if __STDC__
#define P(x) x
#else
#define P(x) ()
#endif
/* Prototype function declaration. */
int isroot P((uid_t));
/* Old-style function definition. */
int
isroot (x) /* ??? lossage here ??? */
uid_t x;
{
return x == 0;
}
Suppose the type `uid_t' happens to be `short'. ANSI C does not
allow this example, because subword arguments in old-style
non-prototype definitions are promoted. Therefore in this example the
function definition's argument is really an `int', which does not match
the prototype argument type of `short'.
This restriction of ANSI C makes it hard to write code that is
portable to traditional C compilers, because the programmer does not
know whether the `uid_t' type is `short', `int', or `long'. Therefore,
in cases like these GNU C allows a prototype to override a later
old-style definition. More precisely, in GNU C, a function prototype
argument type overrides the argument type specified by a later
old-style definition if the former type is the same as the latter type
before promotion. Thus in GNU C the above example is equivalent to the
following:
int isroot (uid_t);
int
isroot (uid_t x)
{
return x == 0;
}
GNU C++ does not support old-style function definitions, so this
extension is irrelevant.
File: use, Node: Dollar Signs, Next: Character Escapes, Prev: Function Prototypes, Up: C Extensions
Dollar Signs in Identifier Names
================================
In GNU C, you may use dollar signs in identifier names. This is
because many traditional C implementations allow such identifiers.
On some machines, dollar signs are allowed in identifiers if you
specify `-traditional'. On a few systems they are allowed by default,
even if you do not use `-traditional'. But they are never allowed if
you specify `-ansi'.
There are certain ANSI C programs (obscure, to be sure) that would
compile incorrectly if dollar signs were permitted in identifiers. For
example:
#define foo(a) #a
#define lose(b) foo (b)
#define test$
lose (test)
File: use, Node: Character Escapes, Next: Variable Attributes, Prev: Dollar Signs, Up: C Extensions
The Character ESC in Constants
==============================
You can use the sequence `\e' in a string or character constant to
stand for the ASCII character ESC.
File: use, Node: Alignment, Next: Inline, Prev: Type Attributes, Up: C Extensions
Inquiring on Alignment of Types or Variables
============================================
The keyword `__alignof__' allows you to inquire about how an object
is aligned, or the minimum alignment usually required by a type. Its
syntax is just like `sizeof'.
For example, if the target machine requires a `double' value to be
aligned on an 8-byte boundary, then `__alignof__ (double)' is 8. This
is true on many RISC machines. On more traditional machine designs,
`__alignof__ (double)' is 4 or even 2.
Some machines never actually require alignment; they allow reference
to any data type even at an odd addresses. For these machines,
`__alignof__' reports the *recommended* alignment of a type.
When the operand of `__alignof__' is an lvalue rather than a type,
the value is the largest alignment that the lvalue is known to have.
It may have this alignment as a result of its data type, or because it
is part of a structure and inherits alignment from that structure. For
example, after this declaration:
struct foo { int x; char y; } foo1;
the value of `__alignof__ (foo1.y)' is probably 2 or 4, the same as
`__alignof__ (int)', even though the data type of `foo1.y' does not
itself demand any alignment.
A related feature which lets you specify the alignment of an object
is `__attribute__ ((aligned (ALIGNMENT)))'; see the following section.
File: use, Node: Variable Attributes, Next: Type Attributes, Prev: Character Escapes, Up: C Extensions
Specifying Attributes of Variables
==================================
The keyword `__attribute__' allows you to specify special attributes
of variables or structure fields. This keyword is followed by an
attribute specification inside double parentheses. Eight attributes
are currently defined for variables: `aligned', `mode', `nocommon',
`packed', `section', `transparent_union', `unused', and `weak'. Other
attributes are available for functions (*note Function Attributes::.)
and for types (*note Type Attributes::.).
You may also specify attributes with `__' preceding and following
each keyword. This allows you to use them in header files without
being concerned about a possible macro of the same name. For example,
you may use `__aligned__' instead of `aligned'.
`aligned (ALIGNMENT)'
This attribute specifies a minimum alignment for the variable or
structure field, measured in bytes. For example, the declaration:
int x __attribute__ ((aligned (16))) = 0;
causes the compiler to allocate the global variable `x' on a
16-byte boundary. On a 68040, this could be used in conjunction
with an `asm' expression to access the `move16' instruction which
requires 16-byte aligned operands.
You can also specify the alignment of structure fields. For
example, to create a double-word aligned `int' pair, you could
write:
struct foo { int x[2] __attribute__ ((aligned (8))); };
This is an alternative to creating a union with a `double' member
that forces the union to be double-word aligned.
It is not possible to specify the alignment of functions; the
alignment of functions is determined by the machine's requirements
and cannot be changed. You cannot specify alignment for a typedef
name because such a name is just an alias, not a distinct type.
As in the preceding examples, you can explicitly specify the
alignment (in bytes) that you wish the compiler to use for a given
variable or structure field. Alternatively, you can leave out the
alignment factor and just ask the compiler to align a variable or
field to the maximum useful alignment for the target machine you
are compiling for. For example, you could write:
short array[3] __attribute__ ((aligned));
Whenever you leave out the alignment factor in an `aligned'
attribute specification, the compiler automatically sets the
alignment for the declared variable or field to the largest
alignment which is ever used for any data type on the target
machine you are compiling for. Doing this can often make copy
operations more efficient, because the compiler can use whatever
instructions copy the biggest chunks of memory when performing
copies to or from the variables or fields that you have aligned
this way.
The `aligned' attribute can only increase the alignment; but you
can decrease it by specifying `packed' as well. See below.
Note that the effectiveness of `aligned' attributes may be limited
by inherent limitations in your linker. On many systems, the
linker is only able to arrange for variables to be aligned up to a
certain maximum alignment. (For some linkers, the maximum
supported alignment may be very very small.) If your linker is
only able to align variables up to a maximum of 8 byte alignment,
then specifying `aligned(16)' in an `__attribute__' will still
only provide you with 8 byte alignment. See your linker
documentation for further information.
`mode (MODE)'
This attribute specifies the data type for the
declaration--whichever type corresponds to the mode MODE. This in
effect lets you request an integer or floating point type
according to its width.
You may also specify a mode of `byte' or `__byte__' to indicate
the mode corresponding to a one-byte integer, `word' or `__word__'
for the mode of a one-word integer, and `pointer' or `__pointer__'
for the mode used to represent pointers.
`nocommon'
This attribute specifies requests GNU CC not to place a variable
"common" but instead to allocate space for it directly. If you
specify the `-fno-common' flag, GNU CC will do this for all
variables.
Specifying the `nocommon' attribute for a variable provides an
initialization of zeros. A variable may only be initialized in one
source file.
`packed'
The `packed' attribute specifies that a variable or structure field
should have the smallest possible alignment--one byte for a
variable, and one bit for a field, unless you specify a larger
value with the `aligned' attribute.
Here is a structure in which the field `x' is packed, so that it
immediately follows `a':
struct foo
{
char a;
int x[2] __attribute__ ((packed));
};
`section ("section-name")'
Normally, the compiler places the objects it generates in sections
like `data' and `bss'. Sometimes, however, you need additional
sections, or you need certain particular variables to appear in
special sections, for example to map to special hardware. The
`section' attribute specifies that a variable (or function) lives
in a particular section. For example, this small program uses
several specific section names:
struct duart a __attribute__ ((section ("DUART_A"))) = { 0 };
struct duart b __attribute__ ((section ("DUART_B"))) = { 0 };
char stack[10000] __attribute__ ((section ("STACK"))) = { 0 };
int init_data_copy __attribute__ ((section ("INITDATACOPY"))) = 0;
main()
{
/* Initialize stack pointer */
init_sp (stack + sizeof (stack));
/* Initialize initialized data */
memcpy (&init_data_copy, &data, &edata - &data);
/* Turn on the serial ports */
init_duart (&a);
init_duart (&b);
}
Use the `section' attribute with an *initialized* definition of a
*global* variable, as shown in the example. GNU CC issues a
warning and otherwise ignores the `section' attribute in
uninitialized variable declarations.
You may only use the `section' attribute with a fully initialized
global definition because of the way linkers work. The linker
requires each object be defined once, with the exception that
uninitialized variables tentatively go in the `common' (or `bss')
section and can be multiply "defined". You can force a variable
to be initialized with the `-fno-common' flag or the `nocommon'
attribute.
Some file formats do not support arbitrary sections so the
`section' attribute is not available on all platforms. If you
need to map the entire contents of a module to a particular
section, consider using the facilities of the linker instead.
`transparent_union'
This attribute, attached to a function argument variable which is a
union, means to pass the argument in the same way that the first
union member would be passed. You can also use this attribute on a
`typedef' for a union data type; then it applies to all function
arguments with that type.
`unused'
This attribute, attached to a variable, means that the variable is
meant to be possibly unused. GNU CC will not produce a warning
for this variable.
`weak'
The `weak' attribute is described in *Note Function Attributes::.
To specify multiple attributes, separate them by commas within the
double parentheses: for example, `__attribute__ ((aligned (16),
packed))'.
File: use, Node: Type Attributes, Next: Alignment, Prev: Variable Attributes, Up: C Extensions
Specifying Attributes of Types
==============================
The keyword `__attribute__' allows you to specify special attributes
of `struct' and `union' types when you define such types. This keyword
is followed by an attribute specification inside double parentheses.
Three attributes are currently defined for types: `aligned', `packed',
and `transparent_union'. Other attributes are defined for functions
(*note Function Attributes::.) and for variables (*note Variable
Attributes::.).
You may also specify any one of these attributes with `__' preceding
and following its keyword. This allows you to use these attributes in
header files without being concerned about a possible macro of the same
name. For example, you may use `__aligned__' instead of `aligned'.
You may specify the `aligned' and `transparent_union' attributes
either in a `typedef' declaration or just past the closing curly brace
of a complete enum, struct or union type *definition* and the `packed'
attribute only past the closing brace of a definition.
`aligned (ALIGNMENT)'
This attribute specifies a minimum alignment (in bytes) for
variables of the specified type. For example, the declarations:
struct S { short f[3]; } __attribute__ ((aligned (8));
typedef int more_aligned_int __attribute__ ((aligned (8));
force the compiler to insure (as fas as it can) that each variable
whose type is `struct S' or `more_aligned_int' will be allocated
and aligned *at least* on a 8-byte boundary. On a Sparc, having
all variables of type `struct S' aligned to 8-byte boundaries
allows the compiler to use the `ldd' and `std' (doubleword load and
store) instructions when copying one variable of type `struct S' to
another, thus improving run-time efficiency.
Note that the alignment of any given `struct' or `union' type is
required by the ANSI C standard to be at least a perfect multiple
of the lowest common multiple of the alignments of all of the
members of the `struct' or `union' in question. This means that
you *can* effectively adjust the alignment of a `struct' or `union'
type by attaching an `aligned' attribute to any one of the members
of such a type, but the notation illustrated in the example above
is a more obvious, intuitive, and readable way to request the
compiler to adjust the alignment of an entire `struct' or `union'
type.
As in the preceding example, you can explicitly specify the
alignment (in bytes) that you wish the compiler to use for a given
`struct' or `union' type. Alternatively, you can leave out the
alignment factor and just ask the compiler to align a type to the
maximum useful alignment for the target machine you are compiling
for. For example, you could write:
struct S { short f[3]; } __attribute__ ((aligned));
Whenever you leave out the alignment factor in an `aligned'
attribute specification, the compiler automatically sets the
alignment for the type to the largest alignment which is ever used
for any data type on the target machine you are compiling for.
Doing this can often make copy operations more efficient, because
the compiler can use whatever instructions copy the biggest chunks
of memory when performing copies to or from the variables which
have types that you have aligned this way.
In the example above, if the size of each `short' is 2 bytes, then
the size of the entire `struct S' type is 6 bytes. The smallest
power of two which is greater than or equal to that is 8, so the
compiler sets the alignment for the entire `struct S' type to 8
bytes.
Note that although you can ask the compiler to select a
time-efficient alignment for a given type and then declare only
individual stand-alone objects of that type, the compiler's
ability to select a time-efficient alignment is primarily useful
only when you plan to create arrays of variables having the
relevant (efficiently aligned) type. If you declare or use arrays
of variables of an efficiently-aligned type, then it is likely
that your program will also be doing pointer arithmetic (or
subscripting, which amounts to the same thing) on pointers to the
relevant type, and the code that the compiler generates for these
pointer arithmetic operations will often be more efficient for
efficiently-aligned types than for other types.
The `aligned' attribute can only increase the alignment; but you
can decrease it by specifying `packed' as well. See below.
Note that the effectiveness of `aligned' attributes may be limited
by inherent limitations in your linker. On many systems, the
linker is only able to arrange for variables to be aligned up to a
certain maximum alignment. (For some linkers, the maximum
supported alignment may be very very small.) If your linker is
only able to align variables up to a maximum of 8 byte alignment,
then specifying `aligned(16)' in an `__attribute__' will still
only provide you with 8 byte alignment. See your linker
documentation for further information.
`packed'
This attribute, attached to an `enum', `struct', or `union' type
definition, specified that the minimum required memory be used to
represent the type.
Specifying this attribute for `struct' and `union' types is
equivalent to specifying the `packed' attribute on each of the
structure or union members. Specifying the `-fshort-enums' flag
on the line is equivalent to specifying the `packed' attribute on
all `enum' definitions.
You may only specify this attribute after a closing curly brace on
an `enum' definition, not in a `typedef' declaration.
`transparent_union'
This attribute, attached to a `union' type definition, indicates
that any variable having that union type should, if passed to a
function, be passed in the same way that the first union member
would be passed. For example:
union foo
{
char a;
int x[2];
} __attribute__ ((transparent_union));
To specify multiple attributes, separate them by commas within the
double parentheses: for example, `__attribute__ ((aligned (16),
packed))'.
File: use, Node: Inline, Next: Extended Asm, Prev: Alignment, Up: C Extensions
An Inline Function is As Fast As a Macro
========================================
By declaring a function `inline', you can direct GNU CC to integrate
that function's code into the code for its callers. This makes
execution faster by eliminating the function-call overhead; in
addition, if any of the actual argument values are constant, their known
values may permit simplifications at compile time so that not all of the
inline function's code needs to be included. The effect on code size is
less predictable; object code may be larger or smaller with function
inlining, depending on the particular case. Inlining of functions is an
optimization and it really "works" only in optimizing compilation. If
you don't use `-O', no function is really inline.
To declare a function inline, use the `inline' keyword in its
declaration, like this:
inline int
inc (int *a)
{
(*a)++;
}
(If you are writing a header file to be included in ANSI C programs,
write `__inline__' instead of `inline'. *Note Alternate Keywords::.)
You can also make all "simple enough" functions inline with the
option `-finline-functions'. Note that certain usages in a function
definition can make it unsuitable for inline substitution.
Note that in C and Objective C, unlike C++, the `inline' keyword
does not affect the linkage of the function.
GNU CC automatically inlines member functions defined within the
class body of C++ programs even if they are not explicitly declared
`inline'. (You can override this with `-fno-default-inline'; *note
Options Controlling C++ Dialect: C++ Dialect Options..)
When a function is both inline and `static', if all calls to the
function are integrated into the caller, and the function's address is
never used, then the function's own assembler code is never referenced.
In this case, GNU CC does not actually output assembler code for the
function, unless you specify the option `-fkeep-inline-functions'.
Some calls cannot be integrated for various reasons (in particular,
calls that precede the function's definition cannot be integrated, and
neither can recursive calls within the definition). If there is a
nonintegrated call, then the function is compiled to assembler code as
usual. The function must also be compiled as usual if the program
refers to its address, because that can't be inlined.
When an inline function is not `static', then the compiler must
assume that there may be calls from other source files; since a global
symbol can be defined only once in any program, the function must not
be defined in the other source files, so the calls therein cannot be
integrated. Therefore, a non-`static' inline function is always
compiled on its own in the usual fashion.
If you specify both `inline' and `extern' in the function
definition, then the definition is used only for inlining. In no case
is the function compiled on its own, not even if you refer to its
address explicitly. Such an address becomes an external reference, as
if you had only declared the function, and had not defined it.
This combination of `inline' and `extern' has almost the effect of a
macro. The way to use it is to put a function definition in a header
file with these keywords, and put another copy of the definition
(lacking `inline' and `extern') in a library file. The definition in
the header file will cause most calls to the function to be inlined.
If any uses of the function remain, they will refer to the single copy
in the library.
GNU C does not inline any functions when not optimizing. It is not
clear whether it is better to inline or not, in this case, but we found
that a correct implementation when not optimizing was difficult. So we
did the easy thing, and turned it off.
File: use, Node: Extended Asm, Next: Constraints, Prev: Inline, Up: C Extensions
Assembler Instructions with C Expression Operands
=================================================
In an assembler instruction using `asm', you can now specify the
operands of the instruction using C expressions. This means no more
guessing which registers or memory locations will contain the data you
want to use.
You must specify an assembler instruction template much like what
appears in a machine description, plus an operand constraint string for
each operand.
For example, here is how to use the 68881's `fsinx' instruction:
asm ("fsinx %1,%0" : "=f" (result) : "f" (angle));
Here `angle' is the C expression for the input operand while `result'
is that of the output operand. Each has `"f"' as its operand
constraint, saying that a floating point register is required. The `='
in `=f' indicates that the operand is an output; all output operands'
constraints must use `='. The constraints use the same language used
in the machine description (*note Constraints::.).
Each operand is described by an operand-constraint string followed
by the C expression in parentheses. A colon separates the assembler
template from the first output operand, and another separates the last
output operand from the first input, if any. Commas separate output
operands and separate inputs. The total number of operands is limited
to ten or to the maximum number of operands in any instruction pattern
in the machine description, whichever is greater.
If there are no output operands, and there are input operands, then
there must be two consecutive colons surrounding the place where the
output operands would go.
Output operand expressions must be lvalues; the compiler can check
this. The input operands need not be lvalues. The compiler cannot
check whether the operands have data types that are reasonable for the
instruction being executed. It does not parse the assembler
instruction template and does not know what it means, or whether it is
valid assembler input. The extended `asm' feature is most often used
for machine instructions that the compiler itself does not know exist.
If the output expression cannot be directly addressed (for example, it
is a bit field), your constraint must allow a register. In that case,
GNU CC will use the register as the output of the `asm', and then store
that register into the output.
The output operands must be write-only; GNU CC will assume that the
values in these operands before the instruction are dead and need not be
generated. Extended asm does not support input-output or read-write
operands. For this reason, the constraint character `+', which
indicates such an operand, may not be used.
When the assembler instruction has a read-write operand, or an
operand in which only some of the bits are to be changed, you must
logically split its function into two separate operands, one input
operand and one write-only output operand. The connection between them
is expressed by constraints which say they need to be in the same
location when the instruction executes. You can use the same C
expression for both operands, or different expressions. For example,
here we write the (fictitious) `combine' instruction with `bar' as its
read-only source operand and `foo' as its read-write destination:
asm ("combine %2,%0" : "=r" (foo) : "0" (foo), "g" (bar));
The constraint `"0"' for operand 1 says that it must occupy the same
location as operand 0. A digit in constraint is allowed only in an
input operand, and it must refer to an output operand.
Only a digit in the constraint can guarantee that one operand will
be in the same place as another. The mere fact that `foo' is the value
of both operands is not enough to guarantee that they will be in the
same place in the generated assembler code. The following would not
work:
asm ("combine %2,%0" : "=r" (foo) : "r" (foo), "g" (bar));
Various optimizations or reloading could cause operands 0 and 1 to
be in different registers; GNU CC knows no reason not to do so. For
example, the compiler might find a copy of the value of `foo' in one
register and use it for operand 1, but generate the output operand 0 in
a different register (copying it afterward to `foo''s own address). Of
course, since the register for operand 1 is not even mentioned in the
assembler code, the result will not work, but GNU CC can't tell that.
Some instructions clobber specific hard registers. To describe
this, write a third colon after the input operands, followed by the
names of the clobbered hard registers (given as strings). Here is a
realistic example for the Vax:
asm volatile ("movc3 %0,%1,%2"
: /* no outputs */
: "g" (from), "g" (to), "g" (count)
: "r0", "r1", "r2", "r3", "r4", "r5");
If you refer to a particular hardware register from the assembler
code, then you will probably have to list the register after the third
colon to tell the compiler that the register's value is modified. In
many assemblers, the register names begin with `%'; to produce one `%'
in the assembler code, you must write `%%' in the input.
If your assembler instruction can alter the condition code register,
add `cc' to the list of clobbered registers. GNU CC on some machines
represents the condition codes as a specific hardware register; `cc'
serves to name this register. On other machines, the condition code is
handled differently, and specifying `cc' has no effect. But it is
valid no matter what the machine.
If your assembler instruction modifies memory in an unpredictable
fashion, add `memory' to the list of clobbered registers. This will
cause GNU CC to not keep memory values cached in registers across the
assembler instruction.
You can put multiple assembler instructions together in a single
`asm' template, separated either with newlines (written as `\n') or with
semicolons if the assembler allows such semicolons. The GNU assembler
allows semicolons and all Unix assemblers seem to do so. The input
operands are guaranteed not to use any of the clobbered registers, and
neither will the output operands' addresses, so you can read and write
the clobbered registers as many times as you like. Here is an example
of multiple instructions in a template; it assumes that the subroutine
`_foo' accepts arguments in registers 9 and 10:
asm ("movl %0,r9;movl %1,r10;call _foo"
: /* no outputs */
: "g" (from), "g" (to)
: "r9", "r10");
Unless an output operand has the `&' constraint modifier, GNU CC may
allocate it in the same register as an unrelated input operand, on the
assumption that the inputs are consumed before the outputs are produced.
This assumption may be false if the assembler code actually consists of
more than one instruction. In such a case, use `&' for each output
operand that may not overlap an input. *Note Modifiers::.
If you want to test the condition code produced by an assembler
instruction, you must include a branch and a label in the `asm'
construct, as follows:
asm ("clr %0;frob %1;beq 0f;mov #1,%0;0:"
: "g" (result)
: "g" (input));
This assumes your assembler supports local labels, as the GNU assembler
and most Unix assemblers do.
Speaking of labels, jumps from one `asm' to another are not
supported. The compiler's optimizers do not know about these jumps,
and therefore they cannot take account of them when deciding how to
optimize.
Usually the most convenient way to use these `asm' instructions is to
encapsulate them in macros that look like functions. For example,
#define sin(x) \
({ double __value, __arg = (x); \
asm ("fsinx %1,%0": "=f" (__value): "f" (__arg)); \
__value; })
Here the variable `__arg' is used to make sure that the instruction
operates on a proper `double' value, and to accept only those arguments
`x' which can convert automatically to a `double'.
Another way to make sure the instruction operates on the correct
data type is to use a cast in the `asm'. This is different from using a
variable `__arg' in that it converts more different types. For
example, if the desired type were `int', casting the argument to `int'
would accept a pointer with no complaint, while assigning the argument
to an `int' variable named `__arg' would warn about using a pointer
unless the caller explicitly casts it.
If an `asm' has output operands, GNU CC assumes for optimization
purposes that the instruction has no side effects except to change the
output operands. This does not mean that instructions with a side
effect cannot be used, but you must be careful, because the compiler
may eliminate them if the output operands aren't used, or move them out
of loops, or replace two with one if they constitute a common
subexpression. Also, if your instruction does have a side effect on a
variable that otherwise appears not to change, the old value of the
variable may be reused later if it happens to be found in a register.
You can prevent an `asm' instruction from being deleted, moved
significantly, or combined, by writing the keyword `volatile' after the
`asm'. For example:
#define set_priority(x) \
asm volatile ("set_priority %0": /* no outputs */ : "g" (x))
An instruction without output operands will not be deleted or moved
significantly, regardless, unless it is unreachable.
Note that even a volatile `asm' instruction can be moved in ways
that appear insignificant to the compiler, such as across jump
instructions. You can't expect a sequence of volatile `asm'
instructions to remain perfectly consecutive. If you want consecutive
output, use a single `asm'.
It is a natural idea to look for a way to give access to the
condition code left by the assembler instruction. However, when we
attempted to implement this, we found no way to make it work reliably.
The problem is that output operands might need reloading, which would
result in additional following "store" instructions. On most machines,
these instructions would alter the condition code before there was time
to test it. This problem doesn't arise for ordinary "test" and
"compare" instructions because they don't have any output operands.
If you are writing a header file that should be includable in ANSI C
programs, write `__asm__' instead of `asm'. *Note Alternate Keywords::.
File: use, Node: Constraints, Next: Asm Labels, Prev: Extended Asm, Up: C Extensions
Constraints for `asm' Operands
==============================
Here are specific details on what constraint letters you can use with
`asm' operands. Constraints can say whether an operand may be in a
register, and which kinds of register; whether the operand can be a
memory reference, and which kinds of address; whether the operand may
be an immediate constant, and which possible values it may have.
Constraints can also require two operands to match.
* Menu:
* Simple Constraints:: Basic use of constraints.
* Multi-Alternative:: When an insn has two alternative constraint-patterns.
* Modifiers:: More precise control over effects of constraints.
* Machine Constraints:: Special constraints for some particular machines.
File: use, Node: Simple Constraints, Next: Multi-Alternative, Up: Constraints
Simple Constraints
------------------
The simplest kind of constraint is a string full of letters, each of
which describes one kind of operand that is permitted. Here are the
letters that are allowed:
`m'
A memory operand is allowed, with any kind of address that the
machine supports in general.
`o'
A memory operand is allowed, but only if the address is
"offsettable". This means that adding a small integer (actually,
the width in bytes of the operand, as determined by its machine
mode) may be added to the address and the result is also a valid
memory address.
For example, an address which is constant is offsettable; so is an
address that is the sum of a register and a constant (as long as a
slightly larger constant is also within the range of
address-offsets supported by the machine); but an autoincrement or
autodecrement address is not offsettable. More complicated
indirect/indexed addresses may or may not be offsettable depending
on the other addressing modes that the machine supports.
Note that in an output operand which can be matched by another
operand, the constraint letter `o' is valid only when accompanied
by both `<' (if the target machine has predecrement addressing)
and `>' (if the target machine has preincrement addressing).
`V'
A memory operand that is not offsettable. In other words,
anything that would fit the `m' constraint but not the `o'
constraint.
`<'
A memory operand with autodecrement addressing (either
predecrement or postdecrement) is allowed.
`>'
A memory operand with autoincrement addressing (either
preincrement or postincrement) is allowed.
`r'
A register operand is allowed provided that it is in a general
register.
`d', `a', `f', ...
Other letters can be defined in machine-dependent fashion to stand
for particular classes of registers. `d', `a' and `f' are defined
on the 68000/68020 to stand for data, address and floating point
registers.
`i'
An immediate integer operand (one with constant value) is allowed.
This includes symbolic constants whose values will be known only at
assembly time.
`n'
An immediate integer operand with a known numeric value is allowed.
Many systems cannot support assembly-time constants for operands
less than a word wide. Constraints for these operands should use
`n' rather than `i'.
`I', `J', `K', ... `P'
Other letters in the range `I' through `P' may be defined in a
machine-dependent fashion to permit immediate integer operands with
explicit integer values in specified ranges. For example, on the
68000, `I' is defined to stand for the range of values 1 to 8.
This is the range permitted as a shift count in the shift
instructions.
`E'
An immediate floating operand (expression code `const_double') is
allowed, but only if the target floating point format is the same
as that of the host machine (on which the compiler is running).
`F'
An immediate floating operand (expression code `const_double') is
allowed.
`G', `H'
`G' and `H' may be defined in a machine-dependent fashion to
permit immediate floating operands in particular ranges of values.
`s'
An immediate integer operand whose value is not an explicit
integer is allowed.
This might appear strange; if an insn allows a constant operand
with a value not known at compile time, it certainly must allow
any known value. So why use `s' instead of `i'? Sometimes it
allows better code to be generated.
For example, on the 68000 in a fullword instruction it is possible
to use an immediate operand; but if the immediate value is between
-128 and 127, better code results from loading the value into a
register and using the register. This is because the load into
the register can be done with a `moveq' instruction. We arrange
for this to happen by defining the letter `K' to mean "any integer
outside the range -128 to 127", and then specifying `Ks' in the
operand constraints.
`g'
Any register, memory or immediate integer operand is allowed,
except for registers that are not general registers.
`X'
Any operand whatsoever is allowed.
`0', `1', `2', ... `9'
An operand that matches the specified operand number is allowed.
If a digit is used together with letters within the same
alternative, the digit should come last.
This is called a "matching constraint" and what it really means is
that the assembler has only a single operand that fills two roles
which `asm' distinguishes. For example, an add instruction uses
two input operands and an output operand, but on most CISC
machines an add instruction really has only two operands, one of
them an input-output operand:
addl #35,r12
Matching constraints are used in these circumstances. More
precisely, the two operands that match must include one input-only
operand and one output-only operand. Moreover, the digit must be a
smaller number than the number of the operand that uses it in the
constraint.
`p'
An operand that is a valid memory address is allowed. This is for
"load address" and "push address" instructions.
`p' in the constraint must be accompanied by `address_operand' as
the predicate in the `match_operand'. This predicate interprets
the mode specified in the `match_operand' as the mode of the memory
reference for which the address would be valid.
`Q', `R', `S', ... `U'
Letters in the range `Q' through `U' may be defined in a
machine-dependent fashion to stand for arbitrary operand types.
File: use, Node: Multi-Alternative, Next: Modifiers, Prev: Simple Constraints, Up: Constraints
Multiple Alternative Constraints
--------------------------------
Sometimes a single instruction has multiple alternative sets of
possible operands. For example, on the 68000, a logical-or instruction
can combine register or an immediate value into memory, or it can
combine any kind of operand into a register; but it cannot combine one
memory location into another.
These constraints are represented as multiple alternatives. An
alternative can be described by a series of letters for each operand.
The overall constraint for an operand is made from the letters for this
operand from the first alternative, a comma, the letters for this
operand from the second alternative, a comma, and so on until the last
alternative.
If all the operands fit any one alternative, the instruction is
valid. Otherwise, for each alternative, the compiler counts how many
instructions must be added to copy the operands so that that
alternative applies. The alternative requiring the least copying is
chosen. If two alternatives need the same amount of copying, the one
that comes first is chosen. These choices can be altered with the `?'
and `!' characters:
`?'
Disparage slightly the alternative that the `?' appears in, as a
choice when no alternative applies exactly. The compiler regards
this alternative as one unit more costly for each `?' that appears
in it.
`!'
Disparage severely the alternative that the `!' appears in. This
alternative can still be used if it fits without reloading, but if
reloading is needed, some other alternative will be used.
File: use, Node: Modifiers, Next: Machine Constraints, Prev: Multi-Alternative, Up: Constraints
Constraint Modifier Characters
------------------------------
Here are constraint modifier characters.
`='
Means that this operand is write-only for this instruction: the
previous value is discarded and replaced by output data.
`+'
Means that this operand is both read and written by the
instruction.
When the compiler fixes up the operands to satisfy the constraints,
it needs to know which operands are inputs to the instruction and
which are outputs from it. `=' identifies an output; `+'
identifies an operand that is both input and output; all other
operands are assumed to be input only.
`&'
Means (in a particular alternative) that this operand is written
before the instruction is finished using the input operands.
Therefore, this operand may not lie in a register that is used as
an input operand or as part of any memory address.
`&' applies only to the alternative in which it is written. In
constraints with multiple alternatives, sometimes one alternative
requires `&' while others do not. See, for example, the `movdf'
insn of the 68000.
`&' does not obviate the need to write `='.
`%'
Declares the instruction to be commutative for this operand and the
following operand. This means that the compiler may interchange
the two operands if that is the cheapest way to make all operands
fit the constraints.
`#'
Says that all following characters, up to the next comma, are to be
ignored as a constraint. They are significant only for choosing
register preferences.
File: use, Node: Machine Constraints, Prev: Modifiers, Up: Constraints
Constraints for Particular Machines
-----------------------------------
Whenever possible, you should use the general-purpose constraint
letters in `asm' arguments, since they will convey meaning more readily
to people reading your code. Failing that, use the constraint letters
that usually have very similar meanings across architectures. The most
commonly used constraints are `m' and `r' (for memory and
general-purpose registers respectively; *note Simple Constraints::.),
and `I', usually the letter indicating the most common
immediate-constant format.
For each machine architecture, the `config/MACHINE.h' file defines
additional constraints. These constraints are used by the compiler
itself for instruction generation, as well as for `asm' statements;
therefore, some of the constraints are not particularly interesting for
`asm'. The constraints are defined through these macros:
`REG_CLASS_FROM_LETTER'
Register class constraints (usually lower case).
`CONST_OK_FOR_LETTER_P'
Immediate constant constraints, for non-floating point constants of
word size or smaller precision (usually upper case).
`CONST_DOUBLE_OK_FOR_LETTER_P'
Immediate constant constraints, for all floating point constants
and for constants of greater than word size precision (usually
upper case).
`EXTRA_CONSTRAINT'
Special cases of registers or memory. This macro is not required,
and is only defined for some machines.
Inspecting these macro definitions in the compiler source for your
machine is the best way to be certain you have the right constraints.
However, here is a summary of the machine-dependent constraints
available on some particular machines.
*ARM family--`arm.h'*
`f'
Floating-point register
`F'
One of the floating-point constants 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0,
4.0, 5.0 or 10.0
`G'
Floating-point constant that would satisfy the constraint `F'
if it were negated
`I'
Integer that is valid as an immediate operand in a data
processing instruction. That is, an integer in the range 0
to 255 rotated by a multiple of 2
`J'
Integer in the range -4095 to 4095
`K'
Integer that satisfies constraint `I' when inverted (ones
complement)
`L'
Integer that satisfies constraint `I' when negated (twos
complement)
`M'
Integer in the range 0 to 32
`Q'
A memory reference where the exact address is in a single
register (``m'' is preferable for `asm' statements)
`R'
An item in the constant pool
`S'
A symbol in the text segment of the current file
*AMD 29000 family--`a29k.h'*
`l'
Local register 0
`b'
Byte Pointer (`BP') register
`q'
`Q' register
`h'
Special purpose register
`A'
First accumulator register
`a'
Other accumulator register
`f'
Floating point register
`I'
Constant greater than 0, less than 0x100
`J'
Constant greater than 0, less than 0x10000
`K'
Constant whose high 24 bits are on (1)
`L'
16 bit constant whose high 8 bits are on (1)
`M'
32 bit constant whose high 16 bits are on (1)
`N'
32 bit negative constant that fits in 8 bits
`O'
The constant 0x80000000 or, on the 29050, any 32 bit constant
whose low 16 bits are 0.
`P'
16 bit negative constant that fits in 8 bits
`G'
`H'
A floating point constant (in `asm' statements, use the
machine independent `E' or `F' instead)
*IBM RS6000--`rs6000.h'*
`b'
Address base register
`f'
Floating point register
`h'
`MQ', `CTR', or `LINK' register
`q'
`MQ' register
`c'
`CTR' register
`l'
`LINK' register
`x'
`CR' register (condition register) number 0
`y'
`CR' register (condition register)
`I'
Signed 16 bit constant
`J'
Constant whose low 16 bits are 0
`K'
Constant whose high 16 bits are 0
`L'
Constant suitable as a mask operand
`M'
Constant larger than 31
`N'
Exact power of 2
`O'
Zero
`P'
Constant whose negation is a signed 16 bit constant
`G'
Floating point constant that can be loaded into a register
with one instruction per word
`Q'
Memory operand that is an offset from a register (`m' is
preferable for `asm' statements)
*Intel 386--`i386.h'*
`q'
`a', `b', `c', or `d' register
`A'
`a', or `d' register (for 64-bit ints)
`f'
Floating point register
`t'
First (top of stack) floating point register
`u'
Second floating point register
`a'
`a' register
`b'
`b' register
`c'
`c' register
`d'
`d' register
`D'
`di' register
`S'
`si' register
`I'
Constant in range 0 to 31 (for 32 bit shifts)
`J'
Constant in range 0 to 63 (for 64 bit shifts)
`K'
`0xff'
`L'
`0xffff'
`M'
0, 1, 2, or 3 (shifts for `lea' instruction)
`G'
Standard 80387 floating point constant
*Intel 960--`i960.h'*
`f'
Floating point register (`fp0' to `fp3')
`l'
Local register (`r0' to `r15')
`b'
Global register (`g0' to `g15')
`d'
Any local or global register
`I'
Integers from 0 to 31
`J'
0
`K'
Integers from -31 to 0
`G'
Floating point 0
`H'
Floating point 1
*MIPS--`mips.h'*
`d'
General-purpose integer register
`f'
Floating-point register (if available)
`h'
`Hi' register
`l'
`Lo' register
`x'
`Hi' or `Lo' register
`y'
General-purpose integer register
`z'
Floating-point status register
`I'
Signed 16 bit constant (for arithmetic instructions)
`J'
Zero
`K'
Zero-extended 16-bit constant (for logic instructions)
`L'
Constant with low 16 bits zero (can be loaded with `lui')
`M'
32 bit constant which requires two instructions to load (a
constant which is not `I', `K', or `L')
`N'
Negative 16 bit constant
`O'
Exact power of two
`P'
Positive 16 bit constant
`G'
Floating point zero
`Q'
Memory reference that can be loaded with more than one
instruction (`m' is preferable for `asm' statements)
`R'
Memory reference that can be loaded with one instruction (`m'
is preferable for `asm' statements)
`S'
Memory reference in external OSF/rose PIC format (`m' is
preferable for `asm' statements)
*Motorola 680x0--`m68k.h'*
`a'
Address register
`d'
Data register
`f'
68881 floating-point register, if available
`x'
Sun FPA (floating-point) register, if available
`y'
First 16 Sun FPA registers, if available
`I'
Integer in the range 1 to 8
`J'
16 bit signed number
`K'
Signed number whose magnitude is greater than 0x80
`L'
Integer in the range -8 to -1
`G'
Floating point constant that is not a 68881 constant
`H'
Floating point constant that can be used by Sun FPA
*SPARC--`sparc.h'*
`f'
Floating-point register
`I'
Signed 13 bit constant
`J'
Zero
`K'
32 bit constant with the low 12 bits clear (a constant that
can be loaded with the `sethi' instruction)
`G'
Floating-point zero
`H'
Signed 13 bit constant, sign-extended to 32 or 64 bits
`Q'
Memory reference that can be loaded with one instruction
(`m' is more appropriate for `asm' statements)
`S'
Constant, or memory address
`T'
Memory address aligned to an 8-byte boundary
`U'
Even register
File: use, Node: Asm Labels, Next: Explicit Reg Vars, Prev: Constraints, Up: C Extensions
Controlling Names Used in Assembler Code
========================================
You can specify the name to be used in the assembler code for a C
function or variable by writing the `asm' (or `__asm__') keyword after
the declarator as follows:
int foo asm ("myfoo") = 2;
This specifies that the name to be used for the variable `foo' in the
assembler code should be `myfoo' rather than the usual `_foo'.
On systems where an underscore is normally prepended to the name of
a C function or variable, this feature allows you to define names for
the linker that do not start with an underscore.
You cannot use `asm' in this way in a function *definition*; but you
can get the same effect by writing a declaration for the function
before its definition and putting `asm' there, like this:
extern func () asm ("FUNC");
func (x, y)
int x, y;
...
It is up to you to make sure that the assembler names you choose do
not conflict with any other assembler symbols. Also, you must not use a
register name; that would produce completely invalid assembler code.
GNU CC does not as yet have the ability to store static variables in
registers. Perhaps that will be added.
File: use, Node: Explicit Reg Vars, Next: Alternate Keywords, Prev: Asm Labels, Up: C Extensions
Variables in Specified Registers
================================
GNU C allows you to put a few global variables into specified
hardware registers. You can also specify the register in which an
ordinary register variable should be allocated.
* Global register variables reserve registers throughout the program.
This may be useful in programs such as programming language
interpreters which have a couple of global variables that are
accessed very often.
* Local register variables in specific registers do not reserve the
registers. The compiler's data flow analysis is capable of
determining where the specified registers contain live values, and
where they are available for other uses.
These local variables are sometimes convenient for use with the
extended `asm' feature (*note Extended Asm::.), if you want to
write one output of the assembler instruction directly into a
particular register. (This will work provided the register you
specify fits the constraints specified for that operand in the
`asm'.)
* Menu:
* Global Reg Vars::
* Local Reg Vars::
File: use, Node: Global Reg Vars, Next: Local Reg Vars, Up: Explicit Reg Vars
Defining Global Register Variables
----------------------------------
You can define a global register variable in GNU C like this:
register int *foo asm ("a5");
Here `a5' is the name of the register which should be used. Choose a
register which is normally saved and restored by function calls on your
machine, so that library routines will not clobber it.
Naturally the register name is cpu-dependent, so you would need to
conditionalize your program according to cpu type. The register `a5'
would be a good choice on a 68000 for a variable of pointer type. On
machines with register windows, be sure to choose a "global" register
that is not affected magically by the function call mechanism.
In addition, operating systems on one type of cpu may differ in how
they name the registers; then you would need additional conditionals.
For example, some 68000 operating systems call this register `%a5'.
Eventually there may be a way of asking the compiler to choose a
register automatically, but first we need to figure out how it should
choose and how to enable you to guide the choice. No solution is
evident.
Defining a global register variable in a certain register reserves
that register entirely for this use, at least within the current
compilation. The register will not be allocated for any other purpose
in the functions in the current compilation. The register will not be
saved and restored by these functions. Stores into this register are
never deleted even if they would appear to be dead, but references may
be deleted or moved or simplified.
It is not safe to access the global register variables from signal
handlers, or from more than one thread of control, because the system
library routines may temporarily use the register for other things
(unless you recompile them specially for the task at hand).
It is not safe for one function that uses a global register variable
to call another such function `foo' by way of a third function `lose'
that was compiled without knowledge of this variable (i.e. in a
different source file in which the variable wasn't declared). This is
because `lose' might save the register and put some other value there.
For example, you can't expect a global register variable to be
available in the comparison-function that you pass to `qsort', since
`qsort' might have put something else in that register. (If you are
prepared to recompile `qsort' with the same global register variable,
you can solve this problem.)
If you want to recompile `qsort' or other source files which do not
actually use your global register variable, so that they will not use
that register for any other purpose, then it suffices to specify the
compiler option `-ffixed-REG'. You need not actually add a global
register declaration to their source code.
A function which can alter the value of a global register variable
cannot safely be called from a function compiled without this variable,
because it could clobber the value the caller expects to find there on
return. Therefore, the function which is the entry point into the part
of the program that uses the global register variable must explicitly
save and restore the value which belongs to its caller.
On most machines, `longjmp' will restore to each global register
variable the value it had at the time of the `setjmp'. On some
machines, however, `longjmp' will not change the value of global
register variables. To be portable, the function that called `setjmp'
should make other arrangements to save the values of the global register
variables, and to restore them in a `longjmp'. This way, the same
thing will happen regardless of what `longjmp' does.
All global register variable declarations must precede all function
definitions. If such a declaration could appear after function
definitions, the declaration would be too late to prevent the register
from being used for other purposes in the preceding functions.
Global register variables may not have initial values, because an
executable file has no means to supply initial contents for a register.
On the Sparc, there are reports that g3 ... g7 are suitable
registers, but certain library functions, such as `getwd', as well as
the subroutines for division and remainder, modify g3 and g4. g1 and
g2 are local temporaries.
On the 68000, a2 ... a5 should be suitable, as should d2 ... d7. Of
course, it will not do to use more than a few of those.
File: use, Node: Local Reg Vars, Prev: Global Reg Vars, Up: Explicit Reg Vars
Specifying Registers for Local Variables
----------------------------------------
You can define a local register variable with a specified register
like this:
register int *foo asm ("a5");
Here `a5' is the name of the register which should be used. Note that
this is the same syntax used for defining global register variables,
but for a local variable it would appear within a function.
Naturally the register name is cpu-dependent, but this is not a
problem, since specific registers are most often useful with explicit
assembler instructions (*note Extended Asm::.). Both of these things
generally require that you conditionalize your program according to cpu
type.
In addition, operating systems on one type of cpu may differ in how
they name the registers; then you would need additional conditionals.
For example, some 68000 operating systems call this register `%a5'.
Eventually there may be a way of asking the compiler to choose a
register automatically, but first we need to figure out how it should
choose and how to enable you to guide the choice. No solution is
evident.
Defining such a register variable does not reserve the register; it
remains available for other uses in places where flow control determines
the variable's value is not live. However, these registers are made
unavailable for use in the reload pass. I would not be surprised if
excessive use of this feature leaves the compiler too few available
registers to compile certain functions.
File: use, Node: Alternate Keywords, Next: Incomplete Enums, Prev: Explicit Reg Vars, Up: C Extensions
Alternate Keywords
==================
The option `-traditional' disables certain keywords; `-ansi'
disables certain others. This causes trouble when you want to use GNU C
extensions, or ANSI C features, in a general-purpose header file that
should be usable by all programs, including ANSI C programs and
traditional ones. The keywords `asm', `typeof' and `inline' cannot be
used since they won't work in a program compiled with `-ansi', while
the keywords `const', `volatile', `signed', `typeof' and `inline' won't
work in a program compiled with `-traditional'.
The way to solve these problems is to put `__' at the beginning and
end of each problematical keyword. For example, use `__asm__' instead
of `asm', `__const__' instead of `const', and `__inline__' instead of
`inline'.
Other C compilers won't accept these alternative keywords; if you
want to compile with another compiler, you can define the alternate
keywords as macros to replace them with the customary keywords. It
looks like this:
#ifndef __GNUC__
#define __asm__ asm
#endif
`-pedantic' causes warnings for many GNU C extensions. You can
prevent such warnings within one expression by writing `__extension__'
before the expression. `__extension__' has no effect aside from this.
File: use, Node: Incomplete Enums, Next: Function Names, Prev: Alternate Keywords, Up: C Extensions
Incomplete `enum' Types
=======================
You can define an `enum' tag without specifying its possible values.
This results in an incomplete type, much like what you get if you write
`struct foo' without describing the elements. A later declaration
which does specify the possible values completes the type.
You can't allocate variables or storage using the type while it is
incomplete. However, you can work with pointers to that type.
This extension may not be very useful, but it makes the handling of
`enum' more consistent with the way `struct' and `union' are handled.
This extension is not supported by GNU C++.
File: use, Node: Function Names, Prev: Incomplete Enums, Up: C Extensions
Function Names as Strings
=========================
GNU CC predefines two string variables to be the name of the current
function. The variable `__FUNCTION__' is the name of the function as
it appears in the source. The variable `__PRETTY_FUNCTION__' is the
name of the function pretty printed in a language specific fashion.
These names are always the same in a C function, but in a C++
function they may be different. For example, this program:
extern "C" {
extern int printf (char *, ...);
}
class a {
public:
sub (int i)
{
printf ("__FUNCTION__ = %s\n", __FUNCTION__);
printf ("__PRETTY_FUNCTION__ = %s\n", __PRETTY_FUNCTION__);
}
};
int
main (void)
{
a ax;
ax.sub (0);
return 0;
}
gives this output:
__FUNCTION__ = sub
__PRETTY_FUNCTION__ = int a::sub (int)
File: use, Node: C++ Extensions, Next: Trouble, Prev: C Extensions, Up: Top
Extensions to the C++ Language
******************************
The GNU compiler provides these extensions to the C++ language (and
you can also use most of the C language extensions in your C++
programs). If you want to write code that checks whether these
features are available, you can test for the GNU compiler the same way
as for C programs: check for a predefined macro `__GNUC__'. You can
also use `__GNUG__' to test specifically for GNU C++ (*note Standard
Predefined Macros: (cpp.info)Standard Predefined.).
* Menu:
* Naming Results:: Giving a name to C++ function return values.
* Min and Max:: C++ Minimum and maximum operators.
* Destructors and Goto:: Goto is safe to use in C++ even when destructors
are needed.
* C++ Interface:: You can use a single C++ header file for both
declarations and definitions.
* Template Instantiation:: Methods for ensuring that exactly one copy of
each needed template instantiation is emitted.
* C++ Signatures:: You can specify abstract types to get subtype
polymorphism independent from inheritance.
File: use, Node: Naming Results, Next: Min and Max, Up: C++ Extensions
Named Return Values in C++
==========================
GNU C++ extends the function-definition syntax to allow you to
specify a name for the result of a function outside the body of the
definition, in C++ programs:
TYPE
FUNCTIONNAME (ARGS) return RESULTNAME;
{
...
BODY
...
}
You can use this feature to avoid an extra constructor call when a
function result has a class type. For example, consider a function
`m', declared as `X v = m ();', whose result is of class `X':
X
m ()
{
X b;
b.a = 23;
return b;
}
Although `m' appears to have no arguments, in fact it has one
implicit argument: the address of the return value. At invocation, the
address of enough space to hold `v' is sent in as the implicit argument.
Then `b' is constructed and its `a' field is set to the value 23.
Finally, a copy constructor (a constructor of the form `X(X&)') is
applied to `b', with the (implicit) return value location as the
target, so that `v' is now bound to the return value.
But this is wasteful. The local `b' is declared just to hold
something that will be copied right out. While a compiler that
combined an "elision" algorithm with interprocedural data flow analysis
could conceivably eliminate all of this, it is much more practical to
allow you to assist the compiler in generating efficient code by
manipulating the return value explicitly, thus avoiding the local
variable and copy constructor altogether.
Using the extended GNU C++ function-definition syntax, you can avoid
the temporary allocation and copying by naming `r' as your return value
at the outset, and assigning to its `a' field directly:
X
m () return r;
{
r.a = 23;
}
The declaration of `r' is a standard, proper declaration, whose effects
are executed *before* any of the body of `m'.
Functions of this type impose no additional restrictions; in
particular, you can execute `return' statements, or return implicitly by
reaching the end of the function body ("falling off the edge"). Cases
like
X
m () return r (23);
{
return;
}
(or even `X m () return r (23); { }') are unambiguous, since the return
value `r' has been initialized in either case. The following code may
be hard to read, but also works predictably:
X
m () return r;
{
X b;
return b;
}
The return value slot denoted by `r' is initialized at the outset,
but the statement `return b;' overrides this value. The compiler deals
with this by destroying `r' (calling the destructor if there is one, or
doing nothing if there is not), and then reinitializing `r' with `b'.
This extension is provided primarily to help people who use
overloaded operators, where there is a great need to control not just
the arguments, but the return values of functions. For classes where
the copy constructor incurs a heavy performance penalty (especially in
the common case where there is a quick default constructor), this is a
major savings. The disadvantage of this extension is that you do not
control when the default constructor for the return value is called: it
is always called at the beginning.
File: use, Node: Min and Max, Next: Destructors and Goto, Prev: Naming Results, Up: C++ Extensions
Minimum and Maximum Operators in C++
====================================
It is very convenient to have operators which return the "minimum"
or the "maximum" of two arguments. In GNU C++ (but not in GNU C),
`A <? B'
is the "minimum", returning the smaller of the numeric values A
and B;
`A >? B'
is the "maximum", returning the larger of the numeric values A and
B.
These operations are not primitive in ordinary C++, since you can
use a macro to return the minimum of two things in C++, as in the
following example.
#define MIN(X,Y) ((X) < (Y) ? : (X) : (Y))
You might then use `int min = MIN (i, j);' to set MIN to the minimum
value of variables I and J.
However, side effects in `X' or `Y' may cause unintended behavior.
For example, `MIN (i++, j++)' will fail, incrementing the smaller
counter twice. A GNU C extension allows you to write safe macros that
avoid this kind of problem (*note Naming an Expression's Type: Naming
Types.). However, writing `MIN' and `MAX' as macros also forces you to
use function-call notation notation for a fundamental arithmetic
operation. Using GNU C++ extensions, you can write `int min = i <? j;'
instead.
Since `<?' and `>?' are built into the compiler, they properly
handle expressions with side-effects; `int min = i++ <? j++;' works
correctly.
File: use, Node: Destructors and Goto, Next: C++ Interface, Prev: Min and Max, Up: C++ Extensions
`goto' and Destructors in GNU C++
=================================
In C++ programs, you can safely use the `goto' statement. When you
use it to exit a block which contains aggregates requiring destructors,
the destructors will run before the `goto' transfers control. (In ANSI
C++, `goto' is restricted to targets within the current block.)
The compiler still forbids using `goto' to *enter* a scope that
requires constructors.
File: use, Node: C++ Interface, Next: Template Instantiation, Prev: Destructors and Goto, Up: C++ Extensions
Declarations and Definitions in One Header
==========================================
C++ object definitions can be quite complex. In principle, your
source code will need two kinds of things for each object that you use
across more than one source file. First, you need an "interface"
specification, describing its structure with type declarations and
function prototypes. Second, you need the "implementation" itself. It
can be tedious to maintain a separate interface description in a header
file, in parallel to the actual implementation. It is also dangerous,
since separate interface and implementation definitions may not remain
parallel.
With GNU C++, you can use a single header file for both purposes.
*Warning:* The mechanism to specify this is in transition. For the
nonce, you must use one of two `#pragma' commands; in a future
release of GNU C++, an alternative mechanism will make these
`#pragma' commands unnecessary.
The header file contains the full definitions, but is marked with
`#pragma interface' in the source code. This allows the compiler to
use the header file only as an interface specification when ordinary
source files incorporate it with `#include'. In the single source file
where the full implementation belongs, you can use either a naming
convention or `#pragma implementation' to indicate this alternate use
of the header file.
`#pragma interface'
`#pragma interface "SUBDIR/OBJECTS.h"'
Use this directive in *header files* that define object classes,
to save space in most of the object files that use those classes.
Normally, local copies of certain information (backup copies of
inline member functions, debugging information, and the internal
tables that implement virtual functions) must be kept in each
object file that includes class definitions. You can use this
pragma to avoid such duplication. When a header file containing
`#pragma interface' is included in a compilation, this auxiliary
information will not be generated (unless the main input source
file itself uses `#pragma implementation'). Instead, the object
files will contain references to be resolved at link time.
The second form of this directive is useful for the case where you
have multiple headers with the same name in different directories.
If you use this form, you must specify the same string to `#pragma
implementation'.
`#pragma implementation'
`#pragma implementation "OBJECTS.h"'
Use this pragma in a *main input file*, when you want full output
from included header files to be generated (and made globally
visible). The included header file, in turn, should use `#pragma
interface'. Backup copies of inline member functions, debugging
information, and the internal tables used to implement virtual
functions are all generated in implementation files.
If you use `#pragma implementation' with no argument, it applies to
an include file with the same basename(1) as your source file.
For example, in `allclass.cc', `#pragma implementation' by itself
is equivalent to `#pragma implementation "allclass.h"'.
In versions of GNU C++ prior to 2.6.0 `allclass.h' was treated as
an implementation file whenever you would include it from
`allclass.cc' even if you never specified `#pragma
implementation'. This was deemed to be more trouble than it was
worth, however, and disabled.
If you use an explicit `#pragma implementation', it must appear in
your source file *before* you include the affected header files.
Use the string argument if you want a single implementation file to
include code from multiple header files. (You must also use
`#include' to include the header file; `#pragma implementation'
only specifies how to use the file--it doesn't actually include
it.)
There is no way to split up the contents of a single header file
into multiple implementation files.
`#pragma implementation' and `#pragma interface' also have an effect
on function inlining.
If you define a class in a header file marked with `#pragma
interface', the effect on a function defined in that class is similar to
an explicit `extern' declaration--the compiler emits no code at all to
define an independent version of the function. Its definition is used
only for inlining with its callers.
Conversely, when you include the same header file in a main source
file that declares it as `#pragma implementation', the compiler emits
code for the function itself; this defines a version of the function
that can be found via pointers (or by callers compiled without
inlining). If all calls to the function can be inlined, you can avoid
emitting the function by compiling with `-fno-implement-inlines'. If
any calls were not inlined, you will get linker errors.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) A file's "basename" was the name stripped of all leading path
information and of trailing suffixes, such as `.h' or `.C' or `.cc'.
File: use, Node: Template Instantiation, Next: C++ Signatures, Prev: C++ Interface, Up: C++ Extensions
Where's the Template?
=====================
C++ templates are the first language feature to require more
intelligence from the environment than one usually finds on a UNIX
system. Somehow the compiler and linker have to make sure that each
template instance occurs exactly once in the executable if it is needed,
and not at all otherwise. There are two basic approaches to this
problem, which I will refer to as the Borland model and the Cfront
model.
Borland model
Borland C++ solved the template instantiation problem by adding
the code equivalent of common blocks to their linker; template
instances are emitted in each translation unit that uses them, and
they are collapsed together at run time. The advantage of this
model is that the linker only has to consider the object files
themselves; there is no external complexity to worry about. This
disadvantage is that compilation time is increased because the
template code is being compiled repeatedly. Code written for this
model tends to include definitions of all member templates in the
header file, since they must be seen to be compiled.
Cfront model
The AT&T C++ translator, Cfront, solved the template instantiation
problem by creating the notion of a template repository, an
automatically maintained place where template instances are
stored. As individual object files are built, notes are placed in
the repository to record where templates and potential type
arguments were seen so that the subsequent instantiation step
knows where to find them. At link time, any needed instances are
generated and linked in. The advantages of this model are more
optimal compilation speed and the ability to use the system
linker; to implement the Borland model a compiler vendor also
needs to replace the linker. The disadvantages are vastly
increased complexity, and thus potential for error; theoretically,
this should be just as transparent, but in practice it has been
very difficult to build multiple programs in one directory and one
program in multiple directories using Cfront. Code written for
this model tends to separate definitions of non-inline member
templates into a separate file, which is magically found by the
link preprocessor when a template needs to be instantiated.
Currently, g++ implements neither automatic model. The g++ team
hopes to have a repository working for 2.7.0. In the mean time, you
have three options for dealing with template instantiations:
1. Do nothing. Pretend g++ does implement automatic instantiation
management. Code written for the Borland model will work fine, but
each translation unit will contain instances of each of the
templates it uses. In a large program, this can lead to an
unacceptable amount of code duplication.
2. Add `#pragma interface' to all files containing template
definitions. For each of these files, add `#pragma implementation
"FILENAME"' to the top of some `.C' file which `#include's it.
Then compile everything with -fexternal-templates. The templates
will then only be expanded in the translation unit which
implements them (i.e. has a `#pragma implementation' line for the
file where they live); all other files will use external
references. If you're lucky, everything should work properly. If
you get undefined symbol errors, you need to make sure that each
template instance which is used in the program is used in the file
which implements that template. If you don't have any use for a
particular instance in that file, you can just instantiate it
explicitly, using the syntax from the latest C++ working paper:
template class A<int>;
template ostream& operator << (ostream&, const A<int>&);
This strategy will work with code written for either model. If
you are using code written for the Cfront model, the file
containing a class template and the file containing its member
templates should be implemented in the same translation unit.
A slight variation on this approach is to use the flag
-falt-external-templates instead; this flag causes template
instances to be emitted in the translation unit that implements
the header where they are first instantiated, rather than the one
which implements the file where the templates are defined. This
header must be the same in all translation units, or things are
likely to break.
*Note Declarations and Definitions in One Header: C++ Interface,
for more discussion of these pragmas.
3. Explicitly instantiate all the template instances you use, and
compile with -fno-implicit-templates. This is probably your best
bet; it may require more knowledge of exactly which templates you
are using, but it's less mysterious than the previous approach,
and it doesn't require any `#pragma's or other g++-specific code.
You can scatter the instantiations throughout your program, you
can create one big file to do all the instantiations, or you can
create tiny files like
#include "Foo.h"
#include "Foo.cc"
template class Foo<int>;
for each instance you need, and create a template instantiation
library from those. I'm partial to the last, but your mileage may
vary. If you are using Cfront-model code, you can probably get
away with not using -fno-implicit-templates when compiling files
that don't `#include' the member template definitions.
File: use, Node: C++ Signatures, Prev: Template Instantiation, Up: C++ Extensions
Type Abstraction using Signatures
=================================
In GNU C++, you can use the keyword `signature' to define a
completely abstract class interface as a datatype. You can connect this
abstraction with actual classes using signature pointers. If you want
to use signatures, run the GNU compiler with the `-fhandle-signatures'
command-line option. (With this option, the compiler reserves a second
keyword `sigof' as well, for a future extension.)
Roughly, signatures are type abstractions or interfaces of classes.
Some other languages have similar facilities. C++ signatures are
related to ML's signatures, Haskell's type classes, definition modules
in Modula-2, interface modules in Modula-3, abstract types in Emerald,
type modules in Trellis/Owl, categories in Scratchpad II, and types in
POOL-I. For a more detailed discussion of signatures, see `Signatures:
A C++ Extension for Type Abstraction and Subtype Polymorphism' by
Gerald Baumgartner and Vincent F. Russo (Tech report CSD-TR-93-059,
Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University, December 1994, to appear
in *Software Practice & Experience*). You can get the tech report by
anonymous FTP from `ftp.cs.purdue.edu' in `pub/reports/TR93-059.PS.Z'.
Syntactically, a signature declaration is a collection of member
function declarations and nested type declarations. For example, this
signature declaration defines a new abstract type `S' with member
functions `int foo ()' and `int bar (int)':
signature S
{
int foo ();
int bar (int);
};
Since signature types do not include implementation definitions, you
cannot write an instance of a signature directly. Instead, you can
define a pointer to any class that contains the required interfaces as a
"signature pointer". Such a class "implements" the signature type.
To use a class as an implementation of `S', you must ensure that the
class has public member functions `int foo ()' and `int bar (int)'.
The class can have other member functions as well, public or not; as
long as it offers what's declared in the signature, it is suitable as
an implementation of that signature type.
For example, suppose that `C' is a class that meets the requirements
of signature `S' (`C' "conforms to" `S'). Then
C obj;
S * p = &obj;
defines a signature pointer `p' and initializes it to point to an
object of type `C'. The member function call `int i = p->foo ();'
executes `obj.foo ()'.
Abstract virtual classes provide somewhat similar facilities in
standard C++. There are two main advantages to using signatures
instead:
1. Subtyping becomes independent from inheritance. A class or
signature type `T' is a subtype of a signature type `S'
independent of any inheritance hierarchy as long as all the member
functions declared in `S' are also found in `T'. So you can
define a subtype hierarchy that is completely independent from any
inheritance (implementation) hierarchy, instead of being forced to
use types that mirror the class inheritance hierarchy.
2. Signatures allow you to work with existing class hierarchies as
implementations of a signature type. If those class hierarchies
are only available in compiled form, you're out of luck with
abstract virtual classes, since an abstract virtual class cannot
be retrofitted on top of existing class hierarchies. So you would
be required to write interface classes as subtypes of the abstract
virtual class.
There is one more detail about signatures. A signature declaration
can contain member function *definitions* as well as member function
declarations. A signature member function with a full definition is
called a *default implementation*; classes need not contain that
particular interface in order to conform. For example, a class `C' can
conform to the signature
signature T
{
int f (int);
int f0 () { return f (0); };
};
whether or not `C' implements the member function `int f0 ()'. If you
define `C::f0', that definition takes precedence; otherwise, the
default implementation `S::f0' applies.
File: use, Node: Trouble, Next: Bugs, Prev: C++ Extensions, Up: Top
Known Causes of Trouble with GNU CC
***********************************
This section describes known problems that affect users of GNU CC.
Most of these are not GNU CC bugs per se--if they were, we would fix
them. But the result for a user may be like the result of a bug.
Some of these problems are due to bugs in other software, some are
missing features that are too much work to add, and some are places
where people's opinions differ as to what is best.
* Menu:
* Actual Bugs:: Bugs we will fix later.
* Installation Problems:: Problems that manifest when you install GNU CC.
* Cross-Compiler Problems:: Common problems of cross compiling with GNU CC.
* Interoperation:: Problems using GNU CC with other compilers,
and with certain linkers, assemblers and debuggers.
* External Bugs:: Problems compiling certain programs.
* Incompatibilities:: GNU CC is incompatible with traditional C.
* Fixed Headers:: GNU C uses corrected versions of system header files.
This is necessary, but doesn't always work smoothly.
* Standard Libraries:: GNU C uses the system C library, which might not be
compliant with the ISO/ANSI C standard.
* Disappointments:: Regrettable things we can't change, but not quite bugs.
* C++ Misunderstandings:: Common misunderstandings with GNU C++.
* Protoize Caveats:: Things to watch out for when using `protoize'.
* Non-bugs:: Things we think are right, but some others disagree.
* Warnings and Errors:: Which problems in your code get warnings,
and which get errors.
File: use, Node: Actual Bugs, Next: Installation Problems, Up: Trouble
Actual Bugs We Haven't Fixed Yet
================================
* The `fixincludes' script interacts badly with automounters; if the
directory of system header files is automounted, it tends to be
unmounted while `fixincludes' is running. This would seem to be a
bug in the automounter. We don't know any good way to work around
it.
* The `fixproto' script will sometimes add prototypes for the
`sigsetjmp' and `siglongjmp' functions that reference the
`jmp_buf' type before that type is defined. To work around this,
edit the offending file and place the typedef in front of the
prototypes.
* There are several obscure case of mis-using struct, union, and
enum tags that are not detected as errors by the compiler.
* When `-pedantic-errors' is specified, GNU C will incorrectly give
an error message when a function name is specified in an expression
involving the comma operator.
* Loop unrolling doesn't work properly for certain C++ programs.
This is a bug in the C++ front end. It sometimes emits incorrect
debug info, and the loop unrolling code is unable to recover from
this error.
File: use, Node: Installation Problems, Next: Cross-Compiler Problems, Prev: Actual Bugs, Up: Trouble
Installation Problems
=====================
This is a list of problems (and some apparent problems which don't
really mean anything is wrong) that show up during installation of GNU
CC.
* On certain systems, defining certain environment variables such as
`CC' can interfere with the functioning of `make'.
* If you encounter seemingly strange errors when trying to build the
compiler in a directory other than the source directory, it could
be because you have previously configured the compiler in the
source directory. Make sure you have done all the necessary
preparations. *Note Other Dir::.
* If you build GNU CC on a BSD system using a directory stored in a
System V file system, problems may occur in running `fixincludes'
if the System V file system doesn't support symbolic links. These
problems result in a failure to fix the declaration of `size_t' in
`sys/types.h'. If you find that `size_t' is a signed type and
that type mismatches occur, this could be the cause.
The solution is not to use such a directory for building GNU CC.
* In previous versions of GNU CC, the `gcc' driver program looked for
`as' and `ld' in various places; for example, in files beginning
with `/usr/local/lib/gcc-'. GNU CC version 2 looks for them in
the directory `/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/TARGET/VERSION'.
Thus, to use a version of `as' or `ld' that is not the system
default, for example `gas' or GNU `ld', you must put them in that
directory (or make links to them from that directory).
* Some commands executed when making the compiler may fail (return a
non-zero status) and be ignored by `make'. These failures, which
are often due to files that were not found, are expected, and can
safely be ignored.
* It is normal to have warnings in compiling certain files about
unreachable code and about enumeration type clashes. These files'
names begin with `insn-'. Also, `real.c' may get some warnings
that you can ignore.
* Sometimes `make' recompiles parts of the compiler when installing
the compiler. In one case, this was traced down to a bug in
`make'. Either ignore the problem or switch to GNU Make.
* If you have installed a program known as purify, you may find that
it causes errors while linking `enquire', which is part of building
GNU CC. The fix is to get rid of the file `real-ld' which purify
installs--so that GNU CC won't try to use it.
* On Linux SLS 1.01, there is a problem with `libc.a': it does not
contain the obstack functions. However, GNU CC assumes that the
obstack functions are in `libc.a' when it is the GNU C library.
To work around this problem, change the `__GNU_LIBRARY__'
conditional around line 31 to `#if 1'.
* On some 386 systems, building the compiler never finishes because
`enquire' hangs due to a hardware problem in the motherboard--it
reports floating point exceptions to the kernel incorrectly. You
can install GNU CC except for `float.h' by patching out the
command to run `enquire'. You may also be able to fix the problem
for real by getting a replacement motherboard. This problem was
observed in Revision E of the Micronics motherboard, and is fixed
in Revision F. It has also been observed in the MYLEX MXA-33
motherboard.
If you encounter this problem, you may also want to consider
removing the FPU from the socket during the compilation.
Alternatively, if you are running SCO Unix, you can reboot and
force the FPU to be ignored. To do this, type `hd(40)unix auto
ignorefpu'.
* On some 386 systems, GNU CC crashes trying to compile `enquire.c'.
This happens on machines that don't have a 387 FPU chip. On 386
machines, the system kernel is supposed to emulate the 387 when you
don't have one. The crash is due to a bug in the emulator.
One of these systems is the Unix from Interactive Systems: 386/ix.
On this system, an alternate emulator is provided, and it does
work. To use it, execute this command as super-user:
ln /etc/emulator.rel1 /etc/emulator
and then reboot the system. (The default emulator file remains
present under the name `emulator.dflt'.)
Try using `/etc/emulator.att', if you have such a problem on the
SCO system.
Another system which has this problem is Esix. We don't know
whether it has an alternate emulator that works.
On NetBSD 0.8, a similar problem manifests itself as these error
messages:
enquire.c: In function `fprop':
enquire.c:2328: floating overflow
* On SCO systems, when compiling GNU CC with the system's compiler,
do not use `-O'. Some versions of the system's compiler miscompile
GNU CC with `-O'.
* Sometimes on a Sun 4 you may observe a crash in the program
`genflags' or `genoutput' while building GNU CC. This is said to
be due to a bug in `sh'. You can probably get around it by running
`genflags' or `genoutput' manually and then retrying the `make'.
* On Solaris 2, executables of GNU CC version 2.0.2 are commonly
available, but they have a bug that shows up when compiling current
versions of GNU CC: undefined symbol errors occur during assembly
if you use `-g'.
The solution is to compile the current version of GNU CC without
`-g'. That makes a working compiler which you can use to recompile
with `-g'.
* Solaris 2 comes with a number of optional OS packages. Some of
these packages are needed to use GNU CC fully. If you did not
install all optional packages when installing Solaris, you will
need to verify that the packages that GNU CC needs are installed.
To check whether an optional package is installed, use the
`pkginfo' command. To add an optional package, use the `pkgadd'
command. For further details, see the Solaris documentation.
For Solaris 2.0 and 2.1, GNU CC needs six packages: `SUNWarc',
`SUNWbtool', `SUNWesu', `SUNWhea', `SUNWlibm', and `SUNWtoo'.
For Solaris 2.2, GNU CC needs an additional seventh package:
`SUNWsprot'.
* On Solaris 2, trying to use the linker and other tools in
`/usr/ucb' to install GNU CC has been observed to cause trouble.
For example, the linker may hang indefinitely. The fix is to
remove `/usr/ucb' from your `PATH'.
* If you use the 1.31 version of the MIPS assembler (such as was
shipped with Ultrix 3.1), you will need to use the
-fno-delayed-branch switch when optimizing floating point code.
Otherwise, the assembler will complain when the GCC compiler fills
a branch delay slot with a floating point instruction, such as
`add.d'.
* If on a MIPS system you get an error message saying "does not have
gp sections for all it's [sic] sectons [sic]", don't worry about
it. This happens whenever you use GAS with the MIPS linker, but
there is not really anything wrong, and it is okay to use the
output file. You can stop such warnings by installing the GNU
linker.
It would be nice to extend GAS to produce the gp tables, but they
are optional, and there should not be a warning about their
absence.
* In Ultrix 4.0 on the MIPS machine, `stdio.h' does not work with GNU
CC at all unless it has been fixed with `fixincludes'. This causes
problems in building GNU CC. Once GNU CC is installed, the
problems go away.
To work around this problem, when making the stage 1 compiler,
specify this option to Make:
GCC_FOR_TARGET="./xgcc -B./ -I./include"
When making stage 2 and stage 3, specify this option:
CFLAGS="-g -I./include"
* Users have reported some problems with version 2.0 of the MIPS
compiler tools that were shipped with Ultrix 4.1. Version 2.10
which came with Ultrix 4.2 seems to work fine.
Users have also reported some problems with version 2.20 of the
MIPS compiler tools that were shipped with RISC/os 4.x. The
earlier version 2.11 seems to work fine.
* Some versions of the MIPS linker will issue an assertion failure
when linking code that uses `alloca' against shared libraries on
RISC-OS 5.0, and DEC's OSF/1 systems. This is a bug in the
linker, that is supposed to be fixed in future revisions. To
protect against this, GNU CC passes `-non_shared' to the linker
unless you pass an explicit `-shared' or `-call_shared' switch.
* On System V release 3, you may get this error message while
linking:
ld fatal: failed to write symbol name SOMETHING
in strings table for file WHATEVER
This probably indicates that the disk is full or your ULIMIT won't
allow the file to be as large as it needs to be.
This problem can also result because the kernel parameter `MAXUMEM'
is too small. If so, you must regenerate the kernel and make the
value much larger. The default value is reported to be 1024; a
value of 32768 is said to work. Smaller values may also work.
* On System V, if you get an error like this,
/usr/local/lib/bison.simple: In function `yyparse':
/usr/local/lib/bison.simple:625: virtual memory exhausted
that too indicates a problem with disk space, ULIMIT, or `MAXUMEM'.
* Current GNU CC versions probably do not work on version 2 of the
NeXT operating system.
* On NeXTStep 3.0, the Objective C compiler does not work, due,
apparently, to a kernel bug that it happens to trigger. This
problem does not happen on 3.1.
* On the Tower models 4N0 and 6N0, by default a process is not
allowed to have more than one megabyte of memory. GNU CC cannot
compile itself (or many other programs) with `-O' in that much
memory.
To solve this problem, reconfigure the kernel adding the following
line to the configuration file:
MAXUMEM = 4096
* On HP 9000 series 300 or 400 running HP-UX release 8.0, there is a
bug in the assembler that must be fixed before GNU CC can be
built. This bug manifests itself during the first stage of
compilation, while building `libgcc2.a':
_floatdisf
cc1: warning: `-g' option not supported on this version of GCC
cc1: warning: `-g1' option not supported on this version of GCC
./xgcc: Internal compiler error: program as got fatal signal 11
A patched version of the assembler is available by anonymous ftp
from `altdorf.ai.mit.edu' as the file
`archive/cph/hpux-8.0-assembler'. If you have HP software support,
the patch can also be obtained directly from HP, as described in
the following note:
This is the patched assembler, to patch SR#1653-010439, where
the assembler aborts on floating point constants.
The bug is not really in the assembler, but in the shared
library version of the function "cvtnum(3c)". The bug on
"cvtnum(3c)" is SR#4701-078451. Anyway, the attached
assembler uses the archive library version of "cvtnum(3c)"
and thus does not exhibit the bug.
This patch is also known as PHCO_4484.
* On HP-UX version 8.05, but not on 8.07 or more recent versions,
the `fixproto' shell script triggers a bug in the system shell.
If you encounter this problem, upgrade your operating system or
use BASH (the GNU shell) to run `fixproto'.
* Some versions of the Pyramid C compiler are reported to be unable
to compile GNU CC. You must use an older version of GNU CC for
bootstrapping. One indication of this problem is if you get a
crash when GNU CC compiles the function `muldi3' in file
`libgcc2.c'.
You may be able to succeed by getting GNU CC version 1, installing
it, and using it to compile GNU CC version 2. The bug in the
Pyramid C compiler does not seem to affect GNU CC version 1.
* There may be similar problems on System V Release 3.1 on 386
systems.
* On the Intel Paragon (an i860 machine), if you are using operating
system version 1.0, you will get warnings or errors about
redefinition of `va_arg' when you build GNU CC.
If this happens, then you need to link most programs with the
library `iclib.a'. You must also modify `stdio.h' as follows:
before the lines
#if defined(__i860__) && !defined(_VA_LIST)
#include <va_list.h>
insert the line
#if __PGC__
and after the lines
extern int vprintf(const char *, va_list );
extern int vsprintf(char *, const char *, va_list );
#endif
insert the line
#endif /* __PGC__ */
These problems don't exist in operating system version 1.1.
* On the Altos 3068, programs compiled with GNU CC won't work unless
you fix a kernel bug. This happens using system versions V.2.2
1.0gT1 and V.2.2 1.0e and perhaps later versions as well. See the
file `README.ALTOS'.
* You will get several sorts of compilation and linking errors on the
we32k if you don't follow the special instructions. *Note
Configurations::.
* A bug in the HP-UX 8.05 (and earlier) shell will cause the fixproto
program to report an error of the form:
./fixproto: sh internal 1K buffer overflow
To fix this, change the first line of the fixproto script to look
like:
#!/bin/ksh
File: use, Node: Cross-Compiler Problems, Next: Interoperation, Prev: Installation Problems, Up: Trouble
Cross-Compiler Problems
=======================
You may run into problems with cross compilation on certain machines,
for several reasons.
* Cross compilation can run into trouble for certain machines because
some target machines' assemblers require floating point numbers to
be written as *integer* constants in certain contexts.
The compiler writes these integer constants by examining the
floating point value as an integer and printing that integer,
because this is simple to write and independent of the details of
the floating point representation. But this does not work if the
compiler is running on a different machine with an incompatible
floating point format, or even a different byte-ordering.
In addition, correct constant folding of floating point values
requires representing them in the target machine's format. (The C
standard does not quite require this, but in practice it is the
only way to win.)
It is now possible to overcome these problems by defining macros
such as `REAL_VALUE_TYPE'. But doing so is a substantial amount of
work for each target machine. *Note Cross Compilation and
Floating Point Format: (gcc.info)Cross-compilation.
* At present, the program `mips-tfile' which adds debug support to
object files on MIPS systems does not work in a cross compile
environment.
File: use, Node: Interoperation, Next: External Bugs, Prev: Cross-Compiler Problems, Up: Trouble
Interoperation
==============
This section lists various difficulties encountered in using GNU C or
GNU C++ together with other compilers or with the assemblers, linkers,
libraries and debuggers on certain systems.
* Objective C does not work on the RS/6000.
* GNU C++ does not do name mangling in the same way as other C++
compilers. This means that object files compiled with one compiler
cannot be used with another.
This effect is intentional, to protect you from more subtle
problems. Compilers differ as to many internal details of C++
implementation, including: how class instances are laid out, how
multiple inheritance is implemented, and how virtual function
calls are handled. If the name encoding were made the same, your
programs would link against libraries provided from other
compilers--but the programs would then crash when run.
Incompatible libraries are then detected at link time, rather than
at run time.
* Older GDB versions sometimes fail to read the output of GNU CC
version 2. If you have trouble, get GDB version 4.4 or later.
* DBX rejects some files produced by GNU CC, though it accepts
similar constructs in output from PCC. Until someone can supply a
coherent description of what is valid DBX input and what is not,
there is nothing I can do about these problems. You are on your
own.
* The GNU assembler (GAS) does not support PIC. To generate PIC
code, you must use some other assembler, such as `/bin/as'.
* On some BSD systems, including some versions of Ultrix, use of
profiling causes static variable destructors (currently used only
in C++) not to be run.
* Use of `-I/usr/include' may cause trouble.
Many systems come with header files that won't work with GNU CC
unless corrected by `fixincludes'. The corrected header files go
in a new directory; GNU CC searches this directory before
`/usr/include'. If you use `-I/usr/include', this tells GNU CC to
search `/usr/include' earlier on, before the corrected headers.
The result is that you get the uncorrected header files.
Instead, you should use these options (when compiling C programs):
-I/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/TARGET/VERSION/include -I/usr/include
For C++ programs, GNU CC also uses a special directory that
defines C++ interfaces to standard C subroutines. This directory
is meant to be searched *before* other standard include
directories, so that it takes precedence. If you are compiling
C++ programs and specifying include directories explicitly, use
this option first, then the two options above:
-I/usr/local/lib/g++-include
* On some SGI systems, when you use `-lgl_s' as an option, it gets
translated magically to `-lgl_s -lX11_s -lc_s'. Naturally, this
does not happen when you use GNU CC. You must specify all three
options explicitly.
* On a Sparc, GNU CC aligns all values of type `double' on an 8-byte
boundary, and it expects every `double' to be so aligned. The Sun
compiler usually gives `double' values 8-byte alignment, with one
exception: function arguments of type `double' may not be aligned.
As a result, if a function compiled with Sun CC takes the address
of an argument of type `double' and passes this pointer of type
`double *' to a function compiled with GNU CC, dereferencing the
pointer may cause a fatal signal.
One way to solve this problem is to compile your entire program
with GNU CC. Another solution is to modify the function that is
compiled with Sun CC to copy the argument into a local variable;
local variables are always properly aligned. A third solution is
to modify the function that uses the pointer to dereference it via
the following function `access_double' instead of directly with
`*':
inline double
access_double (double *unaligned_ptr)
{
union d2i { double d; int i[2]; };
union d2i *p = (union d2i *) unaligned_ptr;
union d2i u;
u.i[0] = p->i[0];
u.i[1] = p->i[1];
return u.d;
}
Storing into the pointer can be done likewise with the same union.
* On Solaris, the `malloc' function in the `libmalloc.a' library may
allocate memory that is only 4 byte aligned. Since GNU CC on the
Sparc assumes that doubles are 8 byte aligned, this may result in a
fatal signal if doubles are stored in memory allocated by the
`libmalloc.a' library.
The solution is to not use the `libmalloc.a' library. Use instead
`malloc' and related functions from `libc.a'; they do not have
this problem.
* Sun forgot to include a static version of `libdl.a' with some
versions of SunOS (mainly 4.1). This results in undefined symbols
when linking static binaries (that is, if you use `-static'). If
you see undefined symbols `_dlclose', `_dlsym' or `_dlopen' when
linking, compile and link against the file `mit/util/misc/dlsym.c'
from the MIT version of X windows.
* The 128-bit long double format that the Sparc port supports
currently works by using the architecturally defined quad-word
floating point instructions. Since there is no hardware that
supports these instructions they must be emulated by the operating
system. Long doubles do not work in Sun OS versions 4.0.3 and
earlier, because the kernel eumulator uses an obsolete and
incompatible format. Long doubles do not work in Sun OS version
4.1.1 due to a problem in a Sun library. Long doubles do work on
Sun OS versions 4.1.2 and higher, but GNU CC does not enable them
by default. Long doubles appear to work in Sun OS 5.x (Solaris
2.x).
* On HP-UX version 9.01 on the HP PA, the HP compiler `cc' does not
compile GNU CC correctly. We do not yet know why. However, GNU CC
compiled on earlier HP-UX versions works properly on HP-UX 9.01
and can compile itself properly on 9.01.
* On the HP PA machine, ADB sometimes fails to work on functions
compiled with GNU CC. Specifically, it fails to work on functions
that use `alloca' or variable-size arrays. This is because GNU CC
doesn't generate HP-UX unwind descriptors for such functions. It
may even be impossible to generate them.
* Debugging (`-g') is not supported on the HP PA machine, unless you
use the preliminary GNU tools (*note Installation::.).
* Taking the address of a label may generate errors from the HP-UX
PA assembler. GAS for the PA does not have this problem.
* Using floating point parameters for indirect calls to static
functions will not work when using the HP assembler. There simply
is no way for GCC to specify what registers hold arguments for
static functions when using the HP assembler. GAS for the PA does
not have this problem.
* In extremely rare cases involvving some very large functions you
may receive errors from the HP linker complaining about an out of
bounds unconditional branch offset. This used to occur more often
in previous versions of GNU CC, but is now exceptionally rare. If
you should run into it, you can work around by making your
function smaller.
* GNU CC compiled code sometimes emits warnings from the HP-UX
assembler of the form:
(warning) Use of GR3 when
frame >= 8192 may cause conflict.
These warnings are harmless and can be safely ignored.
* The current version of the assembler (`/bin/as') for the RS/6000
has certain problems that prevent the `-g' option in GCC from
working. Note that `Makefile.in' uses `-g' by default when
compiling `libgcc2.c'.
IBM has produced a fixed version of the assembler. The upgraded
assembler unfortunately was not included in any of the AIX 3.2
update PTF releases (3.2.2, 3.2.3, or 3.2.3e). Users of AIX 3.1
should request PTF U403044 from IBM and users of AIX 3.2 should
request PTF U416277. See the file `README.RS6000' for more
details on these updates.
You can test for the presense of a fixed assembler by using the
command
as -u < /dev/null
If the command exits normally, the assembler fix already is
installed. If the assembler complains that "-u" is an unknown
flag, you need to order the fix.
* On the IBM RS/6000, compiling code of the form
extern int foo;
... foo ...
static int foo;
will cause the linker to report an undefined symbol `foo'.
Although this behavior differs from most other systems, it is not a
bug because redefining an `extern' variable as `static' is
undefined in ANSI C.
* AIX on the RS/6000 provides support (NLS) for environments outside
of the United States. Compilers and assemblers use NLS to support
locale-specific representations of various objects including
floating-point numbers ("." vs "," for separating decimal
fractions). There have been problems reported where the library
linked with GCC does not produce the same floating-point formats
that the assembler accepts. If you have this problem, set the
LANG environment variable to "C" or "En_US".
* Even if you specify `-fdollars-in-identifiers', you cannot
successfully use `$' in identifiers on the RS/6000 due to a
restriction in the IBM assembler. GAS supports these identifiers.
* On the RS/6000, XLC version 1.3.0.0 will miscompile `jump.c'. XLC
version 1.3.0.1 or later fixes this problem. You can obtain
XLC-1.3.0.2 by requesting PTF 421749 from IBM.
* There is an assembler bug in versions of DG/UX prior to 5.4.2.01
that occurs when the `fldcr' instruction is used. GNU CC uses
`fldcr' on the 88100 to serialize volatile memory references. Use
the option `-mno-serialize-volatile' if your version of the
assembler has this bug.
* On VMS, GAS versions 1.38.1 and earlier may cause spurious warning
messages from the linker. These warning messages complain of
mismatched psect attributes. You can ignore them. *Note VMS
Install::.
* On NewsOS version 3, if you include both of the files `stddef.h'
and `sys/types.h', you get an error because there are two typedefs
of `size_t'. You should change `sys/types.h' by adding these
lines around the definition of `size_t':
#ifndef _SIZE_T
#define _SIZE_T
ACTUAL TYPEDEF HERE
#endif
* On the Alliant, the system's own convention for returning
structures and unions is unusual, and is not compatible with GNU
CC no matter what options are used.
* On the IBM RT PC, the MetaWare HighC compiler (hc) uses a different
convention for structure and union returning. Use the option
`-mhc-struct-return' to tell GNU CC to use a convention compatible
with it.
* On Ultrix, the Fortran compiler expects registers 2 through 5 to
be saved by function calls. However, the C compiler uses
conventions compatible with BSD Unix: registers 2 through 5 may be
clobbered by function calls.
GNU CC uses the same convention as the Ultrix C compiler. You can
use these options to produce code compatible with the Fortran
compiler:
-fcall-saved-r2 -fcall-saved-r3 -fcall-saved-r4 -fcall-saved-r5
* On the WE32k, you may find that programs compiled with GNU CC do
not work with the standard shared C library. You may need to link
with the ordinary C compiler. If you do so, you must specify the
following options:
-L/usr/local/lib/gcc-lib/we32k-att-sysv/2.7.0 -lgcc -lc_s
The first specifies where to find the library `libgcc.a' specified
with the `-lgcc' option.
GNU CC does linking by invoking `ld', just as `cc' does, and there
is no reason why it *should* matter which compilation program you
use to invoke `ld'. If someone tracks this problem down, it can
probably be fixed easily.
* On the Alpha, you may get assembler errors about invalid syntax as
a result of floating point constants. This is due to a bug in the
C library functions `ecvt', `fcvt' and `gcvt'. Given valid
floating point numbers, they sometimes print `NaN'.
* On Irix 4.0.5F (and perhaps in some other versions), an assembler
bug sometimes reorders instructions incorrectly when optimization
is turned on. If you think this may be happening to you, try
using the GNU assembler; GAS version 2.1 supports ECOFF on Irix.
Or use the `-noasmopt' option when you compile GNU CC with itself,
and then again when you compile your program. (This is a temporary
kludge to turn off assembler optimization on Irix.) If this
proves to be what you need, edit the assembler spec in the file
`specs' so that it unconditionally passes `-O0' to the assembler,
and never passes `-O2' or `-O3'.
File: use, Node: External Bugs, Next: Incompatibilities, Prev: Interoperation, Up: Trouble
Problems Compiling Certain Programs
===================================
Certain programs have problems compiling.
* Parse errors may occur compiling X11 on a Decstation running
Ultrix 4.2 because of problems in DEC's versions of the X11 header
files `X11/Xlib.h' and `X11/Xutil.h'. People recommend adding
`-I/usr/include/mit' to use the MIT versions of the header files,
using the `-traditional' switch to turn off ANSI C, or fixing the
header files by adding this:
#ifdef __STDC__
#define NeedFunctionPrototypes 0
#endif
* If you have trouble compiling Perl on a SunOS 4 system, it may be
because Perl specifies `-I/usr/ucbinclude'. This accesses the
unfixed header files. Perl specifies the options
-traditional -Dvolatile=__volatile__
-I/usr/include/sun -I/usr/ucbinclude
-fpcc-struct-return
most of which are unnecessary with GCC 2.4.5 and newer versions.
You can make a properly working Perl by setting `ccflags' to
`-fwritable-strings' (implied by the `-traditional' in the
original options) and `cppflags' to empty in `config.sh', then
typing `./doSH; make depend; make'.
* On various 386 Unix systems derived from System V, including SCO,
ISC, and ESIX, you may get error messages about running out of
virtual memory while compiling certain programs.
You can prevent this problem by linking GNU CC with the GNU malloc
(which thus replaces the malloc that comes with the system). GNU
malloc is available as a separate package, and also in the file
`src/gmalloc.c' in the GNU Emacs 19 distribution.
If you have installed GNU malloc as a separate library package,
use this option when you relink GNU CC:
MALLOC=/usr/local/lib/libgmalloc.a
Alternatively, if you have compiled `gmalloc.c' from Emacs 19, copy
the object file to `gmalloc.o' and use this option when you relink
GNU CC:
MALLOC=gmalloc.o
File: use, Node: Incompatibilities, Next: Fixed Headers, Prev: External Bugs, Up: Trouble
Incompatibilities of GNU CC
===========================
There are several noteworthy incompatibilities between GNU C and most
existing (non-ANSI) versions of C. The `-traditional' option
eliminates many of these incompatibilities, *but not all*, by telling
GNU C to behave like the other C compilers.
* GNU CC normally makes string constants read-only. If several
identical-looking string constants are used, GNU CC stores only one
copy of the string.
One consequence is that you cannot call `mktemp' with a string
constant argument. The function `mktemp' always alters the string
its argument points to.
Another consequence is that `sscanf' does not work on some systems
when passed a string constant as its format control string or
input. This is because `sscanf' incorrectly tries to write into
the string constant. Likewise `fscanf' and `scanf'.
The best solution to these problems is to change the program to use
`char'-array variables with initialization strings for these
purposes instead of string constants. But if this is not possible,
you can use the `-fwritable-strings' flag, which directs GNU CC to
handle string constants the same way most C compilers do.
`-traditional' also has this effect, among others.
* `-2147483648' is positive.
This is because 2147483648 cannot fit in the type `int', so
(following the ANSI C rules) its data type is `unsigned long int'.
Negating this value yields 2147483648 again.
* GNU CC does not substitute macro arguments when they appear inside
of string constants. For example, the following macro in GNU CC
#define foo(a) "a"
will produce output `"a"' regardless of what the argument A is.
The `-traditional' option directs GNU CC to handle such cases
(among others) in the old-fashioned (non-ANSI) fashion.
* When you use `setjmp' and `longjmp', the only automatic variables
guaranteed to remain valid are those declared `volatile'. This is
a consequence of automatic register allocation. Consider this
function:
jmp_buf j;
foo ()
{
int a, b;
a = fun1 ();
if (setjmp (j))
return a;
a = fun2 ();
/* `longjmp (j)' may occur in `fun3'. */
return a + fun3 ();
}
Here `a' may or may not be restored to its first value when the
`longjmp' occurs. If `a' is allocated in a register, then its
first value is restored; otherwise, it keeps the last value stored
in it.
If you use the `-W' option with the `-O' option, you will get a
warning when GNU CC thinks such a problem might be possible.
The `-traditional' option directs GNU C to put variables in the
stack by default, rather than in registers, in functions that call
`setjmp'. This results in the behavior found in traditional C
compilers.
* Programs that use preprocessing directives in the middle of macro
arguments do not work with GNU CC. For example, a program like
this will not work:
foobar (
#define luser
hack)
ANSI C does not permit such a construct. It would make sense to
support it when `-traditional' is used, but it is too much work to
implement.
* Declarations of external variables and functions within a block
apply only to the block containing the declaration. In other
words, they have the same scope as any other declaration in the
same place.
In some other C compilers, a `extern' declaration affects all the
rest of the file even if it happens within a block.
The `-traditional' option directs GNU C to treat all `extern'
declarations as global, like traditional compilers.
* In traditional C, you can combine `long', etc., with a typedef
name, as shown here:
typedef int foo;
typedef long foo bar;
In ANSI C, this is not allowed: `long' and other type modifiers
require an explicit `int'. Because this criterion is expressed by
Bison grammar rules rather than C code, the `-traditional' flag
cannot alter it.
* PCC allows typedef names to be used as function parameters. The
difficulty described immediately above applies here too.
* PCC allows whitespace in the middle of compound assignment
operators such as `+='. GNU CC, following the ANSI standard, does
not allow this. The difficulty described immediately above
applies here too.
* GNU CC complains about unterminated character constants inside of
preprocessing conditionals that fail. Some programs have English
comments enclosed in conditionals that are guaranteed to fail; if
these comments contain apostrophes, GNU CC will probably report an
error. For example, this code would produce an error:
#if 0
You can't expect this to work.
#endif
The best solution to such a problem is to put the text into an
actual C comment delimited by `/*...*/'. However, `-traditional'
suppresses these error messages.
* Many user programs contain the declaration `long time ();'. In the
past, the system header files on many systems did not actually
declare `time', so it did not matter what type your program
declared it to return. But in systems with ANSI C headers, `time'
is declared to return `time_t', and if that is not the same as
`long', then `long time ();' is erroneous.
The solution is to change your program to use `time_t' as the
return type of `time'.
* When compiling functions that return `float', PCC converts it to a
double. GNU CC actually returns a `float'. If you are concerned
with PCC compatibility, you should declare your functions to return
`double'; you might as well say what you mean.
* When compiling functions that return structures or unions, GNU CC
output code normally uses a method different from that used on most
versions of Unix. As a result, code compiled with GNU CC cannot
call a structure-returning function compiled with PCC, and vice
versa.
The method used by GNU CC is as follows: a structure or union
which is 1, 2, 4 or 8 bytes long is returned like a scalar. A
structure or union with any other size is stored into an address
supplied by the caller (usually in a special, fixed register, but
on some machines it is passed on the stack). The
machine-description macros `STRUCT_VALUE' and
`STRUCT_INCOMING_VALUE' tell GNU CC where to pass this address.
By contrast, PCC on most target machines returns structures and
unions of any size by copying the data into an area of static
storage, and then returning the address of that storage as if it
were a pointer value. The caller must copy the data from that
memory area to the place where the value is wanted. GNU CC does
not use this method because it is slower and nonreentrant.
On some newer machines, PCC uses a reentrant convention for all
structure and union returning. GNU CC on most of these machines
uses a compatible convention when returning structures and unions
in memory, but still returns small structures and unions in
registers.
You can tell GNU CC to use a compatible convention for all
structure and union returning with the option
`-fpcc-struct-return'.
* GNU C complains about program fragments such as `0x74ae-0x4000'
which appear to be two hexadecimal constants separated by the minus
operator. Actually, this string is a single "preprocessing token".
Each such token must correspond to one token in C. Since this
does not, GNU C prints an error message. Although it may appear
obvious that what is meant is an operator and two values, the ANSI
C standard specifically requires that this be treated as erroneous.
A "preprocessing token" is a "preprocessing number" if it begins
with a digit and is followed by letters, underscores, digits,
periods and `e+', `e-', `E+', or `E-' character sequences.
To make the above program fragment valid, place whitespace in
front of the minus sign. This whitespace will end the
preprocessing number.
File: use, Node: Fixed Headers, Next: Standard Libraries, Prev: Incompatibilities, Up: Trouble
Fixed Header Files
==================
GNU CC needs to install corrected versions of some system header
files. This is because most target systems have some header files that
won't work with GNU CC unless they are changed. Some have bugs, some
are incompatible with ANSI C, and some depend on special features of
other compilers.
Installing GNU CC automatically creates and installs the fixed header
files, by running a program called `fixincludes' (or for certain
targets an alternative such as `fixinc.svr4'). Normally, you don't
need to pay attention to this. But there are cases where it doesn't do
the right thing automatically.
* If you update the system's header files, such as by installing a
new system version, the fixed header files of GNU CC are not
automatically updated. The easiest way to update them is to
reinstall GNU CC. (If you want to be clever, look in the makefile
and you can find a shortcut.)
* On some systems, in particular SunOS 4, header file directories
contain machine-specific symbolic links in certain places. This
makes it possible to share most of the header files among hosts
running the same version of SunOS 4 on different machine models.
The programs that fix the header files do not understand this
special way of using symbolic links; therefore, the directory of
fixed header files is good only for the machine model used to
build it.
In SunOS 4, only programs that look inside the kernel will notice
the difference between machine models. Therefore, for most
purposes, you need not be concerned about this.
It is possible to make separate sets of fixed header files for the
different machine models, and arrange a structure of symbolic
links so as to use the proper set, but you'll have to do this by
hand.
* On Lynxos, GNU CC by default does not fix the header files. This
is because bugs in the shell cause the `fixincludes' script to
fail.
This means you will encounter problems due to bugs in the system
header files. It may be no comfort that they aren't GNU CC's
fault, but it does mean that there's nothing for us to do about
them.
File: use, Node: Standard Libraries, Next: Disappointments, Prev: Fixed Headers, Up: Trouble
Standard Libraries
==================
GNU CC by itself attempts to be what the ISO/ANSI C standard calls a
"conforming freestanding implementation". This means all ANSI C
language features are available, as well as the contents of `float.h',
`limits.h', `stdarg.h', and `stddef.h'. The rest of the C library is
supplied by the vendor of the operating system. If that C library
doesn't conform to the C standards, then your programs might get
warnings (especially when using `-Wall') that you don't expect.
For example, the `sprintf' function on SunOS 4.1.3 returns `char *'
while the C standard says that `sprintf' returns an `int'. The
`fixincludes' program could make the prototype for this function match
the Standard, but that would be wrong, since the function will still
return `char *'.
If you need a Standard compliant library, then you need to find one,
as GNU CC does not provide one. The GNU C library (called `glibc') has
been ported to a number of operating systems, and provides ANSI/ISO,
POSIX, BSD and SystemV compatibility. You could also ask your operating
system vendor if newer libraries are available.
File: use, Node: Disappointments, Next: C++ Misunderstandings, Prev: Standard Libraries, Up: Trouble
Disappointments and Misunderstandings
=====================================
These problems are perhaps regrettable, but we don't know any
practical way around them.
* Certain local variables aren't recognized by debuggers when you
compile with optimization.
This occurs because sometimes GNU CC optimizes the variable out of
existence. There is no way to tell the debugger how to compute the
value such a variable "would have had", and it is not clear that
would be desirable anyway. So GNU CC simply does not mention the
eliminated variable when it writes debugging information.
You have to expect a certain amount of disagreement between the
executable and your source code, when you use optimization.
* Users often think it is a bug when GNU CC reports an error for code
like this:
int foo (struct mumble *);
struct mumble { ... };
int foo (struct mumble *x)
{ ... }
This code really is erroneous, because the scope of `struct
mumble' in the prototype is limited to the argument list
containing it. It does not refer to the `struct mumble' defined
with file scope immediately below--they are two unrelated types
with similar names in different scopes.
But in the definition of `foo', the file-scope type is used
because that is available to be inherited. Thus, the definition
and the prototype do not match, and you get an error.
This behavior may seem silly, but it's what the ANSI standard
specifies. It is easy enough for you to make your code work by
moving the definition of `struct mumble' above the prototype.
It's not worth being incompatible with ANSI C just to avoid an
error for the example shown above.
* Accesses to bitfields even in volatile objects works by accessing
larger objects, such as a byte or a word. You cannot rely on what
size of object is accessed in order to read or write the bitfield;
it may even vary for a given bitfield according to the precise
usage.
If you care about controlling the amount of memory that is
accessed, use volatile but do not use bitfields.
* GNU CC comes with shell scripts to fix certain known problems in
system header files. They install corrected copies of various
header files in a special directory where only GNU CC will
normally look for them. The scripts adapt to various systems by
searching all the system header files for the problem cases that
we know about.
If new system header files are installed, nothing automatically
arranges to update the corrected header files. You will have to
reinstall GNU CC to fix the new header files. More specifically,
go to the build directory and delete the files `stmp-fixinc' and
`stmp-headers', and the subdirectory `include'; then do `make
install' again.
* On 68000 systems, you can get paradoxical results if you test the
precise values of floating point numbers. For example, you can
find that a floating point value which is not a NaN is not equal
to itself. This results from the fact that the the floating point
registers hold a few more bits of precision than fit in a `double'
in memory. Compiled code moves values between memory and floating
point registers at its convenience, and moving them into memory
truncates them.
You can partially avoid this problem by using the `-ffloat-store'
option (*note Optimize Options::.).
* On the MIPS, variable argument functions using `varargs.h' cannot
have a floating point value for the first argument. The reason
for this is that in the absence of a prototype in scope, if the
first argument is a floating point, it is passed in a floating
point register, rather than an integer register.
If the code is rewritten to use the ANSI standard `stdarg.h'
method of variable arguments, and the prototype is in scope at the
time of the call, everything will work fine.
File: use, Node: C++ Misunderstandings, Next: Protoize Caveats, Prev: Disappointments, Up: Trouble
Common Misunderstandings with GNU C++
=====================================
C++ is a complex language and an evolving one, and its standard
definition (the ANSI C++ draft standard) is also evolving. As a result,
your C++ compiler may occasionally surprise you, even when its behavior
is correct. This section discusses some areas that frequently give
rise to questions of this sort.
* Menu:
* Static Definitions:: Static member declarations are not definitions
* Temporaries:: Temporaries may vanish before you expect
File: use, Node: Static Definitions, Next: Temporaries, Up: C++ Misunderstandings
Declare *and* Define Static Members
-----------------------------------
When a class has static data members, it is not enough to *declare*
the static member; you must also *define* it. For example:
class Foo
{
...
void method();
static int bar;
};
This declaration only establishes that the class `Foo' has an `int'
named `Foo::bar', and a member function named `Foo::method'. But you
still need to define *both* `method' and `bar' elsewhere. According to
the draft ANSI standard, you must supply an initializer in one (and
only one) source file, such as:
int Foo::bar = 0;
Other C++ compilers may not correctly implement the standard
behavior. As a result, when you switch to `g++' from one of these
compilers, you may discover that a program that appeared to work
correctly in fact does not conform to the standard: `g++' reports as
undefined symbols any static data members that lack definitions.
File: use, Node: Temporaries, Prev: Static Definitions, Up: C++ Misunderstandings
Temporaries May Vanish Before You Expect
----------------------------------------
It is dangerous to use pointers or references to *portions* of a
temporary object. The compiler may very well delete the object before
you expect it to, leaving a pointer to garbage. The most common place
where this problem crops up is in classes like the libg++ `String'
class, that define a conversion function to type `char *' or `const
char *'. However, any class that returns a pointer to some internal
structure is potentially subject to this problem.
For example, a program may use a function `strfunc' that returns
`String' objects, and another function `charfunc' that operates on
pointers to `char':
String strfunc ();
void charfunc (const char *);
In this situation, it may seem natural to write
`charfunc (strfunc ());' based on the knowledge that class `String' has
an explicit conversion to `char' pointers. However, what really
happens is akin to `charfunc (strfunc ().convert ());', where the
`convert' method is a function to do the same data conversion normally
performed by a cast. Since the last use of the temporary `String'
object is the call to the conversion function, the compiler may delete
that object before actually calling `charfunc'. The compiler has no
way of knowing that deleting the `String' object will invalidate the
pointer. The pointer then points to garbage, so that by the time
`charfunc' is called, it gets an invalid argument.
Code like this may run successfully under some other compilers,
especially those that delete temporaries relatively late. However, the
GNU C++ behavior is also standard-conformant, so if your program depends
on late destruction of temporaries it is not portable.
If you think this is surprising, you should be aware that the ANSI
C++ committee continues to debate the lifetime-of-temporaries problem.
For now, at least, the safe way to write such code is to give the
temporary a name, which forces it to remain until the end of the scope
of the name. For example:
String& tmp = strfunc ();
charfunc (tmp);
File: use, Node: Protoize Caveats, Next: Non-bugs, Prev: C++ Misunderstandings, Up: Trouble
Caveats of using `protoize'
===========================
The conversion programs `protoize' and `unprotoize' can sometimes
change a source file in a way that won't work unless you rearrange it.
* `protoize' can insert references to a type name or type tag before
the definition, or in a file where they are not defined.
If this happens, compiler error messages should show you where the
new references are, so fixing the file by hand is straightforward.
* There are some C constructs which `protoize' cannot figure out.
For example, it can't determine argument types for declaring a
pointer-to-function variable; this you must do by hand. `protoize'
inserts a comment containing `???' each time it finds such a
variable; so you can find all such variables by searching for this
string. ANSI C does not require declaring the argument types of
pointer-to-function types.
* Using `unprotoize' can easily introduce bugs. If the program
relied on prototypes to bring about conversion of arguments, these
conversions will not take place in the program without prototypes.
One case in which you can be sure `unprotoize' is safe is when you
are removing prototypes that were made with `protoize'; if the
program worked before without any prototypes, it will work again
without them.
You can find all the places where this problem might occur by
compiling the program with the `-Wconversion' option. It prints a
warning whenever an argument is converted.
* Both conversion programs can be confused if there are macro calls
in and around the text to be converted. In other words, the
standard syntax for a declaration or definition must not result
from expanding a macro. This problem is inherent in the design of
C and cannot be fixed. If only a few functions have confusing
macro calls, you can easily convert them manually.
* `protoize' cannot get the argument types for a function whose
definition was not actually compiled due to preprocessing
conditionals. When this happens, `protoize' changes nothing in
regard to such a function. `protoize' tries to detect such
instances and warn about them.
You can generally work around this problem by using `protoize' step
by step, each time specifying a different set of `-D' options for
compilation, until all of the functions have been converted.
There is no automatic way to verify that you have got them all,
however.
* Confusion may result if there is an occasion to convert a function
declaration or definition in a region of source code where there
is more than one formal parameter list present. Thus, attempts to
convert code containing multiple (conditionally compiled) versions
of a single function header (in the same vicinity) may not produce
the desired (or expected) results.
If you plan on converting source files which contain such code, it
is recommended that you first make sure that each conditionally
compiled region of source code which contains an alternative
function header also contains at least one additional follower
token (past the final right parenthesis of the function header).
This should circumvent the problem.
* `unprotoize' can become confused when trying to convert a function
definition or declaration which contains a declaration for a
pointer-to-function formal argument which has the same name as the
function being defined or declared. We recommand you avoid such
choices of formal parameter names.
* You might also want to correct some of the indentation by hand and
break long lines. (The conversion programs don't write lines
longer than eighty characters in any case.)
File: use, Node: Non-bugs, Next: Warnings and Errors, Prev: Protoize Caveats, Up: Trouble
Certain Changes We Don't Want to Make
=====================================
This section lists changes that people frequently request, but which
we do not make because we think GNU CC is better without them.
* Checking the number and type of arguments to a function which has
an old-fashioned definition and no prototype.
Such a feature would work only occasionally--only for calls that
appear in the same file as the called function, following the
definition. The only way to check all calls reliably is to add a
prototype for the function. But adding a prototype eliminates the
motivation for this feature. So the feature is not worthwhile.
* Warning about using an expression whose type is signed as a shift
count.
Shift count operands are probably signed more often than unsigned.
Warning about this would cause far more annoyance than good.
* Warning about assigning a signed value to an unsigned variable.
Such assignments must be very common; warning about them would
cause more annoyance than good.
* Warning about unreachable code.
It's very common to have unreachable code in machine-generated
programs. For example, this happens normally in some files of GNU
C itself.
* Warning when a non-void function value is ignored.
Coming as I do from a Lisp background, I balk at the idea that
there is something dangerous about discarding a value. There are
functions that return values which some callers may find useful;
it makes no sense to clutter the program with a cast to `void'
whenever the value isn't useful.
* Assuming (for optimization) that the address of an external symbol
is never zero.
This assumption is false on certain systems when `#pragma weak' is
used.
* Making `-fshort-enums' the default.
This would cause storage layout to be incompatible with most other
C compilers. And it doesn't seem very important, given that you
can get the same result in other ways. The case where it matters
most is when the enumeration-valued object is inside a structure,
and in that case you can specify a field width explicitly.
* Making bitfields unsigned by default on particular machines where
"the ABI standard" says to do so.
The ANSI C standard leaves it up to the implementation whether a
bitfield declared plain `int' is signed or not. This in effect
creates two alternative dialects of C.
The GNU C compiler supports both dialects; you can specify the
signed dialect with `-fsigned-bitfields' and the unsigned dialect
with `-funsigned-bitfields'. However, this leaves open the
question of which dialect to use by default.
Currently, the preferred dialect makes plain bitfields signed,
because this is simplest. Since `int' is the same as `signed int'
in every other context, it is cleanest for them to be the same in
bitfields as well.
Some computer manufacturers have published Application Binary
Interface standards which specify that plain bitfields should be
unsigned. It is a mistake, however, to say anything about this
issue in an ABI. This is because the handling of plain bitfields
distinguishes two dialects of C. Both dialects are meaningful on
every type of machine. Whether a particular object file was
compiled using signed bitfields or unsigned is of no concern to
other object files, even if they access the same bitfields in the
same data structures.
A given program is written in one or the other of these two
dialects. The program stands a chance to work on most any machine
if it is compiled with the proper dialect. It is unlikely to work
at all if compiled with the wrong dialect.
Many users appreciate the GNU C compiler because it provides an
environment that is uniform across machines. These users would be
inconvenienced if the compiler treated plain bitfields differently
on certain machines.
Occasionally users write programs intended only for a particular
machine type. On these occasions, the users would benefit if the
GNU C compiler were to support by default the same dialect as the
other compilers on that machine. But such applications are rare.
And users writing a program to run on more than one type of
machine cannot possibly benefit from this kind of compatibility.
This is why GNU CC does and will treat plain bitfields in the same
fashion on all types of machines (by default).
There are some arguments for making bitfields unsigned by default
on all machines. If, for example, this becomes a universal de
facto standard, it would make sense for GNU CC to go along with
it. This is something to be considered in the future.
(Of course, users strongly concerned about portability should
indicate explicitly in each bitfield whether it is signed or not.
In this way, they write programs which have the same meaning in
both C dialects.)
* Undefining `__STDC__' when `-ansi' is not used.
Currently, GNU CC defines `__STDC__' as long as you don't use
`-traditional'. This provides good results in practice.
Programmers normally use conditionals on `__STDC__' to ask whether
it is safe to use certain features of ANSI C, such as function
prototypes or ANSI token concatenation. Since plain `gcc' supports
all the features of ANSI C, the correct answer to these questions
is "yes".
Some users try to use `__STDC__' to check for the availability of
certain library facilities. This is actually incorrect usage in
an ANSI C program, because the ANSI C standard says that a
conforming freestanding implementation should define `__STDC__'
even though it does not have the library facilities. `gcc -ansi
-pedantic' is a conforming freestanding implementation, and it is
therefore required to define `__STDC__', even though it does not
come with an ANSI C library.
Sometimes people say that defining `__STDC__' in a compiler that
does not completely conform to the ANSI C standard somehow
violates the standard. This is illogical. The standard is a
standard for compilers that claim to support ANSI C, such as `gcc
-ansi'--not for other compilers such as plain `gcc'. Whatever the
ANSI C standard says is relevant to the design of plain `gcc'
without `-ansi' only for pragmatic reasons, not as a requirement.
* Undefining `__STDC__' in C++.
Programs written to compile with C++-to-C translators get the
value of `__STDC__' that goes with the C compiler that is
subsequently used. These programs must test `__STDC__' to
determine what kind of C preprocessor that compiler uses: whether
they should concatenate tokens in the ANSI C fashion or in the
traditional fashion.
These programs work properly with GNU C++ if `__STDC__' is defined.
They would not work otherwise.
In addition, many header files are written to provide prototypes
in ANSI C but not in traditional C. Many of these header files
can work without change in C++ provided `__STDC__' is defined. If
`__STDC__' is not defined, they will all fail, and will all need
to be changed to test explicitly for C++ as well.
* Deleting "empty" loops.
GNU CC does not delete "empty" loops because the most likely reason
you would put one in a program is to have a delay. Deleting them
will not make real programs run any faster, so it would be
pointless.
It would be different if optimization of a nonempty loop could
produce an empty one. But this generally can't happen.
* Making side effects happen in the same order as in some other
compiler.
It is never safe to depend on the order of evaluation of side
effects. For example, a function call like this may very well
behave differently from one compiler to another:
void func (int, int);
int i = 2;
func (i++, i++);
There is no guarantee (in either the C or the C++ standard language
definitions) that the increments will be evaluated in any
particular order. Either increment might happen first. `func'
might get the arguments `2, 3', or it might get `3, 2', or even
`2, 2'.
* Not allowing structures with volatile fields in registers.
Strictly speaking, there is no prohibition in the ANSI C standard
against allowing structures with volatile fields in registers, but
it does not seem to make any sense and is probably not what you
wanted to do. So the compiler will give an error message in this
case.
File: use, Node: Warnings and Errors, Prev: Non-bugs, Up: Trouble
Warning Messages and Error Messages
===================================
The GNU compiler can produce two kinds of diagnostics: errors and
warnings. Each kind has a different purpose:
*Errors* report problems that make it impossible to compile your
program. GNU CC reports errors with the source file name and line
number where the problem is apparent.
*Warnings* report other unusual conditions in your code that *may*
indicate a problem, although compilation can (and does) proceed.
Warning messages also report the source file name and line number,
but include the text `warning:' to distinguish them from error
messages.
Warnings may indicate danger points where you should check to make
sure that your program really does what you intend; or the use of
obsolete features; or the use of nonstandard features of GNU C or C++.
Many warnings are issued only if you ask for them, with one of the `-W'
options (for instance, `-Wall' requests a variety of useful warnings).
GNU CC always tries to compile your program if possible; it never
gratuitously rejects a program whose meaning is clear merely because
(for instance) it fails to conform to a standard. In some cases,
however, the C and C++ standards specify that certain extensions are
forbidden, and a diagnostic *must* be issued by a conforming compiler.
The `-pedantic' option tells GNU CC to issue warnings in such cases;
`-pedantic-errors' says to make them errors instead. This does not
mean that *all* non-ANSI constructs get warnings or errors.
*Note Options to Request or Suppress Warnings: Warning Options, for
more detail on these and related command-line options.
File: use, Node: Bugs, Next: Service, Prev: Trouble, Up: Top
Reporting Bugs
**************
Your bug reports play an essential role in making GNU CC reliable.
When you encounter a problem, the first thing to do is to see if it
is already known. *Note Trouble::. If it isn't known, then you should
report the problem.
Reporting a bug may help you by bringing a solution to your problem,
or it may not. (If it does not, look in the service directory; see
*Note Service::.) In any case, the principal function of a bug report
is to help the entire community by making the next version of GNU CC
work better. Bug reports are your contribution to the maintenance of
GNU CC.
Since the maintainers are very overloaded, we cannot respond to every
bug report. However, if the bug has not been fixed, we are likely to
send you a patch and ask you to tell us whether it works.
In order for a bug report to serve its purpose, you must include the
information that makes for fixing the bug.
* Menu:
* Criteria: Bug Criteria. Have you really found a bug?
* Where: Bug Lists. Where to send your bug report.
* Reporting: Bug Reporting. How to report a bug effectively.
* Patches: Sending Patches. How to send a patch for GNU CC.
* Known: Trouble. Known problems.
* Help: Service. Where to ask for help.
File: use, Node: Bug Criteria, Next: Bug Lists, Up: Bugs
Have You Found a Bug?
=====================
If you are not sure whether you have found a bug, here are some
guidelines:
* If the compiler gets a fatal signal, for any input whatever, that
is a compiler bug. Reliable compilers never crash.
* If the compiler produces invalid assembly code, for any input
whatever (except an `asm' statement), that is a compiler bug,
unless the compiler reports errors (not just warnings) which would
ordinarily prevent the assembler from being run.
* If the compiler produces valid assembly code that does not
correctly execute the input source code, that is a compiler bug.
However, you must double-check to make sure, because you may have
run into an incompatibility between GNU C and traditional C (*note
Incompatibilities::.). These incompatibilities might be considered
bugs, but they are inescapable consequences of valuable features.
Or you may have a program whose behavior is undefined, which
happened by chance to give the desired results with another C or
C++ compiler.
For example, in many nonoptimizing compilers, you can write `x;'
at the end of a function instead of `return x;', with the same
results. But the value of the function is undefined if `return'
is omitted; it is not a bug when GNU CC produces different results.
Problems often result from expressions with two increment
operators, as in `f (*p++, *p++)'. Your previous compiler might
have interpreted that expression the way you intended; GNU CC might
interpret it another way. Neither compiler is wrong. The bug is
in your code.
After you have localized the error to a single source line, it
should be easy to check for these things. If your program is
correct and well defined, you have found a compiler bug.
* If the compiler produces an error message for valid input, that is
a compiler bug.
* If the compiler does not produce an error message for invalid
input, that is a compiler bug. However, you should note that your
idea of "invalid input" might be my idea of "an extension" or
"support for traditional practice".
* If you are an experienced user of C or C++ compilers, your
suggestions for improvement of GNU CC or GNU C++ are welcome in
any case.
File: use, Node: Bug Lists, Next: Bug Reporting, Prev: Bug Criteria, Up: Bugs
Where to Report Bugs
====================
Send bug reports for GNU C to `bug-gcc@prep.ai.mit.edu'.
Send bug reports for GNU C++ to `bug-g++@prep.ai.mit.edu'. If your
bug involves the C++ class library libg++, send mail to
`bug-lib-g++@prep.ai.mit.edu'. If you're not sure, you can send the
bug report to both lists.
*Do not send bug reports to `help-gcc@prep.ai.mit.edu' or to the
newsgroup `gnu.gcc.help'.* Most users of GNU CC do not want to receive
bug reports. Those that do, have asked to be on `bug-gcc' and/or
`bug-g++'.
The mailing lists `bug-gcc' and `bug-g++' both have newsgroups which
serve as repeaters: `gnu.gcc.bug' and `gnu.g++.bug'. Each mailing list
and its newsgroup carry exactly the same messages.
Often people think of posting bug reports to the newsgroup instead of
mailing them. This appears to work, but it has one problem which can be
crucial: a newsgroup posting does not contain a mail path back to the
sender. Thus, if maintainers need more information, they may be unable
to reach you. For this reason, you should always send bug reports by
mail to the proper mailing list.
As a last resort, send bug reports on paper to:
GNU Compiler Bugs
Free Software Foundation
675 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
File: use, Node: Bug Reporting, Next: Sending Patches, Prev: Bug Lists, Up: Bugs
How to Report Bugs
==================
The fundamental principle of reporting bugs usefully is this:
*report all the facts*. If you are not sure whether to state a fact or
leave it out, state it!
Often people omit facts because they think they know what causes the
problem and they conclude that some details don't matter. Thus, you
might assume that the name of the variable you use in an example does
not matter. Well, probably it doesn't, but one cannot be sure.
Perhaps the bug is a stray memory reference which happens to fetch from
the location where that name is stored in memory; perhaps, if the name
were different, the contents of that location would fool the compiler
into doing the right thing despite the bug. Play it safe and give a
specific, complete example. That is the easiest thing for you to do,
and the most helpful.
Keep in mind that the purpose of a bug report is to enable someone to
fix the bug if it is not known. It isn't very important what happens if
the bug is already known. Therefore, always write your bug reports on
the assumption that the bug is not known.
Sometimes people give a few sketchy facts and ask, "Does this ring a
bell?" This cannot help us fix a bug, so it is basically useless. We
respond by asking for enough details to enable us to investigate. You
might as well expedite matters by sending them to begin with.
Try to make your bug report self-contained. If we have to ask you
for more information, it is best if you include all the previous
information in your response, as well as the information that was
missing.
Please report each bug in a separate message. This makes it easier
for us to track which bugs have been fixed and to forward your bugs
reports to the appropriate maintainer.
Do not compress and encode any part of your bug report using programs
such as `uuencode'. If you do so it will slow down the processing of
your bug. If you must submit multiple large files, use `shar', which
allows us to read your message without having to run any decompression
programs.
To enable someone to investigate the bug, you should include all
these things:
* The version of GNU CC. You can get this by running it with the
`-v' option.
Without this, we won't know whether there is any point in looking
for the bug in the current version of GNU CC.
* A complete input file that will reproduce the bug. If the bug is
in the C preprocessor, send a source file and any header files
that it requires. If the bug is in the compiler proper (`cc1'),
run your source file through the C preprocessor by doing `gcc -E
SOURCEFILE > OUTFILE', then include the contents of OUTFILE in the
bug report. (When you do this, use the same `-I', `-D' or `-U'
options that you used in actual compilation.)
A single statement is not enough of an example. In order to
compile it, it must be embedded in a complete file of compiler
input; and the bug might depend on the details of how this is done.
Without a real example one can compile, all anyone can do about
your bug report is wish you luck. It would be futile to try to
guess how to provoke the bug. For example, bugs in register
allocation and reloading frequently depend on every little detail
of the function they happen in.
Even if the input file that fails comes from a GNU program, you
should still send the complete test case. Don't ask the GNU CC
maintainers to do the extra work of obtaining the program in
question--they are all overworked as it is. Also, the problem may
depend on what is in the header files on your system; it is
unreliable for the GNU CC maintainers to try the problem with the
header files available to them. By sending CPP output, you can
eliminate this source of uncertainty and save us a certain
percentage of wild goose chases.
* The command arguments you gave GNU CC or GNU C++ to compile that
example and observe the bug. For example, did you use `-O'? To
guarantee you won't omit something important, list all the options.
If we were to try to guess the arguments, we would probably guess
wrong and then we would not encounter the bug.
* The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name
and version number.
* The operands you gave to the `configure' command when you installed
the compiler.
* A complete list of any modifications you have made to the compiler
source. (We don't promise to investigate the bug unless it
happens in an unmodified compiler. But if you've made
modifications and don't tell us, then you are sending us on a wild
goose chase.)
Be precise about these changes. A description in English is not
enough--send a context diff for them.
Adding files of your own (such as a machine description for a
machine we don't support) is a modification of the compiler source.
* Details of any other deviations from the standard procedure for
installing GNU CC.
* A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is
incorrect. For example, "The compiler gets a fatal signal," or,
"The assembler instruction at line 208 in the output is incorrect."
Of course, if the bug is that the compiler gets a fatal signal,
then one can't miss it. But if the bug is incorrect output, the
maintainer might not notice unless it is glaringly wrong. None of
us has time to study all the assembler code from a 50-line C
program just on the chance that one instruction might be wrong.
We need *you* to do this part!
Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should
still say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on,
such as, your copy of the compiler is out of synch, or you have
encountered a bug in the C library on your system. (This has
happened!) Your copy might crash and the copy here would not. If
you said to expect a crash, then when the compiler here fails to
crash, we would know that the bug was not happening. If you don't
say to expect a crash, then we would not know whether the bug was
happening. We would not be able to draw any conclusion from our
observations.
If the problem is a diagnostic when compiling GNU CC with some
other compiler, say whether it is a warning or an error.
Often the observed symptom is incorrect output when your program
is run. Sad to say, this is not enough information unless the
program is short and simple. None of us has time to study a large
program to figure out how it would work if compiled correctly,
much less which line of it was compiled wrong. So you will have
to do that. Tell us which source line it is, and what incorrect
result happens when that line is executed. A person who
understands the program can find this as easily as finding a bug
in the program itself.
* If you send examples of assembler code output from GNU CC or GNU
C++, please use `-g' when you make them. The debugging information
includes source line numbers which are essential for correlating
the output with the input.
* If you wish to mention something in the GNU CC source, refer to it
by context, not by line number.
The line numbers in the development sources don't match those in
your sources. Your line numbers would convey no useful
information to the maintainers.
* Additional information from a debugger might enable someone to
find a problem on a machine which he does not have available.
However, you need to think when you collect this information if
you want it to have any chance of being useful.
For example, many people send just a backtrace, but that is never
useful by itself. A simple backtrace with arguments conveys little
about GNU CC because the compiler is largely data-driven; the same
functions are called over and over for different RTL insns, doing
different things depending on the details of the insn.
Most of the arguments listed in the backtrace are useless because
they are pointers to RTL list structure. The numeric values of the
pointers, which the debugger prints in the backtrace, have no
significance whatever; all that matters is the contents of the
objects they point to (and most of the contents are other such
pointers).
In addition, most compiler passes consist of one or more loops that
scan the RTL insn sequence. The most vital piece of information
about such a loop--which insn it has reached--is usually in a
local variable, not in an argument.
What you need to provide in addition to a backtrace are the values
of the local variables for several stack frames up. When a local
variable or an argument is an RTX, first print its value and then
use the GDB command `pr' to print the RTL expression that it points
to. (If GDB doesn't run on your machine, use your debugger to call
the function `debug_rtx' with the RTX as an argument.) In
general, whenever a variable is a pointer, its value is no use
without the data it points to.
Here are some things that are not necessary:
* A description of the envelope of the bug.
Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating
which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which
changes will not affect it.
This is often time consuming and not very useful, because the way
we will find the bug is by running a single example under the
debugger with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of
examples. You might as well save your time for something else.
Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report *instead* of
the original one, that is a convenience. Errors in the output
will be easier to spot, running under the debugger will take less
time, etc. Most GNU CC bugs involve just one function, so the
most straightforward way to simplify an example is to delete all
the function definitions except the one where the bug occurs.
Those earlier in the file may be replaced by external declarations
if the crucial function depends on them. (Exception: inline
functions may affect compilation of functions defined later in the
file.)
However, simplification is not vital; if you don't want to do this,
report the bug anyway and send the entire test case you used.
* In particular, some people insert conditionals `#ifdef BUG' around
a statement which, if removed, makes the bug not happen. These
are just clutter; we won't pay any attention to them anyway.
Besides, you should send us cpp output, and that can't have
conditionals.
* A patch for the bug.
A patch for the bug is useful if it is a good one. But don't omit
the necessary information, such as the test case, on the
assumption that a patch is all we need. We might see problems
with your patch and decide to fix the problem another way, or we
might not understand it at all.
Sometimes with a program as complicated as GNU CC it is very hard
to construct an example that will make the program follow a
certain path through the code. If you don't send the example, we
won't be able to construct one, so we won't be able to verify that
the bug is fixed.
And if we can't understand what bug you are trying to fix, or why
your patch should be an improvement, we won't install it. A test
case will help us to understand.
*Note Sending Patches::, for guidelines on how to make it easy for
us to understand and install your patches.
* A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on.
Such guesses are usually wrong. Even I can't guess right about
such things without first using the debugger to find the facts.
* A core dump file.
We have no way of examining a core dump for your type of machine
unless we have an identical system--and if we do have one, we
should be able to reproduce the crash ourselves.
File: use, Node: Sending Patches, Prev: Bug Reporting, Up: Bugs
Sending Patches for GNU CC
==========================
If you would like to write bug fixes or improvements for the GNU C
compiler, that is very helpful. Send suggested fixes to the bug report
mailing list, `bug-gcc@prep.ai.mit.edu'.
Please follow these guidelines so we can study your patches
efficiently. If you don't follow these guidelines, your information
might still be useful, but using it will take extra work. Maintaining
GNU C is a lot of work in the best of circumstances, and we can't keep
up unless you do your best to help.
* Send an explanation with your changes of what problem they fix or
what improvement they bring about. For a bug fix, just include a
copy of the bug report, and explain why the change fixes the bug.
(Referring to a bug report is not as good as including it, because
then we will have to look it up, and we have probably already
deleted it if we've already fixed the bug.)
* Always include a proper bug report for the problem you think you
have fixed. We need to convince ourselves that the change is
right before installing it. Even if it is right, we might have
trouble judging it if we don't have a way to reproduce the problem.
* Include all the comments that are appropriate to help people
reading the source in the future understand why this change was
needed.
* Don't mix together changes made for different reasons. Send them
*individually*.
If you make two changes for separate reasons, then we might not
want to install them both. We might want to install just one. If
you send them all jumbled together in a single set of diffs, we
have to do extra work to disentangle them--to figure out which
parts of the change serve which purpose. If we don't have time
for this, we might have to ignore your changes entirely.
If you send each change as soon as you have written it, with its
own explanation, then the two changes never get tangled up, and we
can consider each one properly without any extra work to
disentangle them.
Ideally, each change you send should be impossible to subdivide
into parts that we might want to consider separately, because each
of its parts gets its motivation from the other parts.
* Send each change as soon as that change is finished. Sometimes
people think they are helping us by accumulating many changes to
send them all together. As explained above, this is absolutely
the worst thing you could do.
Since you should send each change separately, you might as well
send it right away. That gives us the option of installing it
immediately if it is important.
* Use `diff -c' to make your diffs. Diffs without context are hard
for us to install reliably. More than that, they make it hard for
us to study the diffs to decide whether we want to install them.
Unidiff format is better than contextless diffs, but not as easy
to read as `-c' format.
If you have GNU diff, use `diff -cp', which shows the name of the
function that each change occurs in.
* Write the change log entries for your changes. We get lots of
changes, and we don't have time to do all the change log writing
ourselves.
Read the `ChangeLog' file to see what sorts of information to put
in, and to learn the style that we use. The purpose of the change
log is to show people where to find what was changed. So you need
to be specific about what functions you changed; in large
functions, it's often helpful to indicate where within the
function the change was.
On the other hand, once you have shown people where to find the
change, you need not explain its purpose. Thus, if you add a new
function, all you need to say about it is that it is new. If you
feel that the purpose needs explaining, it probably does--but the
explanation will be much more useful if you put it in comments in
the code.
If you would like your name to appear in the header line for who
made the change, send us the header line.
* When you write the fix, keep in mind that we can't install a
change that would break other systems.
People often suggest fixing a problem by changing
machine-independent files such as `toplev.c' to do something
special that a particular system needs. Sometimes it is totally
obvious that such changes would break GNU CC for almost all users.
We can't possibly make a change like that. At best it might tell
us how to write another patch that would solve the problem
acceptably.
Sometimes people send fixes that *might* be an improvement in
general--but it is hard to be sure of this. It's hard to install
such changes because we have to study them very carefully. Of
course, a good explanation of the reasoning by which you concluded
the change was correct can help convince us.
The safest changes are changes to the configuration files for a
particular machine. These are safe because they can't create new
bugs on other machines.
Please help us keep up with the workload by designing the patch in
a form that is good to install.
File: use, Node: Service, Next: VMS, Prev: Bugs, Up: Top
How To Get Help with GNU CC
***************************
If you need help installing, using or changing GNU CC, there are two
ways to find it:
* Send a message to a suitable network mailing list. First try
`bug-gcc@prep.ai.mit.edu', and if that brings no response, try
`help-gcc@prep.ai.mit.edu'.
* Look in the service directory for someone who might help you for a
fee. The service directory is found in the file named `SERVICE'
in the GNU CC distribution.
File: use, Node: VMS, Next: Index, Prev: Service, Up: Top
Using GNU CC on VMS
*******************
Here is how to use GNU CC on VMS.
* Menu:
* Include Files and VMS:: Where the preprocessor looks for the include files.
* Global Declarations:: How to do globaldef, globalref and globalvalue with
GNU CC.
* VMS Misc:: Misc information.
File: use, Node: Include Files and VMS, Next: Global Declarations, Up: VMS
Include Files and VMS
=====================
Due to the differences between the filesystems of Unix and VMS, GNU
CC attempts to translate file names in `#include' into names that VMS
will understand. The basic strategy is to prepend a prefix to the
specification of the include file, convert the whole filename to a VMS
filename, and then try to open the file. GNU CC tries various prefixes
one by one until one of them succeeds:
1. The first prefix is the `GNU_CC_INCLUDE:' logical name: this is
where GNU C header files are traditionally stored. If you wish to
store header files in non-standard locations, then you can assign
the logical `GNU_CC_INCLUDE' to be a search list, where each
element of the list is suitable for use with a rooted logical.
2. The next prefix tried is `SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSLIB.]'. This is where
VAX-C header files are traditionally stored.
3. If the include file specification by itself is a valid VMS
filename, the preprocessor then uses this name with no prefix in
an attempt to open the include file.
4. If the file specification is not a valid VMS filename (i.e. does
not contain a device or a directory specifier, and contains a `/'
character), the preprocessor tries to convert it from Unix syntax
to VMS syntax.
Conversion works like this: the first directory name becomes a
device, and the rest of the directories are converted into
VMS-format directory names. For example, the name `X11/foobar.h'
is translated to `X11:[000000]foobar.h' or `X11:foobar.h',
whichever one can be opened. This strategy allows you to assign a
logical name to point to the actual location of the header files.
5. If none of these strategies succeeds, the `#include' fails.
Include directives of the form:
#include foobar
are a common source of incompatibility between VAX-C and GNU CC. VAX-C
treats this much like a standard `#include <foobar.h>' directive. That
is incompatible with the ANSI C behavior implemented by GNU CC: to
expand the name `foobar' as a macro. Macro expansion should eventually
yield one of the two standard formats for `#include':
#include "FILE"
#include <FILE>
If you have this problem, the best solution is to modify the source
to convert the `#include' directives to one of the two standard forms.
That will work with either compiler. If you want a quick and dirty fix,
define the file names as macros with the proper expansion, like this:
#define stdio <stdio.h>
This will work, as long as the name doesn't conflict with anything else
in the program.
Another source of incompatibility is that VAX-C assumes that:
#include "foobar"
is actually asking for the file `foobar.h'. GNU CC does not make this
assumption, and instead takes what you ask for literally; it tries to
read the file `foobar'. The best way to avoid this problem is to
always specify the desired file extension in your include directives.
GNU CC for VMS is distributed with a set of include files that is
sufficient to compile most general purpose programs. Even though the
GNU CC distribution does not contain header files to define constants
and structures for some VMS system-specific functions, there is no
reason why you cannot use GNU CC with any of these functions. You first
may have to generate or create header files, either by using the public
domain utility `UNSDL' (which can be found on a DECUS tape), or by
extracting the relevant modules from one of the system macro libraries,
and using an editor to construct a C header file.
A `#include' file name cannot contain a DECNET node name. The
preprocessor reports an I/O error if you attempt to use a node name,
whether explicitly, or implicitly via a logical name.
File: use, Node: Global Declarations, Next: VMS Misc, Prev: Include Files and VMS, Up: VMS
Global Declarations and VMS
===========================
GNU CC does not provide the `globalref', `globaldef' and
`globalvalue' keywords of VAX-C. You can get the same effect with an
obscure feature of GAS, the GNU assembler. (This requires GAS version
1.39 or later.) The following macros allow you to use this feature in
a fairly natural way:
#ifdef __GNUC__
#define GLOBALREF(TYPE,NAME) \
TYPE NAME \
asm ("_$$PsectAttributes_GLOBALSYMBOL$$" #NAME)
#define GLOBALDEF(TYPE,NAME,VALUE) \
TYPE NAME \
asm ("_$$PsectAttributes_GLOBALSYMBOL$$" #NAME) \
= VALUE
#define GLOBALVALUEREF(TYPE,NAME) \
const TYPE NAME[1] \
asm ("_$$PsectAttributes_GLOBALVALUE$$" #NAME)
#define GLOBALVALUEDEF(TYPE,NAME,VALUE) \
const TYPE NAME[1] \
asm ("_$$PsectAttributes_GLOBALVALUE$$" #NAME) \
= {VALUE}
#else
#define GLOBALREF(TYPE,NAME) \
globalref TYPE NAME
#define GLOBALDEF(TYPE,NAME,VALUE) \
globaldef TYPE NAME = VALUE
#define GLOBALVALUEDEF(TYPE,NAME,VALUE) \
globalvalue TYPE NAME = VALUE
#define GLOBALVALUEREF(TYPE,NAME) \
globalvalue TYPE NAME
#endif
(The `_$$PsectAttributes_GLOBALSYMBOL' prefix at the start of the name
is removed by the assembler, after it has modified the attributes of
the symbol). These macros are provided in the VMS binaries
distribution in a header file `GNU_HACKS.H'. An example of the usage
is:
GLOBALREF (int, ijk);
GLOBALDEF (int, jkl, 0);
The macros `GLOBALREF' and `GLOBALDEF' cannot be used
straightforwardly for arrays, since there is no way to insert the array
dimension into the declaration at the right place. However, you can
declare an array with these macros if you first define a typedef for the
array type, like this:
typedef int intvector[10];
GLOBALREF (intvector, foo);
Array and structure initializers will also break the macros; you can
define the initializer to be a macro of its own, or you can expand the
`GLOBALDEF' macro by hand. You may find a case where you wish to use
the `GLOBALDEF' macro with a large array, but you are not interested in
explicitly initializing each element of the array. In such cases you
can use an initializer like: `{0,}', which will initialize the entire
array to `0'.
A shortcoming of this implementation is that a variable declared with
`GLOBALVALUEREF' or `GLOBALVALUEDEF' is always an array. For example,
the declaration:
GLOBALVALUEREF(int, ijk);
declares the variable `ijk' as an array of type `int [1]'. This is
done because a globalvalue is actually a constant; its "value" is what
the linker would normally consider an address. That is not how an
integer value works in C, but it is how an array works. So treating
the symbol as an array name gives consistent results--with the
exception that the value seems to have the wrong type. *Don't try to
access an element of the array.* It doesn't have any elements. The
array "address" may not be the address of actual storage.
The fact that the symbol is an array may lead to warnings where the
variable is used. Insert type casts to avoid the warnings. Here is an
example; it takes advantage of the ANSI C feature allowing macros that
expand to use the same name as the macro itself.
GLOBALVALUEREF (int, ss$_normal);
GLOBALVALUEDEF (int, xyzzy,123);
#ifdef __GNUC__
#define ss$_normal ((int) ss$_normal)
#define xyzzy ((int) xyzzy)
#endif
Don't use `globaldef' or `globalref' with a variable whose type is
an enumeration type; this is not implemented. Instead, make the
variable an integer, and use a `globalvaluedef' for each of the
enumeration values. An example of this would be:
#ifdef __GNUC__
GLOBALDEF (int, color, 0);
GLOBALVALUEDEF (int, RED, 0);
GLOBALVALUEDEF (int, BLUE, 1);
GLOBALVALUEDEF (int, GREEN, 3);
#else
enum globaldef color {RED, BLUE, GREEN = 3};
#endif
File: use, Node: VMS Misc, Prev: Global Declarations, Up: VMS
Other VMS Issues
================
GNU CC automatically arranges for `main' to return 1 by default if
you fail to specify an explicit return value. This will be interpreted
by VMS as a status code indicating a normal successful completion.
Version 1 of GNU CC did not provide this default.
GNU CC on VMS works only with the GNU assembler, GAS. You need
version 1.37 or later of GAS in order to produce value debugging
information for the VMS debugger. Use the ordinary VMS linker with the
object files produced by GAS.
Under previous versions of GNU CC, the generated code would
occasionally give strange results when linked to the sharable `VAXCRTL'
library. Now this should work.
A caveat for use of `const' global variables: the `const' modifier
must be specified in every external declaration of the variable in all
of the source files that use that variable. Otherwise the linker will
issue warnings about conflicting attributes for the variable. Your
program will still work despite the warnings, but the variable will be
placed in writable storage.
Although the VMS linker does distinguish between upper and lower case
letters in global symbols, most VMS compilers convert all such symbols
into upper case and most run-time library routines also have upper case
names. To be able to reliably call such routines, GNU CC (by means of
the assembler GAS) converts global symbols into upper case like other
VMS compilers. However, since the usual practice in C is to distinguish
case, GNU CC (via GAS) tries to preserve usual C behavior by augmenting
each name that is not all lower case. This means truncating the name
to at most 23 characters and then adding more characters at the end
which encode the case pattern of those 23. Names which contain at
least one dollar sign are an exception; they are converted directly into
upper case without augmentation.
Name augmentation yields bad results for programs that use
precompiled libraries (such as Xlib) which were generated by another
compiler. You can use the compiler option `/NOCASE_HACK' to inhibit
augmentation; it makes external C functions and variables
case-independent as is usual on VMS. Alternatively, you could write
all references to the functions and variables in such libraries using
lower case; this will work on VMS, but is not portable to other
systems. The compiler option `/NAMES' also provides control over
global name handling.
Function and variable names are handled somewhat differently with GNU
C++. The GNU C++ compiler performs "name mangling" on function names,
which means that it adds information to the function name to describe
the data types of the arguments that the function takes. One result of
this is that the name of a function can become very long. Since the
VMS linker only recognizes the first 31 characters in a name, special
action is taken to ensure that each function and variable has a unique
name that can be represented in 31 characters.
If the name (plus a name augmentation, if required) is less than 32
characters in length, then no special action is performed. If the name
is longer than 31 characters, the assembler (GAS) will generate a hash
string based upon the function name, truncate the function name to 23
characters, and append the hash string to the truncated name. If the
`/VERBOSE' compiler option is used, the assembler will print both the
full and truncated names of each symbol that is truncated.
The `/NOCASE_HACK' compiler option should not be used when you are
compiling programs that use libg++. libg++ has several instances of
objects (i.e. `Filebuf' and `filebuf') which become indistinguishable
in a case-insensitive environment. This leads to cases where you need
to inhibit augmentation selectively (if you were using libg++ and Xlib
in the same program, for example). There is no special feature for
doing this, but you can get the result by defining a macro for each
mixed case symbol for which you wish to inhibit augmentation. The
macro should expand into the lower case equivalent of itself. For
example:
#define StuDlyCapS studlycaps
These macro definitions can be placed in a header file to minimize
the number of changes to your source code.