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authorgcc <gcc@7b3dc134-2b1b-0410-93df-9e9f96275f8d>2006-08-17 01:18:26 +0000
committergcc <gcc@7b3dc134-2b1b-0410-93df-9e9f96275f8d>2006-08-17 01:18:26 +0000
commit15f34685e7a9b5caf761af2ebf6afa20438d440b (patch)
treedc04ce3cdf040f198743c15b64557824de174680 /libc/NOTES
parent1e848e0e775a36f6359161f5deb890942ef42ff3 (diff)
Import glibc-mainline for 2006-08-16
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+Feature Test Macros
+-------------------
+
+The exact set of features available when you compile a source file is
+controlled by which "feature test macros" you define.
+
+ If you compile your programs using `gcc -ansi', you get only the
+ISO C library features, unless you explicitly request additional
+features by defining one or more of the feature macros. *Note GNU CC
+Command Options: (gcc.info)Invoking GCC, for more information about GCC
+options.
+
+ You should define these macros by using `#define' preprocessor
+directives at the top of your source code files. These directives
+_must_ come before any `#include' of a system header file. It is best
+to make them the very first thing in the file, preceded only by
+comments. You could also use the `-D' option to GCC, but it's better
+if you make the source files indicate their own meaning in a
+self-contained way.
+
+ This system exists to allow the library to conform to multiple
+standards. Although the different standards are often described as
+supersets of each other, they are usually incompatible because larger
+standards require functions with names that smaller ones reserve to the
+user program. This is not mere pedantry -- it has been a problem in
+practice. For instance, some non-GNU programs define functions named
+`getline' that have nothing to do with this library's `getline'. They
+would not be compilable if all features were enabled indiscriminately.
+
+ This should not be used to verify that a program conforms to a
+limited standard. It is insufficient for this purpose, as it will not
+protect you from including header files outside the standard, or
+relying on semantics undefined within the standard.
+
+ -- Macro: _POSIX_SOURCE
+ If you define this macro, then the functionality from the POSIX.1
+ standard (IEEE Standard 1003.1) is available, as well as all of the
+ ISO C facilities.
+
+ The state of `_POSIX_SOURCE' is irrelevant if you define the macro
+ `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' to a positive integer.
+
+ -- Macro: _POSIX_C_SOURCE
+ Define this macro to a positive integer to control which POSIX
+ functionality is made available. The greater the value of this
+ macro, the more functionality is made available.
+
+ If you define this macro to a value greater than or equal to `1',
+ then the functionality from the 1990 edition of the POSIX.1
+ standard (IEEE Standard 1003.1-1990) is made available.
+
+ If you define this macro to a value greater than or equal to `2',
+ then the functionality from the 1992 edition of the POSIX.2
+ standard (IEEE Standard 1003.2-1992) is made available.
+
+ If you define this macro to a value greater than or equal to
+ `199309L', then the functionality from the 1993 edition of the
+ POSIX.1b standard (IEEE Standard 1003.1b-1993) is made available.
+
+ Greater values for `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' will enable future extensions.
+ The POSIX standards process will define these values as necessary,
+ and the GNU C Library should support them some time after they
+ become standardized. The 1996 edition of POSIX.1 (ISO/IEC 9945-1:
+ 1996) states that if you define `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' to a value
+ greater than or equal to `199506L', then the functionality from
+ the 1996 edition is made available.
+
+ -- Macro: _BSD_SOURCE
+ If you define this macro, functionality derived from 4.3 BSD Unix
+ is included as well as the ISO C, POSIX.1, and POSIX.2 material.
+
+ Some of the features derived from 4.3 BSD Unix conflict with the
+ corresponding features specified by the POSIX.1 standard. If this
+ macro is defined, the 4.3 BSD definitions take precedence over the
+ POSIX definitions.
+
+ Due to the nature of some of the conflicts between 4.3 BSD and
+ POSIX.1, you need to use a special "BSD compatibility library"
+ when linking programs compiled for BSD compatibility. This is
+ because some functions must be defined in two different ways, one
+ of them in the normal C library, and one of them in the
+ compatibility library. If your program defines `_BSD_SOURCE', you
+ must give the option `-lbsd-compat' to the compiler or linker when
+ linking the program, to tell it to find functions in this special
+ compatibility library before looking for them in the normal C
+ library.
+
+ -- Macro: _SVID_SOURCE
+ If you define this macro, functionality derived from SVID is
+ included as well as the ISO C, POSIX.1, POSIX.2, and X/Open
+ material.
+
+ -- Macro: _XOPEN_SOURCE
+ -- Macro: _XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED
+ If you define this macro, functionality described in the X/Open
+ Portability Guide is included. This is a superset of the POSIX.1
+ and POSIX.2 functionality and in fact `_POSIX_SOURCE' and
+ `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' are automatically defined.
+
+ As the unification of all Unices, functionality only available in
+ BSD and SVID is also included.
+
+ If the macro `_XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED' is also defined, even more
+ functionality is available. The extra functions will make all
+ functions available which are necessary for the X/Open Unix brand.
+
+ If the macro `_XOPEN_SOURCE' has the value 500 this includes all
+ functionality described so far plus some new definitions from the
+ Single Unix Specification, version 2.
+
+ -- Macro: _LARGEFILE_SOURCE
+ If this macro is defined some extra functions are available which
+ rectify a few shortcomings in all previous standards.
+ Specifically, the functions `fseeko' and `ftello' are available.
+ Without these functions the difference between the ISO C interface
+ (`fseek', `ftell') and the low-level POSIX interface (`lseek')
+ would lead to problems.
+
+ This macro was introduced as part of the Large File Support
+ extension (LFS).
+
+ -- Macro: _LARGEFILE64_SOURCE
+ If you define this macro an additional set of functions is made
+ available which enables 32 bit systems to use files of sizes beyond
+ the usual limit of 2GB. This interface is not available if the
+ system does not support files that large. On systems where the
+ natural file size limit is greater than 2GB (i.e., on 64 bit
+ systems) the new functions are identical to the replaced functions.
+
+ The new functionality is made available by a new set of types and
+ functions which replace the existing ones. The names of these new
+ objects contain `64' to indicate the intention, e.g., `off_t' vs.
+ `off64_t' and `fseeko' vs. `fseeko64'.
+
+ This macro was introduced as part of the Large File Support
+ extension (LFS). It is a transition interface for the period when
+ 64 bit offsets are not generally used (see `_FILE_OFFSET_BITS').
+
+ -- Macro: _FILE_OFFSET_BITS
+ This macro determines which file system interface shall be used,
+ one replacing the other. Whereas `_LARGEFILE64_SOURCE' makes the
+ 64 bit interface available as an additional interface,
+ `_FILE_OFFSET_BITS' allows the 64 bit interface to replace the old
+ interface.
+
+ If `_FILE_OFFSET_BITS' is undefined, or if it is defined to the
+ value `32', nothing changes. The 32 bit interface is used and
+ types like `off_t' have a size of 32 bits on 32 bit systems.
+
+ If the macro is defined to the value `64', the large file interface
+ replaces the old interface. I.e., the functions are not made
+ available under different names (as they are with
+ `_LARGEFILE64_SOURCE'). Instead the old function names now
+ reference the new functions, e.g., a call to `fseeko' now indeed
+ calls `fseeko64'.
+
+ This macro should only be selected if the system provides
+ mechanisms for handling large files. On 64 bit systems this macro
+ has no effect since the `*64' functions are identical to the
+ normal functions.
+
+ This macro was introduced as part of the Large File Support
+ extension (LFS).
+
+ -- Macro: _ISOC99_SOURCE
+ Until the revised ISO C standard is widely adopted the new features
+ are not automatically enabled. The GNU libc nevertheless has a
+ complete implementation of the new standard and to enable the new
+ features the macro `_ISOC99_SOURCE' should be defined.
+
+ -- Macro: _GNU_SOURCE
+ If you define this macro, everything is included: ISO C89,
+ ISO C99, POSIX.1, POSIX.2, BSD, SVID, X/Open, LFS, and GNU
+ extensions. In the cases where POSIX.1 conflicts with BSD, the
+ POSIX definitions take precedence.
+
+ If you want to get the full effect of `_GNU_SOURCE' but make the
+ BSD definitions take precedence over the POSIX definitions, use
+ this sequence of definitions:
+
+ #define _GNU_SOURCE
+ #define _BSD_SOURCE
+ #define _SVID_SOURCE
+
+ Note that if you do this, you must link your program with the BSD
+ compatibility library by passing the `-lbsd-compat' option to the
+ compiler or linker. *Note:* If you forget to do this, you may get
+ very strange errors at run time.
+
+ -- Macro: _REENTRANT
+ -- Macro: _THREAD_SAFE
+ If you define one of these macros, reentrant versions of several
+ functions get declared. Some of the functions are specified in
+ POSIX.1c but many others are only available on a few other systems
+ or are unique to GNU libc. The problem is the delay in the
+ standardization of the thread safe C library interface.
+
+ Unlike on some other systems, no special version of the C library
+ must be used for linking. There is only one version but while
+ compiling this it must have been specified to compile as thread
+ safe.
+
+ We recommend you use `_GNU_SOURCE' in new programs. If you don't
+specify the `-ansi' option to GCC and don't define any of these macros
+explicitly, the effect is the same as defining `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' to 2
+and `_POSIX_SOURCE', `_SVID_SOURCE', and `_BSD_SOURCE' to 1.
+
+ When you define a feature test macro to request a larger class of
+features, it is harmless to define in addition a feature test macro for
+a subset of those features. For example, if you define
+`_POSIX_C_SOURCE', then defining `_POSIX_SOURCE' as well has no effect.
+Likewise, if you define `_GNU_SOURCE', then defining either
+`_POSIX_SOURCE' or `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' or `_SVID_SOURCE' as well has no
+effect.
+
+ Note, however, that the features of `_BSD_SOURCE' are not a subset of
+any of the other feature test macros supported. This is because it
+defines BSD features that take precedence over the POSIX features that
+are requested by the other macros. For this reason, defining
+`_BSD_SOURCE' in addition to the other feature test macros does have an
+effect: it causes the BSD features to take priority over the conflicting
+POSIX features.
+