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author | gcc <gcc@7b3dc134-2b1b-0410-93df-9e9f96275f8d> | 2006-08-17 01:18:26 +0000 |
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committer | gcc <gcc@7b3dc134-2b1b-0410-93df-9e9f96275f8d> | 2006-08-17 01:18:26 +0000 |
commit | 15f34685e7a9b5caf761af2ebf6afa20438d440b (patch) | |
tree | dc04ce3cdf040f198743c15b64557824de174680 /libc/NOTES | |
parent | 1e848e0e775a36f6359161f5deb890942ef42ff3 (diff) |
Import glibc-mainline for 2006-08-16
git-svn-id: svn://svn.eglibc.org/fsf/trunk@4 7b3dc134-2b1b-0410-93df-9e9f96275f8d
Diffstat (limited to 'libc/NOTES')
-rw-r--r-- | libc/NOTES | 223 |
1 files changed, 223 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/libc/NOTES b/libc/NOTES new file mode 100644 index 000000000..9bef2425b --- /dev/null +++ b/libc/NOTES @@ -0,0 +1,223 @@ +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. + |