I am trying to create a macro in c, that will take a variable name, and declare it. I could call it like this:
MY_MACRO(test);
Would produce:
int test;
In order to achieve this I went this way:
#define MY_MACRO(var) /
int ##var; /
But the compiler doesn't understand this. Does such syntax exist in C11?
I wouldn't recommend doing such a thing. Anyway, there are two problems. First of all, to skip a newline, you need \, not /.
Second, the ## is wrong. What it does is concatenating the var to the int. So with MY_MACRO(foo) you would get intfoo;, but you want int foo;
The macro needs to be like this:
#define MY_MACRO(var) \
int var
## is not applicable here as it concatenates the token with something else
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#define MY_MACRO(var) int var
or
#define MY_MACRO(var) \
int var \
void foo(void)
{
MY_MACRO(a);
a = rand();
printf("%d\n",a);
}
## pastes two tokens together into one token.
#define poem(var)\
int jack##var;
// Produces 'int jacksprat;'
poem(sprat)
In your case you don't need to do anything special at all, you can just use the argument directly:
#define MY_MACRO(var)\
int var;
The correct syntax would be something along the lines of this:
#define MY_MACRO(ident) \
int ident
int main() {
MY_MACRO(test);
test =42;
return test;
}
However, have you been looking into typedefs? Unlike typedefs, macros are considered bad practice.
Related
This questions is about my homework.
This topic is need to use like:
#define GENERIC_MAX(type)\
type type##_max(type x, type y)\
{\
return x > y ? x : y;\
}
The content of the question is to make this code run normally:
#include <stdio.h>
GenerateShowValueFunc(double)
GenerateShowValueFunc(int)
int main()
{
double i = 5.2;
int j = 3;
showValue_double(i);
showValue_int(j);
}
The result of the operation is like this:
i=5.2000
j=3
And this code is my current progress, but there are have problems:
#include <stdio.h>
#define printname(n) printf(#n);
#define GenerateShowValueFunc(type)\
type showValue_##type(type x)\
{\
printname(x);\
printf("=%d\n", x);\
return 0;\
}
GenerateShowValueFunc(double)
GenerateShowValueFunc(int)
int main()
{
double i = 5.2;
int j = 3;
showValue_double(i);
showValue_int(j);
}
I don’t know how to make the output change with the type, and I don’t know how to display the name of the variable. OAO
This original task description:
Please refer to ShowValue.c below:
#include <stdio.h>
GenerateShowValueFunc(double)
GenerateShowValueFunc(int)
int main()
{
double i = 5.2;
int j = 3;
showValue_double(i);
showValue_int(j);
}
Through [GenerateShowValueFunc(double)] and [GenerateShowValueFunc(int)] these two lines macro call, can help us to generated as [showValue_double( double )] and [showValue_int( int )] function, And in main() function called. The execution result of this program is as follows:
i=5.2000
j=3
Please insert the code that defines GenerateShowValueFunc macro into the appropriate place in the ShowValue.c program, so that this program can compile and run smoothly.
A quick & dirty solution would be:
type showValue_##type(type x)\
{\
const char* double_fmt = "=%f\n";\
const char* int_fmt = "=%d\n";\
printname(x);\
printf(type##_fmt, x);\
return 0;\
}
The compiler will optimize out the variable that isn't used, so it won't affect performance. But it might yield warnings "variable not used". You can add null statements like (void)double_fmt; to silence it.
Anyway, this is all very brittle and bug-prone, it was never recommended practice to write macros like these. And it is not how you do generic programming in modern C. You can teach your teacher how, by showing them the following example:
#include <stdio.h>
void double_show (double d)
{
printf("%f\n", d);
}
void int_show (int i)
{
printf("%d\n", i);
}
#define show(x) _Generic((x),\
double: double_show, \
int: int_show) (x) // the x here is the parameter passed to the function
int main()
{
double i = 5.2;
int j = 3;
show(i);
show(j);
}
This uses the modern C11/C17 standard _Generic keyword, which can check for types at compile-time. The macro picks the appropriate function to call and it is type safe. The caller doesn't need to worry which "show" function to call nor that they pass the correct type.
Without changing the shown C-code (i.e. only doing macros), which I consider a requirement, the following code has the required output:
#include <stdio.h>
#define showValue_double(input) \
showValueFunc_double(#input"=%.4f\n" , input)
#define showValue_int(input) \
showValueFunc_int(#input"=%d\n" , input)
#define GenerateShowValueFunc(type) \
void showValueFunc_##type(const char format[], type input)\
{\
printf(format, input); \
}
/* ... macro magic above; */
/* unchangeable code below ... */
GenerateShowValueFunc(double)
GenerateShowValueFunc(int)
int main()
{
double i = 5.2;
int j = 3;
showValue_double(i);
showValue_int(j);
}
Output:
i=5.2000
j=3
Note that I created something of a lookup-table for type-specific format specifiers. I.e. for each type to be supported you need to add a macro #define showValue_ .... This is also needed to get the name of the variable into the output.
This uses the fact that two "strings" are concatenated by C compilers, i.e. "A""B" is the same as "AB". Where "A" is the result of #input.
The rest, i.e. the required function definition is very similar to the teacher-provided example, using the ## operator.
Note, this is if the variable name has to correctly be mentioned in the output.
With out the i = things would be easier and would more elegantly use the generated functions WITHOUT having the called showValue_double(i); be explicit macros. I.e. the functions generated are 1:1 what is called from main(). I think that might be what is really asked. Let me know if you want that version.
#define DEFINE_STAT(Stat) \
struct FThreadSafeStaticStat<FStat_##Stat> StatPtr_##Stat;
The above line is take from Unreal 4, and I know I could ask it over on the unreal forums, but I think this is a general C++ question that warrants being asked here.
I understand the first line defines a macro, however I am not well versed in preprocessor shenanigans in C++ and so I'm lost over there. Logic tells me the backslash means the declaration continues onto the next line.
FThreadSafeStaticStat looks a bit like a template, but there's #'s going on in there and a syntax I've never seen before in C++
Could someone tell me what this means? I understand that you may not have access to Unreal 4, but it's just the syntax I don't understand.
## is the preprocessor operator for concatenation.
So if you use
DEFINE_STAT(foo)
anywhere in the code, it gets replaced with
struct FThreadSafeStaticStat<FStat_foo> StatPtr_foo;
before your code is compiled.
Here is another example from a blog post of mine to explain this further.
#include <stdio.h>
#define decode(s,t,u,m,p,e,d) m ## s ## u ## t
#define begin decode(a,n,i,m,a,t,e)
int begin()
{
printf("Stumped?\n");
}
This program would compile and execute successfully, and produce the following output:
Stumped?
When the preprocessor is invoked on this code,
begin is replaced with decode(a,n,i,m,a,t,e)
decode(a,n,i,m,a,t,e) is replaced with m ## a ## i ## n
m ## a ## i ## n is replaced with main
Thus effectively, begin() is replaced with main().
TLDR; ## is for concatenation and # is for stringification (from cppreference).
The ## concatenates successive identifiers and it is useful when you want to pass a function as a parameter. Here is an example where foo accepts a function argument as its 1st argument and the operators a and b as the 2nd and 3rd arguments:
#include <stdio.h>
enum {my_sum=1, my_minus=2};
#define foo(which, a, b) which##x(a, b)
#define my_sumx(a, b) (a+b)
#define my_minusx(a, b) (a-b)
int main(int argc, char **argv) {
int a = 2;
int b = 3;
printf("%d+%d=%d\n", a, b, foo(my_sum, a, b)); // 2+3=5
printf("%d-%d=%d\n", a, b, foo(my_minus, a, b)); // 2-3=-1
return 0;
}
The # concatenates the parameter and encloses the output in quotes. The example is:
#include <stdio.h>
#define bar(...) puts(#__VA_ARGS__)
int main(int argc, char **argv) {
bar(1, "x", int); // 1, "x", int
return 0;
}
I'm writing a complex macro and I need to pass also array initializer. Basically I have trouble to do:
#define INIT_ARR(VAR_NAME,ARR_DATA) int VAR_NAME[] = ARR_DATA
then I would call it
INIT_ARR(myNm,{1,2,3});
but preprocessors interprets any commas (also the one inside curly braces) as new macro parameter so it gives me error:
error: #55-D: too many arguments in invocation of macro "INIT_ARR"
preprocessor does not ignore () so I can do:
#define INIT_ARR(VAR_NAME,ARR_DATA) int VAR_NAME[] = {ARR_DATA}
INIT_ARR(myNm,(1,2,3));
but then it is interpreted as
int myNm[] = {(1,2,3)};
which is not correct for C.
Is there a way how to do it?? For example remove braces from parameter?
I think I cracked it:
#define myArgs(...) __VA_ARGS__
#define INIT_ARR(VAR_NAME,ARR_DATA) int VAR_NAME[] = {myArgs ARR_DATA}
INIT_ARR(myArr,(1,2,3,4));
will be interpreted correctly as:
int myArr[] = {1,2,3,4};
annoying_squid's answer helped me to figure it out...
You can use variable number of arguments with the macro as -
#define INIT_ARR(VAR_NAME, ...) int VAR_NAME[] = {__VA_ARGS__}
I have a very simple macro for which I want to typecast its output to int only. How to do that?
#define Numbits(A) (sizeof(A)*CHAR_BIT)
I tried:
#define int Numbits(A)({int val; val = sizeof(A)*CHAR_BIT; return val;})
but it also doesn't work
Are you saying that #define Numbits(A) (int)(sizeof(A)*CHAR_BIT) didn't work?
I know you can return a character string from a normal function in C as in this code
#include <stdio.h>
char* returnstring(char *pointer) {
pointer="dog";
return pointer;
}
int main(void)
{
char *dog = NULL;
printf("%s\n", returnstring(dog));
}
However, I can't find a way to be able to return character strings in #define functions, as in this code
#include <stdio.h>
#define returnstring(pointer) { \
pointer="dog"; \
return pointer; \
}
int main(void)
{
char *dog = NULL;
printf("%s\n", returnstring(dog));
}
I know that there are workarounds(like using the first program). I just want to know if it is possible
Thinking about a "#define function" is, IMO, the wrong way to approach this.
#define is a blunt instrument which amounts to a text find/replace. It knows little to nothing about C++ as a language, and the replace is done before any of your real code is even looked at.
What you have written isn't a function in its own right, it is a piece of text that looks like one, and it put in where you have written the alias.
If you want to #define what you just did, that's fine (I didn't check your example specifically, but in general, using #define for a function call and substituting the arguments is possible), but think twice before doing so unless you have an amazing reason. And then think again until you decide not to do it.
You can't "return" from a macro. Your best (ugh... arguably the "best", but anyway) bet is to formulate your macro in such a way that it evaluates to the expression you want to be the result. For example:
#define returnstring(ptr) ((ptr) = "hello world")
const char *p;
printf("%s\n", returnstring(p));
If you have multiple expression statements, you can separate them using the horrible comma operator:
#define even_more_dangerous(ptr) (foo(), bar(), (ptr) = "hello world")
If you are using GCC or a compatible compiler, you can also take advantage of a GNU extension called "statement expressions" so as to embed whole (non-expression) statements into your macro:
#define this_should_be_a_function(ptr) ({ \
if (foo) { \
bar(); \
} else { \
for (int i = 0; i < baz(); i++) { \
quirk(); \
} \
} \
ptr[0]; // last statement must be an expression statement \
})
But if you get to this point, you could really just write a proper function as well.
You don't return anything from a #defined macro. Roughly speaking, the C preprocessor replaces the macro call with the text of the macro body, with arguments textually substituted into their positions. If you want a macro to assign a pointer to "dog" and evaluate to the pointer, you can do this:
#define dogpointer(p) ((p)="dog")
The thing is returnstring as a macro does not do what it says; it also assigns the value to the parameter. The function does as it says, even if it (somewhat oddly) uses its parameter as a temporary variable.
The function is equivalent to:
char* returnstring(char *ignored) {
return "dog";
}
The function macro is much the same as:
#define returnstring(pointer) pointer = "dog"
Which begs the question, why not call it assign_string?
Or why not just have:
#define dogString "dog"
And write:
int main(void)
{
char *dog = NULL;
printf("%s\n", dog = dogString);
}
The function for assignString is:
char* assignstring(char **target{
*target= "dog";
return *target;
}
You can then have a macro:
assign_string_macro(pointer) assignstring(&pointer)
Ultimately if you want to "return character strings in #define functions", then all you need is:
#define returnstring(ignored) "dog"