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From: woodman@sumax.UUCP (David Woodman)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Obfuscated code
Message-ID: <1123@sumax.UUCP>
Date: 5 Dec 89 08:59:24 GMT
Organization: Seattle University, Seattle, WA
Lines: 32

Hello,
  I ran across a piece of code I am unable to decipher. I wonder if
anyone else can figure this one out.

  struct MYSTRUCT someVariable;

  someVariable = (*((struct MYSTRUCT *)(*)()_msg))(parameters,...);

to quote: "The effect of this bizarre construction is to typecast the
meaning of the symbol, _msg (as opposed to the value returned by the 
function, _msg()), from pointer-to-function-returning-id to
pointer-to-function-returning-MYSTRUCT.  This is based on the fact that
C treats names as legal expressions and therefore a valid subject for a
typecast, including even the name part of the function in an expression
calling that function."

NOTE:  the called functions default to a return type of 'id'

This much I have figured out:

 (*((struct MYSTRUCT *) ...

the part   (*)()_msg    has me stumped.

P.S.  This comes out of 'Object Oriented Programming' by  Brad J. Cox
      Chapter 5, page 86    (ISBN0-201-10393-1) 
      Addison-Wesley, 1987
 
-- 
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David Woodman          MAIL: woodman%sumax.uucp@beaver.cs.washington.edu
Seattle University     #include <disclaimer.std>