Path: utzoo!attcan!sobmips!alawrenc
From: alawrenc@sobeco.com (a.lawrence)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: turbo-C and lint ?
Message-ID: <1990Mar24.123304.12510@sobeco.com>
Date: 24 Mar 90 12:33:04 GMT
References: <1964@bruce.OZ>
Organization: Sobeco Group - Montreal, Canada
Lines: 39

From article <1964@bruce.OZ>, by alanf@bruce.OZ (Alan Grant Finlay):
> I was surprised to discover that the Turbo-C package does not come with a lint
> program.  Specifically I want to have the ability to automatically check for
> procedure argument type consistency.  When in the past I have complained to
> C advocates that C compilers don't check for consistent use of parameters they
> have usually replied "that's what lint is for!".  Is it really acceptable for
> a commercial compiler package to come supplied without an essential part or
> have I missed something in the package that does the same job?

I think you had better take a second look at your compiler.  If you turn on
all the warning levels, it will do a much better job verifying your code than
most lint programs.  Turbo C has often found serious problems in programs 
which compiled and linted corrected on UNIX.

As far as function definitions go, if you use ANSI style function prototypes
Turbo C which check all of you function calls very closely, and even report
a warning when the code you right is acceptable C but probably not what you
wanted (suspicious pointer casts, etc).

If you want the code you are developing to be portable to non-ANSI compilers
use the following macro:

  	#ifdef ansi_style
	#define P(x)  x
	#else
	#define P(x)  ()
	#endif

and code your function prototype as:

	char *function P((int num, har *string));

---
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