Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!texbell!wuarchive!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!eru!luth!sunic!tut!funic!santra!mjolner!tnvsu1.tele.nokia.fi!eru
From: eru@tnvsu1.tele.nokia.fi
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mips
Subject: Random error message from DECstation compiler
Message-ID: <691@mjolner.tele.nokia.fi>
Date: 5 Jul 90 13:18:06 GMT
Sender: news@mjolner.tele.nokia.fi
Reply-To: eru@tnvsu1.tele.nokia.fi ()
Distribution: comp
Organization: Nokia Telecommunications
Lines: 35

[repost; I have reason to believe the previous try didn't get out]

I have large C files where I use the "new-style" function declarations.
Sometimes, seemingly at random, the Mips compiler on the DECstation 3100
(running Ultrix, what else) complains about a function, saying something
like this:

ccom: Error: chktype.c, line 2356: number of arguments doesn't agree with proto
type description
      {
      ^

There is nothing wrong with the function. Last time it actually was static,
did not have a prototype, and compiled fine before I added another
function many functions above it:

static void number_signals(register chk_numbered_sig_list_t lista,
			   register unsigned count)

{
    while(lista != NILANY) {
	lista->d.number = count;
	lista = lista->next;
    }
}

Adding or modifying a function in the same file seems to trigger the bug.
I can usually get rid of it by changing the declaration into the "old style".
The compiler pass programs have the number 1.31 appended, so I suppose
that is the version of the compiler.

Has anyone else seen this? Any general cure?

Erkki Ruohtula     / Nokia Telecommunications
eru@tele.nokia.fi / P.O. Box 33 SF-02601 Espoo, Finland