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From: dm@think.com (Dave Mankins)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,alt.sources
Subject: Re: Small introspective program
Message-ID: <1991Mar13.001423.5194@Think.COM>
Date: 13 Mar 91 00:14:23 GMT
References: <1991Mar10.231230.1301@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> <1991Mar12.050929.2870@research.canon.oz.au> <SCOTTH.91Mar12125443@harlie.corp.sgi.com>
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Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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This is not quite the same thing, but it is a hack I have found very useful
when spinning small test programs.  

You start the program (e.g., ``foo.c'') with:

#ifdef notdef

  cc $0 -g -o `basename $0 .c` -Ineeded-includes -lneeded-libraries 

  exit;

#endif notdef

#include <stdio.h>
...

(all bound to an emacs function, insert-self-compile, of course)

Then invoke it with: 

	sh foo.c

This is much less labor-intensive than editing a Makefile (and re-editing it,
if the source file should move to another directory).

Even in semi-formally maintained code, I have found this most useful in files
that make up components of libraries, in this form:

#ifdef notdef

  cc $0 -DTEST -g -o `basename $0 .c` -Ineeded-includes -lneeded-libraries 

  exit;

#endif notdef

	/* library module source ... */

#ifdef TEST

main() {
	.... code to test the call library functions with test inputs and 
	     check the results ....
}

#endif /* TEST */

This allows your library modules to be self-testing, a great time-saver in the
later phases of development.
--
david mankins (dm@think.com)