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From: cjl@iuvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Array of pointers to functions
Message-ID: <9500031@iuvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 14-Apr-86 12:14:00 EST
Article-I.D.: iuvax.9500031
Posted: Mon Apr 14 12:14:00 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Apr-86 16:49:19 EST
References: <2398@brl-smok.UUCP>
Lines: 24
Nf-ID: #R:brl-smok:-239800:iuvax:9500031:000:951
Nf-From: iuvax!cjl    Apr 14 12:14:00 1986



> I'm confused.  How do you specify an array of pointers to functions?  Do
> you do it:
>           int (*foo[])();
> or do you do it:
>           int ((*foo)())[];

  If C enforces postfix notations for all its declarations, the world will 
be more peaceful. Two of its declarators use postfix notation ( [] and () ),
while pointer uses prefix notation ( * ). Confusion about declarator precedence
will disappear IF we CHANGE the syntax of pointer declarator to a postfix
notation. So when we speak "an array of pointers to functions", we
can write down immediately as "int foo [] * ()". To face the reality
in the C world, we translate the above back into " (* (foo [])) () ".
(Parentheses are used here to avoid the precedence problem.)
Remembering the rule that postfix declarators has higher priority than
prefix declarators, we can save some of the parentheses as
" (* foo []) () ".


C.J.Lo
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