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From: stevesu@copper.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: help with declaration
Message-ID: <1143@copper.TEK.COM>
Date: Fri, 19-Jun-87 01:33:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: copper.1143
Posted: Fri Jun 19 01:33:08 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jun-87 07:34:56 EDT
References: <8286@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or.
Lines: 43
Keywords: function pointer

In article <8286@ut-sally.UUCP>, atc@ut-sally.UUCP (Alvin T. Campbell III) writes:
> 	I have a question for all you C wizards out there. I want to write 
> a function which returns a pointer to another function.

Ahh, this brings back fond memories of the first article I ever
posted to the net, which asked a related question (couched for
some odd reason in King James English).

The best way to declare a function returning a pointer to a
function returning an int is to use a typedef:

	typedef int (*PFI)();

	PFI function();

This has several advantages:

	it's much easier to understand,

	it makes it much easier to figure out which set of
	parentheses the function's arguments go in (this was my
	problem three years ago), and

	if you like to keep the name of the function at the left
	margin, you don't end up with unbalanced parentheses on
	the previous line.

Compare

	PFI
	getroutine(name, table)
	{...}

with

	int (*
	getroutine())(name, table)

which pcc won't even compile, because the arguments actually
belong in the other set of parentheses.

                                           Steve Summit
                                           stevesu@copper.tek.com