Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!faline!thumper!ulysses!andante!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!CORY.BERKELEY.EDU!dillon
From: dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Return values of System Functions
Message-ID: <8804030250.AA23769@cory.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 3 Apr 88 02:50:24 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 20
Posted: Sat Apr  2 21:50:24 1988

:	The reason for my question:  I am using Manx 3.6a, and have this file
:called "functions.h".  Oh, you've heard of it?  It says that many functions
:return "short"s, and other non-long types, which contradicts the file
:"manx.c" (which I am using to lint my programs with).  I looked through
:the library sources, but they don't tell me what kind of values the functions
:return (I can't see how they could be anything but "long", but want to check).
:The autodocs are on order (will those help me with this)?  By the way, I

	Since an integer return value is in D0, the callee can treat it 
either as a long or short.  Thus, even if the entire D0 register is used,
if the actual range of the return value is within the limits of a short,
you can declare the function as returning a short.

	Essentially, Aztec's functions.h file is declaring some functions
as returning a short as an optimization technique for those people who use
+L (32 bit ints).  The functions need to be compilable under either model.

	I never use lint.

						-Matt