MKSTR(1)MKSTR(1)NAMEmkstr - create an error message file by massaging C source
SYNOPSISmkstr [ - ] messagefile prefix file ...
DESCRIPTION
Mkstr is used to create files of error messages. Its use can make
programs with large numbers of error diagnostics much smaller, and
reduce system overhead in running the program as the error messages do
not have to be constantly swapped in and out.
Mkstr will process each of the specified files, placing a massaged
version of the input file in a file whose name consists of the
specified prefix and the original name. A typical usage of mkstr would
be
mkstr pistrings xx *.c
This command would cause all the error messages from the C source files
in the current directory to be placed in the file pistrings and
processed copies of the source for these files to be placed in files
whose names are prefixed with xx.
To process the error messages in the source to the message file mkstr
keys on the string `error("' in the input stream. Each time it occurs,
the C string starting at the `"' is placed in the message file followed
by a null character and a new-line character; the null character
terminates the message so it can be easily used when retrieved, the
new-line character makes it possible to sensibly cat the error message
file to see its contents. The massaged copy of the input file then
contains a lseek pointer into the file which can be used to retrieve
the message, i.e.:
char efilname[] = "/usr/lib/pi_strings";
int efil = -1;
error(a1, a2, a3, a4)
{
char buf[256];
if (efil < 0) {
efil = open(efilname, 0);
if (efil < 0) {
oops:
perror(efilname);
exit(1);
}
}
if (lseek(efil, (long) a1, 0) || read(efil, buf, 256) <= 0)
goto oops;
printf(buf, a2, a3, a4);
}
The optional - causes the error messages to be placed at the end of the
specified message file for recompiling part of a large mkstred program.
SEE ALSOlseek(2), xstr(1)3rd Berkeley Distribution May 7, 1986 MKSTR(1)
