mkstr(1)mkstr(1)NAMEmkstr - Creates an error message file
SYNOPSISmkstr [-] message_file prefix file...
The mkstr command is used to create files of error messages that can be
removed from a single C source file, or from multiple source files.
OPTIONS
Causes messages to be appended to the specified message file, instead
of creating a new file.
DESCRIPTION
The use of mkstr can reduce the size of programs that contain many
error diagnostics and reduce system overhead in running such programs.
The mkstr command processes each of the specified files, placing an
altered version of the input file in a file whose name consists of the
specified prefix and the original name.
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 and is
followed by a null character and a newline character. The null charac‐
ter terminates the message so it can be easily used when retrieved; the
newline character makes it possible to catalog the error message file
neatly to see its contents.
The altered copy of the input file then contains a lseek() pointer into
the file that can be used to retrieve the message to its appropriate
source file, as shown in the following example of a program that mkstr
produces.
char efilname[] = "/usr/lib/pi_strings"; int efil = -1;
error(int a1, int a2, int a3, int 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)) == (long)-1 ) ||
read(efil, buf, 256) <= 0)
goto oops;
printf(buf, a2, a3, a4); }
EXAMPLES
To put the error messages from the current directory C source files
into a file called pi_strings, and to put processed copies of the
source for these files into filenames prefixed by xx, enter: mkstr
pi_strings xx *.c To append the error messages from an additional
source file to pi_strings, enter: mkstr - pi_strings xx newfile.c
SEE ALSO
Commands: xstr(1)
Functions: lseek(2)mkstr(1)
