I am trying to write something like this:
#define set(x){cout<< x}
int main() {
set(#ifdef A 1 #else 3 #endif );
return 0;
}
But it does not work, my question is why?
Why doesn't C allow the code to work? what the problem with ifndef inside a macro?
Who said no?
set(
#ifdef A
1
#else
3
#endif
);
The above snippet works as expected. Demo on Godbolt
# is a special character that starts a preprocessor directive and must be at the start of the line (after optional whitespaces) so you must separate into new lines. Anyway that's not what people usually do, because they'll do like this
#ifdef A
set(1);
#else
set(3);
#endif
or
#ifdef A
#define VAL 1
#else
#define VAL 3
#endif
set(VAL);
Note that cout << is not C and you're missing a semicolon in the macro. It should be {cout<< x;}
Related
I've got some problem, which might be simple to solve.
I have code like this:
#define _MG_ALL //This might be defined in some other headerfile
#ifndef _MG_ALL
#define MG_ALL <?????>
#else
#define MG_ALL <nothing>
#endif
In the code it is used like this:
ALL foo = thisIsSomeFunc(foo);
This line should only be compiled, if _ALL is defined. This could also be solved by using this:
#ifdef ALL
foo = thisIsSomeFunc(int foo);
#endif
But I would prefer just one short macro in the same line.
What you could do is defining the macro like so:
#ifdef _ALL
#define ALL if(1)
#else
#define ALL if(0)
#endif
When you use it this it will produce code similar to this
ALL std::cout << "Debug Message" << std::endl;
==> if(1) std::cout << "Debug Message" << std::endl;
A good compiler should recognize the constant value in the if-statement and should only compile the right part (1 ==> if part, 0 ==> nothing).
Is it possible to disable chunks of code with c/c++ preprocessor depending on some definition, without instrumenting code with #ifdef #endif?
// if ENABLE_TEST_SONAR is not defined, test code will be eliminated by preprocessor
TEST_BEGIN(SONAR)
uint8_t sonar_range = get_sonar_measurement(i);
TEST_ASSERT(sonar_range < 300)
TEST_ASSERT(sonar_range > 100)
TEST_END
Functionally equivalent to something as follows:
#ifdef TEST_SONAR
serial_print("test_case sonar:\r\n");
uint8_t sonar_range = get_sonar_measurement(i);
serial_print(" test sonar_range < 300:%d\r\n", sonar_range < 300);
serial_print(" test sonar_range > 100:%d\r\n", sonar_range > 100);
#endif TEST_SONAR
Multiple lines can be disabled only with #ifdef or #if but single lines can be disabled with a macro. Note that multiple lines can be combined with \
#ifdef DOIT
#define MYMACRO(x) \
some code \
more code \
even more \
#else
#define MYMACRO(x)
#endif
Then when you call MYMACRO anplace that code will either be included or not based on whether DOIT is defined
That's the closest you can come and is used frequently for debugging code
EDIT: On a whim I tried the following and it seems to work (in MSVC++ and g++):
#define DOIT
#ifdef DOIT
#define MYMACRO(x) x
#else
#define MYMACRO(x)
#endif
void foo(int, int, int)
{
}
int main(int, char **)
{
int x = 7;
MYMACRO(
if (x)
return 27;
for (int i = 0; i < 10; ++i)
foo(1, 2, 3);
)
}
No, the only way to disable sections of codes effectively using preprocessing is by #ifdef #endif. Theoretically, you could use #if identifier, but it's better to stick to checking whether a variable is defined.
Another option (perhaps) is to use a preprocessing macro:
Edit:
Perhaps using plain functions and #ifdef might work better?
function test_function() {
/* Do whatever test */
}
#define TESTING_IDENTIFIER
#define TEST( i, f ) if ((i)) do { f } while (0)
Then, for each test, you define a unique identifier and call it by providing the identifier first and the function (with parenthesis) second.
TEST( TESTING_IDENTIFIER, test_function() );
Finally, f can be anything that's syntactically correct -- You don't have to create a function for every test, you can put the code inline.
I will anyway mention an obvious solution of
#define DO_TEST_SONAR
#ifdef DO_TEST_SONAR
#define TEST_SONAR if(true) {
#else
#define TEST_SONAR if(false) {
#endif
#define TEST_SONAR_END }
...
TEST_SONAR
code
TEST_SONAR_END
The code will still get compiled, not completely removed, but some smart compilers might optimize it out.
UPD: just tested and
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
//#define DO_TEST_SONAR
#ifdef DO_TEST_SONAR
#define TEST_SONAR if(true) {
#else
#define TEST_SONAR if(false) {
#endif
#define TEST_SONAR_END }
int main() {
TEST_SONAR
cout << "abc" << endl;
TEST_SONAR_END
}
produces absolutely identical binaries with cout line commented out and non commented, so indeed the code is stripped. Using g++ 4.9.2 with -O2.
I have encountered the #define pre-processor directive before while learning C, and then also encountered it in some code I read. But apart from using it to definite substitutions for constants and to define macros, I've not really understook the special case where it is used without a "body" or token-string.
Take for example this line:
#define OCSTR(X)
Just like that! What could be the use of this or better, when is this use of #define necessary?
This is used in two cases. The first and most frequent involves
conditional compilation:
#ifndef XYZ
#define XYZ
// ...
#endif
You've surely used this yourself for include guards, but it can also be
used for things like system dependencies:
#ifdef WIN32
// Windows specific code here...
#endif
(In this case, WIN32 is more likely defined on the command line, but it
could also be defined in a "config.hpp" file.) This would normally
only involve object-like macros (without an argument list or
parentheses).
The second would be a result of conditional compilation. Something
like:
#ifdef DEBUG
#define TEST(X) text(X)
#else
#define TEST(X)
#endif
That allows writing things like:
TEST(X);
which will call the function if DEBUG is defined, and do nothing if it
isn't.
Such macro usually appears in pair and inside conditional #ifdef as:
#ifdef _DEBUG
#define OCSTR(X)
#else
#define OCSTR(X) SOME_TOKENS_HERE
#endif
Another example,
#ifdef __cplusplus
#define NAMESPACE_BEGIN(X) namespace X {
#define NAMESPACE_END }
#else
#define NAMESPACE_BEGIN(X)
#define NAMESPACE_END
#endif
One odd case that I recently dug up to answer a question turned out to be simply commentary in nature. The code in question looked like:
void CLASS functionName(){
//
//
//
}
I discovered it was just an empty #define, which the author had chosen to document that the function accessed global variables in the project:
C++ syntax: void CLASS functionName()?
So not really that different from if it said /* CLASS */, except not allowing typos like /* CLAAS */...some other small benefits perhaps (?)
I agree with every answer, but I'd like to point out a small trivial thing.
Being a C purist I've grown up with the assertion that EACH AND EVERY #define should be an expression, so, even if it's common practice using:
#define WHATEVER
and test it with
#ifdef WHATEVER
I think it's always better writing:
#define WHATEVER (1)
also #debug macros shall be expressions:
#define DEBUG (xxx) (whatever you want for debugging, value)
In this way, you are completely safe from misuse of #macros and prevents nasty problems (especially in a 10 million line C project)
This can be used when you may want to silent some function. For example in debug mode you want to print some debug statements and in production code you want to omit them:
#ifdef DEBUG
#define PRINT(X) printf("%s", X)
#else
#define PRINT(X) // <----- silently removed
#endif
Usage:
void foo ()
{
PRINT("foo() starts\n");
...
}
#define macros are simply replaced, literally, by their replacement text during preprocessing. If there is no replacement text, then ... they're replaced by nothing! So this source code:
#define FOO(x)
print(FOO(hello world));
will be preprocessed into just this:
print();
This can be useful to get rid of things you don't want, like, say, assert(). It's mainly useful in conditional situations, where under some conditions there's a non-empty body, though.
As you can see in the above responses, it can be useful when debugging your code.
#ifdef DEBUG
#define debug(msg) fputs(__FILE__ ":" (__LINE__) " - " msg, stderr)
#else
#define debug(msg)
#endif
So, when you are debugging, the function will print the line number and file name so you know if there is an error. And if you are not debugging, it will just produce no output
There are many uses for such a thing.
For example, one is for the macro to have different behavior in different builds. For example, if you want debug messages, you could have something like this:
#ifdef _DEBUG
#define DEBUG_LOG(X, ...) however_you_want_to_print_it
#else
#define DEBUG_LOG(X, ...) // nothing
#endif
Another use could be to customize your header file based on your system. This is from my mesa-implemented OpenGL header in linux:
#if !defined(OPENSTEP) && (defined(__WIN32__) && !defined(__CYGWIN__))
# if defined(__MINGW32__) && defined(GL_NO_STDCALL) || defined(UNDER_CE) /* The generated DLLs by MingW with STDCALL are not compatible with the ones done by Microsoft's compilers */
# define GLAPIENTRY
# else
# define GLAPIENTRY __stdcall
# endif
#elif defined(__CYGWIN__) && defined(USE_OPENGL32) /* use native windows opengl32 */
# define GLAPIENTRY __stdcall
#elif defined(__GNUC__) && (__GNUC__ * 100 + __GNUC_MINOR__) >= 303
# define GLAPIENTRY
#endif /* WIN32 && !CYGWIN */
#ifndef GLAPIENTRY
#define GLAPIENTRY
#endif
And used in header declarations like:
GLAPI void GLAPIENTRY glClearIndex( GLfloat c );
GLAPI void GLAPIENTRY glClearColor( GLclampf red, GLclampf green, GLclampf blue, GLclampf alpha );
GLAPI void GLAPIENTRY glClear( GLbitfield mask );
...
(I removed the part for GLAPI)
So you get the picture, a macro that is used in some cases and not used in other cases could be defined to something on those cases and nothing to those other cases.
Other cases could be as follows:
If the macro doesn't take parameters, it could be just to declare some case. A famous example is to guard header files. Another example would be something like this
#define USING_SOME_LIB
and later could be used like this:
#ifdef USING_SOME_LIB
...
#else
...
#endif
Could be that the macro was used at some stage to do something (for example log), but then on release the owner decided the log is not useful anymore and simply removed the contents of the macro so it becomes empty. This is not recommended though, use the method I mentioned in the very beginning of the answer.
Finally, it could be there just for more explanation, for example you can say
#define DONT_CALL_IF_LIB_NOT_INITIALIZED
and you write functions like:
void init(void);
void do_something(int x) DONT_CALL_IF_LIB_NOT_INITIALIZED;
Although this last case is a bit absurd, but it would make sense in such a case:
#define IN
#define OUT
void function(IN char *a, OUT char *b);
I am trying to do something like this
#define VB_S #ifdef VERBOSE
#define VB_E #endif
so that in the code instead of writing
#ifdef VERBOSE
cout << "XYZ" << endl;
#endif
I can write
VB_S
cout << "XYZ" << endl;
VB_E
This gives me a compile time error: Stray '#' in the program.
Can anyone put light on what is the right way to do this
You can't put directives inside macros. (# inside a macro as another signification -- it is the stringizing operator and must be followed by a parameter id -- but the restriction is older than that meaning)
You could do something like this:
#ifdef VERBOSE
#define VB(x) x
#else
#define VB(x) do { } while (false)
#endif
VB(cout << "foo");
Similar to Erik's response:
#ifdef VERBOSE
#define VB(...) __VA_ARGS__
#else
#define VB(...) /* nothing */
#endif
Using a variadic macro has the benefit of allowing commas inside the VB() call. Also, AFAIK, you can remove the do...while.
I prefer the following:
#define VERBOSE 1
// or 0, obviously
if (VERBOSE)
{
// Debug implementation
}
This is a little more readable since VB_S doesn't mean anything to the average user, but if (VERBOSE) does.
How do I implement no-op macro in C++?
#include <iostream>
#ifdef NOOP
#define conditional_noop(x) what goes here?
#else
#define conditional_noop(x) std::cout << (x)
#endif
int main() {
conditional_noop(123);
}
I want this to do nothing when NOOP is defined and print "123", when NOOP is not defined.
While leaving it blank is the obvious option, I'd go with
#define conditional_noop(x) do {} while(0)
This trick is obviously no-op, but forces you to write a semicolon after conditional_noop(123).
As mentioned before - nothing.
Also, there is a misprint in your code.
it should be #else not #elif. if it is #elif it is to be followed by the new condition
#include <iostream>
#ifdef NOOP
#define conditional_noop(x) do {} while(0)
#else
#define conditional_noop(x) std::cout << (x)
#endif
Have fun coding!
EDIT: added the [do] construct for robustness as suggested in another answer.
Defining the macro to be void conveys your intent well.
#ifdef NOOP
#define conditional_noop(x) (void)0
#else
#ifdef NOOP
#define conditional_noop(x)
#elif
nothing!
#ifdef NOOP
static inline void conditional_noop(int x) { }
#else
static inline void conditional_noop(int x) { std::cout << x; }
#endif
Using inline function void enables type checking, even when NOOP isn't defined. So when NOOP isn't defined, you still won't be able to pass a struct to that function, or an undefined variable.
This will eventually prevent you from getting compiler errors when you turn the NOOP flag on.
You can just leave it blank. You don't need to follow the #define with anything.
Like others have said, leave it blank.
A trick you should use is to add (void)0 to the macro, forcing users to add a semicolon after it:
#ifdef NOOP
#define conditional_noop(x) (void)0
#else
#define conditional_noop(x) std::cout << (x); (void)0
#endif
In C++, (void)0 does nothing. This article explains other not-as-good options, as well as the rationale behind them.
As this is a macro, you should also consider a case like
if (other_cond)
conditional_noop(123);
to be on the safe side, you can give an empty statement like
#define conditional_noop(X) {}
for older C sometimes you need to define the empty statment this way (should also get optimized away):
#define conditional_noop(X) do {} while(0)
I think that a combination of the previous variants is a good solution:
#ifdef NOOP
static inline void conditional_noop(int x) do {} while(0)
#else
static inline void conditional_noop(int x) do { std::cout << x; } while(0)
#endif
The good thing is that these two codes differ only inside a block, which means that their behaviour for the outside is completely identical for the parser.