1CPROTO(1) USER COMMANDS CPROTO(1)
2
6 cproto - generate C function prototypes and convert function defini‐
7 tions
8
10 cproto [ option ... ] [ file ... ]
11
13 Cproto generates function prototypes for functions defined in the spec‐
14 ified C source files to the standard output. The function definitions
15 may be in the old style or ANSI C style. Optionally, cproto also out‐
16 puts declarations for variables defined in the files. If no file argu‐
17 ment is given, cproto reads its input from the standard input.
18 By giving a command line option, cproto will also convert function def‐
20 initions in the specified files from the old style to the ANSI C style.
21 The original source files along with files specified by
22 #include "file"
24 directives appearing in the source code will be overwritten with the
26 converted code. If no file names are given on the command line, then
27 the program reads the source code from the standard input and outputs
28 the converted source to the standard output.
29 If any comments appear in the parameter declarations for a function
31 definition, such as in the example,
32 main (argc, argv)
34 int argc; /* number of arguments */
35 char *argv[]; /* arguments */
36 {
37 }
38 then the converted function definition will have the form
40 int
42 main (
43 int argc, /* number of arguments */
44 char *argv[] /* arguments */
45 )
46 {
47 }
48 Otherwise, the converted function definition will look like
50 int
52 main (int argc, char *argv[])
53 {
54 }
55 Cproto can optionally convert function definitions from the ANSI style
57 to the old style. In this mode, the program also converts function
58 declarators and prototypes that appear outside function bodies. This
59 is not a complete ANSI C to old C conversion. The program does not
60 change anything within function bodies.
61 Cproto can optionally generate source in lint-library format. This is
63 useful in environments where the lint utility is used to supplement
64 prototype checking of your program.
65
67 -e Output the keyword extern in front of every generated prototype
68 or declaration that has global scope.
69 -f n Set the style of generated function prototypes where n is a num‐
71 ber from 0 to 3. For example, consider the function definition
72 main (argc, argv)
74 int argc;
75 char *argv[];
76 {
77 }
78 If the value is 0, then no prototypes are generated. When set
80 to 1, the output is:
81 int main(/*int argc, char *argv[]*/);
83 For a value of 2, the output has the form:
85 int main(int /*argc*/, char */*argv*/[]);
87 The default value is 3. It produces the full function proto‐
89 type:
90 int main(int argc, char *argv[]);
92 -l Generate text for a lint-library (overrides the “-f” option).
94 The output includes the comment
95 /* LINTLIBRARY */
97 Special comments LINT_EXTERN and LINT_PREPRO (a la “VARARGS”)
99 respectively turn on the “-x” option and copy comment-text to
100 the output (for preprocessing in lint). Use the comment
101 /* LINT_EXTERN2 */
103 to include externs defined in the first level of include-files.
105 Use the comment
106 /* LINT_SHADOWED */
108 to cause cproto to put “#undef” directives before each lint li‐
110 brary declaration (i.e., to avoid conflicts with macros that
111 happen to have to have the same name as the functions, thus
112 causing syntax errors).
113 Note that these special comments are not supported under
115 VAX/VMS, since there is no equivalent for the “-C” option of cpp
116 with VAX-C.
117 -c The parameter comments in the prototypes generated by the -f1
119 and -f2 options are omitted by default. Use this option to en‐
120 able the output of these comments.
121 -m Put a macro around the parameter list of every generated proto‐
123 type. For example:
124 int main P_((int argc, char *argv[]));
126 -M name
128 Set the name of the macro used to surround prototype parameter
129 lists when option -m is selected. The default is “P_”.
130 -n Rather than filling in “void” for functions without parameters,
132 use a comment “/*empty*/”.
133 -N name
135 Rather than filling in “void” for functions without parameters,
136 use the given name.
137 -d Omit the definition of the prototype macro used by the -m op‐
139 tion.
140 -o file
142 Specify the name of the output file (default: standard output).
143 -O file
145 Specify the name of the error file (default: standard error).
146 -p Disable promotion of formal parameters in old style function
148 definitions. By default, parameters of type char or short in
149 old style function definitions are promoted to type int in the
150 function prototype or converted ANSI C function definition. Pa‐
151 rameters of type float get promoted to double as well.
152 -q Do not output any error messages when the program cannot read
154 the file specified in an #include directive.
155 -s By default, cproto only generates declarations for functions and
157 variables having global scope. This option will output static
158 declarations as well.
159 -S Output only static declarations.
161 -i By default, cproto only generates declarations for functions and
163 variables having global scope. This option will output inline
164 declarations as well.
165 -T Copy type definitions from each file. (Definitions in in‐
167 cluded-files are copied, unlike the “-l” option).
168 -v Also output declarations for variables defined in the source.
170 -x This option causes procedures and variables which are declared
172 “extern” to be included in the output.
173 -X level
175 This option limits the include-file level from which declara‐
176 tions are extracted by examining the preprocessor output.
177 -a Convert function definitions from the old style to the ANSI C
179 style.
180 -t Convert function definitions from the ANSI C style to the tradi‐
182 tional style.
183 -b Rewrite function definition heads to include both old style and
185 new style declarations separated by a conditional compilation
186 directive. For example, the program can generate this function
187 definition:
188 #ifdef ANSI_FUNC
190 int
192 main (int argc, char *argv[])
193 #else
194 int
196 main (argc, argv)
197 int argc;
198 char *argv[]
199 #endif
200 {
201 }
202 -B directive
204 Set the conditional compilation directive to output at the be‐
205 ginning of function definitions generated by the -b option. The
206 default is
207 #ifdef ANSI_FUNC
209 -P template
211 -F template
212 -C template
213 Set the output format for generated prototypes, function defini‐
214 tions, and function definitions with parameter comments respec‐
215 tively. The format is specified by a template in the form
216 " int f ( a, b )"
218 but you may replace each space in this string with any number of
220 whitespace characters. For example, the option
221 -F"int f(\n\ta,\n\tb\n\t)"
223 will produce
225 int main(
227 int argc,
228 char *argv[]
229 )
230 -D name[=value]
232 This option is passed through to the preprocessor and is used to
233 define symbols for use with conditionals such as #ifdef.
234 -U name
236 This option is passed through to the preprocessor and is used to
237 remove any definitions of this symbol.
238 -I directory
240 This option is passed through to the preprocessor and is used to
241 specify a directory to search for files that are referenced with
242 #include.
243 -E cpp Pipe the input files through the specified C preprocessor com‐
245 mand when generating prototypes. By default, the program uses
246 /lib/cpp.
247 -E 0 Do not run the C preprocessor.
249 -V Print version information.
251
253 The environment variable CPROTO is scanned for a list of options in the
254 same format as the command line options. Options given on the command
255 line override any corresponding environment option.
256
258 If an un-tagged struct, union or enum declaration appears in a gener‐
259 ated function prototype or converted function definition, the content
260 of the declaration between the braces is empty.
261 The program does not pipe the source files through the C preprocessor
263 when it is converting function definitions. Instead, it tries to han‐
264 dle preprocessor directives and macros itself and can be confused by
265 tricky macro expansions. The conversion also discards some comments in
266 the function definition head.
267 The -v option does not generate declarations for variables defined with
269 the extern specifier. This doesn't strictly conform to the C language
270 standard but this rule was implemented because include files commonly
271 declare variables this way.
272 When the program encounters an error, it usually outputs the not very
274 descriptive message “syntax error”. (Your configuration may allow the
275 extended error reporting in yyerror.c).
276 Options that take string arguments only interpret the following charac‐
278 ter escape sequences:
279 \n newline
281 \s space
282 \t tab
283 VARARGS comments don't get passed through on systems whose C preproces‐
285 sors don't support this (e.g., VAX/VMS, MS-DOS).
286
288 Chin Huang
289 cthuang@vex.net
290 cthuang@interlog.com
291 Thomas E. Dickey
293 dickey@invisible-island.net
294 modifications to support lint library, type-copying, and port to VAX/VMS.
295
297 cc(1), cpp(1)
298Version 4.7v 2023-02-05 CPROTO(1)