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File: gcc.info,  Node: Function Attributes,  Next: Attribute Syntax,  Prev: Mixed Declarations,  Up: C Extensions

Declaring Attributes of Functions
=================================

   In GNU C, you declare certain things about functions called in your
program which help the compiler optimize function calls and check your
code more carefully.

   The keyword `__attribute__' allows you to specify special attributes
when making a declaration.  This keyword is followed by an attribute
specification inside double parentheses.  The following attributes are
currently defined for functions on all targets: `noreturn', `noinline',
`always_inline', `pure', `const', `nothrow', `format', `format_arg',
`no_instrument_function', `section', `constructor', `destructor',
`used', `unused', `deprecated', `weak', `malloc', `alias', and
`nonnull'.  Several other attributes are defined for functions on
particular target systems.  Other attributes, including `section' are
supported for variables declarations (*note Variable Attributes::) and
for types (*note Type Attributes::).

   You may also specify attributes with `__' preceding and following
each keyword.  This allows you to use them in header files without
being concerned about a possible macro of the same name.  For example,
you may use `__noreturn__' instead of `noreturn'.

   *Note Attribute Syntax::, for details of the exact syntax for using
attributes.

`noreturn'
     A few standard library functions, such as `abort' and `exit',
     cannot return.  GCC knows this automatically.  Some programs define
     their own functions that never return.  You can declare them
     `noreturn' to tell the compiler this fact.  For example,

          void fatal () __attribute__ ((noreturn));
          
          void
          fatal (/* ... */)
          {
            /* ... */ /* Print error message. */ /* ... */
            exit (1);
          }

     The `noreturn' keyword tells the compiler to assume that `fatal'
     cannot return.  It can then optimize without regard to what would
     happen if `fatal' ever did return.  This makes slightly better
     code.  More importantly, it helps avoid spurious warnings of
     uninitialized variables.

     Do not assume that registers saved by the calling function are
     restored before calling the `noreturn' function.

     It does not make sense for a `noreturn' function to have a return
     type other than `void'.

     The attribute `noreturn' is not implemented in GCC versions
     earlier than 2.5.  An alternative way to declare that a function
     does not return, which works in the current version and in some
     older versions, is as follows:

          typedef void voidfn ();
          
          volatile voidfn fatal;

`noinline'
     This function attribute prevents a function from being considered
     for inlining.

`always_inline'
     Generally, functions are not inlined unless optimization is
     specified.  For functions declared inline, this attribute inlines
     the function even if no optimization level was specified.

`pure'
     Many functions have no effects except the return value and their
     return value depends only on the parameters and/or global
     variables.  Such a function can be subject to common subexpression
     elimination and loop optimization just as an arithmetic operator
     would be.  These functions should be declared with the attribute
     `pure'.  For example,

          int square (int) __attribute__ ((pure));

     says that the hypothetical function `square' is safe to call fewer
     times than the program says.

     Some of common examples of pure functions are `strlen' or `memcmp'.
     Interesting non-pure functions are functions with infinite loops
     or those depending on volatile memory or other system resource,
     that may change between two consecutive calls (such as `feof' in a
     multithreading environment).

     The attribute `pure' is not implemented in GCC versions earlier
     than 2.96.

`const'
     Many functions do not examine any values except their arguments,
     and have no effects except the return value.  Basically this is
     just slightly more strict class than the `pure' attribute above,
     since function is not allowed to read global memory.

     Note that a function that has pointer arguments and examines the
     data pointed to must _not_ be declared `const'.  Likewise, a
     function that calls a non-`const' function usually must not be
     `const'.  It does not make sense for a `const' function to return
     `void'.

     The attribute `const' is not implemented in GCC versions earlier
     than 2.5.  An alternative way to declare that a function has no
     side effects, which works in the current version and in some older
     versions, is as follows:

          typedef int intfn ();
          
          extern const intfn square;

     This approach does not work in GNU C++ from 2.6.0 on, since the
     language specifies that the `const' must be attached to the return
     value.

`nothrow'
     The `nothrow' attribute is used to inform the compiler that a
     function cannot throw an exception.  For example, most functions in
     the standard C library can be guaranteed not to throw an exception
     with the notable exceptions of `qsort' and `bsearch' that take
     function pointer arguments.  The `nothrow' attribute is not
     implemented in GCC versions earlier than 3.2.

`format (ARCHETYPE, STRING-INDEX, FIRST-TO-CHECK)'
     The `format' attribute specifies that a function takes `printf',
     `scanf', `strftime' or `strfmon' style arguments which should be
     type-checked against a format string.  For example, the
     declaration:

          extern int
          my_printf (void *my_object, const char *my_format, ...)
                __attribute__ ((format (printf, 2, 3)));

     causes the compiler to check the arguments in calls to `my_printf'
     for consistency with the `printf' style format string argument
     `my_format'.

     The parameter ARCHETYPE determines how the format string is
     interpreted, and should be `printf', `scanf', `strftime' or
     `strfmon'.  (You can also use `__printf__', `__scanf__',
     `__strftime__' or `__strfmon__'.)  The parameter STRING-INDEX
     specifies which argument is the format string argument (starting
     from 1), while FIRST-TO-CHECK is the number of the first argument
     to check against the format string.  For functions where the
     arguments are not available to be checked (such as `vprintf'),
     specify the third parameter as zero.  In this case the compiler
     only checks the format string for consistency.  For `strftime'
     formats, the third parameter is required to be zero.  Since
     non-static C++ methods have an implicit `this' argument, the
     arguments of such methods should be counted from two, not one, when
     giving values for STRING-INDEX and FIRST-TO-CHECK.

     In the example above, the format string (`my_format') is the second
     argument of the function `my_print', and the arguments to check
     start with the third argument, so the correct parameters for the
     format attribute are 2 and 3.

     The `format' attribute allows you to identify your own functions
     which take format strings as arguments, so that GCC can check the
     calls to these functions for errors.  The compiler always (unless
     `-ffreestanding' is used) checks formats for the standard library
     functions `printf', `fprintf', `sprintf', `scanf', `fscanf',
     `sscanf', `strftime', `vprintf', `vfprintf' and `vsprintf'
     whenever such warnings are requested (using `-Wformat'), so there
     is no need to modify the header file `stdio.h'.  In C99 mode, the
     functions `snprintf', `vsnprintf', `vscanf', `vfscanf' and
     `vsscanf' are also checked.  Except in strictly conforming C
     standard modes, the X/Open function `strfmon' is also checked as
     are `printf_unlocked' and `fprintf_unlocked'.  *Note Options
     Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options.

`format_arg (STRING-INDEX)'
     The `format_arg' attribute specifies that a function takes a format
     string for a `printf', `scanf', `strftime' or `strfmon' style
     function and modifies it (for example, to translate it into
     another language), so the result can be passed to a `printf',
     `scanf', `strftime' or `strfmon' style function (with the
     remaining arguments to the format function the same as they would
     have been for the unmodified string).  For example, the
     declaration:

          extern char *
          my_dgettext (char *my_domain, const char *my_format)
                __attribute__ ((format_arg (2)));

     causes the compiler to check the arguments in calls to a `printf',
     `scanf', `strftime' or `strfmon' type function, whose format
     string argument is a call to the `my_dgettext' function, for
     consistency with the format string argument `my_format'.  If the
     `format_arg' attribute had not been specified, all the compiler
     could tell in such calls to format functions would be that the
     format string argument is not constant; this would generate a
     warning when `-Wformat-nonliteral' is used, but the calls could
     not be checked without the attribute.

     The parameter STRING-INDEX specifies which argument is the format
     string argument (starting from one).  Since non-static C++ methods
     have an implicit `this' argument, the arguments of such methods
     should be counted from two.

     The `format-arg' attribute allows you to identify your own
     functions which modify format strings, so that GCC can check the
     calls to `printf', `scanf', `strftime' or `strfmon' type function
     whose operands are a call to one of your own function.  The
     compiler always treats `gettext', `dgettext', and `dcgettext' in
     this manner except when strict ISO C support is requested by
     `-ansi' or an appropriate `-std' option, or `-ffreestanding' is
     used.  *Note Options Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options.

`nonnull (ARG-INDEX, ...)'
     The `nonnull' attribute specifies that some function parameters
     should be non-null pointers.  For instance, the declaration:

          extern void *
          my_memcpy (void *dest, const void *src, size_t len)
          	__attribute__((nonnull (1, 2)));

     causes the compiler to check that, in calls to `my_memcpy',
     arguments DEST and SRC are non-null.  If the compiler determines
     that a null pointer is passed in an argument slot marked as
     non-null, and the `-Wnonnull' option is enabled, a warning is
     issued.  The compiler may also choose to make optimizations based
     on the knowledge that certain function arguments will not be null.

     If no argument index list is given to the `nonnull' attribute, all
     pointer arguments are marked as non-null.  To illustrate, the
     following declaration is equivalent to the previous example:

          extern void *
          my_memcpy (void *dest, const void *src, size_t len)
          	__attribute__((nonnull));

`no_instrument_function'
     If `-finstrument-functions' is given, profiling function calls will
     be generated at entry and exit of most user-compiled functions.
     Functions with this attribute will not be so instrumented.

`section ("SECTION-NAME")'
     Normally, the compiler places the code it generates in the `text'
     section.  Sometimes, however, you need additional sections, or you
     need certain particular functions to appear in special sections.
     The `section' attribute specifies that a function lives in a
     particular section.  For example, the declaration:

          extern void foobar (void) __attribute__ ((section ("bar")));

     puts the function `foobar' in the `bar' section.

     Some file formats do not support arbitrary sections so the
     `section' attribute is not available on all platforms.  If you
     need to map the entire contents of a module to a particular
     section, consider using the facilities of the linker instead.

`constructor'
`destructor'
     The `constructor' attribute causes the function to be called
     automatically before execution enters `main ()'.  Similarly, the
     `destructor' attribute causes the function to be called
     automatically after `main ()' has completed or `exit ()' has been
     called.  Functions with these attributes are useful for
     initializing data that will be used implicitly during the
     execution of the program.

     These attributes are not currently implemented for Objective-C.

`unused'
     This attribute, attached to a function, means that the function is
     meant to be possibly unused.  GCC will not produce a warning for
     this function.  GNU C++ does not currently support this attribute
     as definitions without parameters are valid in C++.

`used'
     This attribute, attached to a function, means that code must be
     emitted for the function even if it appears that the function is
     not referenced.  This is useful, for example, when the function is
     referenced only in inline assembly.

`deprecated'
     The `deprecated' attribute results in a warning if the function is
     used anywhere in the source file.  This is useful when identifying
     functions that are expected to be removed in a future version of a
     program.  The warning also includes the location of the declaration
     of the deprecated function, to enable users to easily find further
     information about why the function is deprecated, or what they
     should do instead.  Note that the warnings only occurs for uses:

          int old_fn () __attribute__ ((deprecated));
          int old_fn ();
          int (*fn_ptr)() = old_fn;

     results in a warning on line 3 but not line 2.

     The `deprecated' attribute can also be used for variables and
     types (*note Variable Attributes::, *note Type Attributes::.)

`weak'
     The `weak' attribute causes the declaration to be emitted as a weak
     symbol rather than a global.  This is primarily useful in defining
     library functions which can be overridden in user code, though it
     can also be used with non-function declarations.  Weak symbols are
     supported for ELF targets, and also for a.out targets when using
     the GNU assembler and linker.

`malloc'
     The `malloc' attribute is used to tell the compiler that a function
     may be treated as if it were the malloc function.  The compiler
     assumes that calls to malloc result in pointers that cannot alias
     anything.  This will often improve optimization.

`alias ("TARGET")'
     The `alias' attribute causes the declaration to be emitted as an
     alias for another symbol, which must be specified.  For instance,

          void __f () { /* Do something. */; }
          void f () __attribute__ ((weak, alias ("__f")));

     declares `f' to be a weak alias for `__f'.  In C++, the mangled
     name for the target must be used.

     Not all target machines support this attribute.

`visibility ("VISIBILITY_TYPE")'
     The `visibility' attribute on ELF targets causes the declaration
     to be emitted with default, hidden, protected or internal
     visibility.

          void __attribute__ ((visibility ("protected")))
          f () { /* Do something. */; }
          int i __attribute__ ((visibility ("hidden")));

     See the ELF gABI for complete details, but the short story is:

    "default"
          Default visibility is the normal case for ELF.  This value is
          available for the visibility attribute to override other
          options that may change the assumed visibility of symbols.

    "hidden"
          Hidden visibility indicates that the symbol will not be
          placed into the dynamic symbol table, so no other "module"
          (executable or shared library) can reference it directly.

    "protected"
          Protected visibility indicates that the symbol will be placed
          in the dynamic symbol table, but that references within the
          defining module will bind to the local symbol.  That is, the
          symbol cannot be overridden by another module.

    "internal"
          Internal visibility is like hidden visibility, but with
          additional processor specific semantics.  Unless otherwise
          specified by the psABI, gcc defines internal visibility to
          mean that the function is _never_ called from another module.
          Note that hidden symbols, while they cannot be referenced
          directly by other modules, can be referenced indirectly via
          function pointers.  By indicating that a symbol cannot be
          called from outside the module, gcc may for instance omit the
          load of a PIC register since it is known that the calling
          function loaded the correct value.

     Not all ELF targets support this attribute.

`regparm (NUMBER)'
     On the Intel 386, the `regparm' attribute causes the compiler to
     pass up to NUMBER integer arguments in registers EAX, EDX, and ECX
     instead of on the stack.  Functions that take a variable number of
     arguments will continue to be passed all of their arguments on the
     stack.

     Beware that on some ELF systems this attribute is unsuitable for
     global functions in shared libraries with lazy binding (which is
     the default).  Lazy binding will send the first call via resolving
     code in the loader, which might assume EAX, EDX and ECX can be
     clobbered, as per the standard calling conventions.  Solaris 8 is
     affected by this.  GNU systems with GLIBC 2.1 or higher, and
     FreeBSD, are believed to be safe since the loaders there save all
     registers.  (Lazy binding can be disabled with the linker or the
     loader if desired, to avoid the problem.)

`stdcall'
     On the Intel 386, the `stdcall' attribute causes the compiler to
     assume that the called function will pop off the stack space used
     to pass arguments, unless it takes a variable number of arguments.

`cdecl'
     On the Intel 386, the `cdecl' attribute causes the compiler to
     assume that the calling function will pop off the stack space used
     to pass arguments.  This is useful to override the effects of the
     `-mrtd' switch.

`longcall/shortcall'
     On the RS/6000 and PowerPC, the `longcall' attribute causes the
     compiler to always call this function via a pointer, just as it
     would if the `-mlongcall' option had been specified.  The
     `shortcall' attribute causes the compiler not to do this.  These
     attributes override both the `-mlongcall' switch and the `#pragma
     longcall' setting.

     *Note RS/6000 and PowerPC Options::, for more information on
     whether long calls are necessary.

`long_call/short_call'
     This attribute specifies how a particular function is called on
     ARM.  Both attributes override the `-mlong-calls' (*note ARM
     Options::) command line switch and `#pragma long_calls' settings.
     The `long_call' attribute causes the compiler to always call the
     function by first loading its address into a register and then
     using the contents of that register.   The `short_call' attribute
     always places the offset to the function from the call site into
     the `BL' instruction directly.

`function_vector'
     Use this attribute on the H8/300 and H8/300H to indicate that the
     specified function should be called through the function vector.
     Calling a function through the function vector will reduce code
     size, however; the function vector has a limited size (maximum 128
     entries on the H8/300 and 64 entries on the H8/300H) and shares
     space with the interrupt vector.

     You must use GAS and GLD from GNU binutils version 2.7 or later for
     this attribute to work correctly.

`interrupt'
     Use this attribute on the ARM, AVR, M32R/D and Xstormy16 ports to
     indicate that the specified function is an interrupt handler.  The
     compiler will generate function entry and exit sequences suitable
     for use in an interrupt handler when this attribute is present.

     Note, interrupt handlers for the H8/300, H8/300H and SH processors
     can be specified via the `interrupt_handler' attribute.

     Note, on the AVR, interrupts will be enabled inside the function.

     Note, for the ARM, you can specify the kind of interrupt to be
     handled by adding an optional parameter to the interrupt attribute
     like this:

          void f () __attribute__ ((interrupt ("IRQ")));

     Permissible values for this parameter are: IRQ, FIQ, SWI, ABORT
     and UNDEF.

`interrupt_handler'
     Use this attribute on the H8/300, H8/300H and SH to indicate that
     the specified function is an interrupt handler.  The compiler will
     generate function entry and exit sequences suitable for use in an
     interrupt handler when this attribute is present.

`sp_switch'
     Use this attribute on the SH to indicate an `interrupt_handler'
     function should switch to an alternate stack.  It expects a string
     argument that names a global variable holding the address of the
     alternate stack.

          void *alt_stack;
          void f () __attribute__ ((interrupt_handler,
                                    sp_switch ("alt_stack")));

`trap_exit'
     Use this attribute on the SH for an `interrupt_handle' to return
     using `trapa' instead of `rte'.  This attribute expects an integer
     argument specifying the trap number to be used.

`eightbit_data'
     Use this attribute on the H8/300 and H8/300H to indicate that the
     specified variable should be placed into the eight bit data
     section.  The compiler will generate more efficient code for
     certain operations on data in the eight bit data area.  Note the
     eight bit data area is limited to 256 bytes of data.

     You must use GAS and GLD from GNU binutils version 2.7 or later for
     this attribute to work correctly.

`tiny_data'
     Use this attribute on the H8/300H to indicate that the specified
     variable should be placed into the tiny data section.  The
     compiler will generate more efficient code for loads and stores on
     data in the tiny data section.  Note the tiny data area is limited
     to slightly under 32kbytes of data.

`signal'
     Use this attribute on the AVR to indicate that the specified
     function is a signal handler.  The compiler will generate function
     entry and exit sequences suitable for use in a signal handler when
     this attribute is present.  Interrupts will be disabled inside the
     function.

`naked'
     Use this attribute on the ARM, AVR and IP2K ports to indicate that
     the specified function does not need prologue/epilogue sequences
     generated by the compiler.  It is up to the programmer to provide
     these sequences.

`model (MODEL-NAME)'
     Use this attribute on the M32R/D to set the addressability of an
     object, and of the code generated for a function.  The identifier
     MODEL-NAME is one of `small', `medium', or `large', representing
     each of the code models.

     Small model objects live in the lower 16MB of memory (so that their
     addresses can be loaded with the `ld24' instruction), and are
     callable with the `bl' instruction.

     Medium model objects may live anywhere in the 32-bit address space
     (the compiler will generate `seth/add3' instructions to load their
     addresses), and are callable with the `bl' instruction.

     Large model objects may live anywhere in the 32-bit address space
     (the compiler will generate `seth/add3' instructions to load their
     addresses), and may not be reachable with the `bl' instruction
     (the compiler will generate the much slower `seth/add3/jl'
     instruction sequence).

`far'
     On 68HC11 and 68HC12 the `far' attribute causes the compiler to
     use a calling convention that takes care of switching memory banks
     when entering and leaving a function.  This calling convention is
     also the default when using the `-mlong-calls' option.

     On 68HC12 the compiler will use the `call' and `rtc' instructions
     to call and return from a function.

     On 68HC11 the compiler will generate a sequence of instructions to
     invoke a board-specific routine to switch the memory bank and call
     the real function. The board-specific routine simulates a `call'.
     At the end of a function, it will jump to a board-specific routine
     instead of using `rts'. The board-specific return routine simulates
     the `rtc'.

`near'
     On 68HC11 and 68HC12 the `near' attribute causes the compiler to
     use the normal calling convention based on `jsr' and `rts'.  This
     attribute can be used to cancel the effect of the `-mlong-calls'
     option.

`dllimport'
     On Windows targets, the `dllimport' attribute causes the compiler
     to reference a function or variable via a global pointer to a
     pointer that is set up by the Windows dll library. The pointer
     name is formed by combining `_imp__' and the function or variable
     name. The attribute implies `extern' storage.

     Currently, the attribute is ignored for inlined functions. If the
     attribute is applied to a symbol _definition_, an error is
     reported.  If a symbol previously declared `dllimport' is later
     defined, the attribute is ignored in subsequent references, and a
     warning is emitted.  The attribute is also overriden by a
     subsequent declaration as `dllexport'.

     When applied to C++ classes, the attribute marks non-inlined
     member functions and static data members as imports.  However, the
     attribute is ignored for virtual methods to allow creation of
     vtables using thunks.

     On cygwin, mingw and arm-pe targets, `__declspec(dllimport)' is
     recognized as a synonym for `__attribute__ ((dllimport))' for
     compatibility with other Windows compilers.

     The use of the `dllimport' attribute on functions is not necessary,
     but provides a small performance benefit by eliminating a thunk in
     the dll. The use of the `dllimport' attribute on imported
     variables was required on older versions of GNU ld, but can now be
     avoided by passing the `--enable-auto-import' switch to ld. As
     with functions, using the attribute for a variable eliminates a
     thunk in the dll.

     One drawback to using this attribute is that a pointer to a
     function or variable marked as dllimport cannot be used as a
     constant address. The attribute can be disabled for functions by
     setting the `-mnop-fun-dllimport' flag.

`dllexport'
     On Windows targets the `dllexport' attribute causes the compiler to
     provide a global pointer to a pointer in a dll, so that it can be
     referenced with the `dllimport' attribute. The pointer name is
     formed by combining `_imp__' and the function or variable name.

     Currently, the `dllexport'attribute is ignored for inlined
     functions, but export can be forced by using the
     `-fkeep-inline-functions' flag. The attribute is also ignored for
     undefined symbols.

     When applied to C++ classes. the attribute marks defined
     non-inlined member functions and static data members as exports.
     Static consts initialized in-class are not marked unless they are
     also defined out-of-class.

     On cygwin, mingw and arm-pe targets, `__declspec(dllexport)' is
     recognized as a synonym for `__attribute__ ((dllexport))' for
     compatibility with other Windows compilers.

     Alternative methods for including the symbol in the dll's export
     table are to use a .def file with an `EXPORTS' section or, with
     GNU ld, using the `--export-all' linker flag.

   You can specify multiple attributes in a declaration by separating
them by commas within the double parentheses or by immediately
following an attribute declaration with another attribute declaration.

   Some people object to the `__attribute__' feature, suggesting that
ISO C's `#pragma' should be used instead.  At the time `__attribute__'
was designed, there were two reasons for not doing this.

  1. It is impossible to generate `#pragma' commands from a macro.

  2. There is no telling what the same `#pragma' might mean in another
     compiler.

   These two reasons applied to almost any application that might have
been proposed for `#pragma'.  It was basically a mistake to use
`#pragma' for _anything_.

   The ISO C99 standard includes `_Pragma', which now allows pragmas to
be generated from macros.  In addition, a `#pragma GCC' namespace is
now in use for GCC-specific pragmas.  However, it has been found
convenient to use `__attribute__' to achieve a natural attachment of
attributes to their corresponding declarations, whereas `#pragma GCC'
is of use for constructs that do not naturally form part of the
grammar.  *Note Miscellaneous Preprocessing Directives: (cpp)Other
Directives.


File: gcc.info,  Node: Attribute Syntax,  Next: Function Prototypes,  Prev: Function Attributes,  Up: C Extensions

Attribute Syntax
================

   This section describes the syntax with which `__attribute__' may be
used, and the constructs to which attribute specifiers bind, for the C
language.  Some details may vary for C++ and Objective-C.  Because of
infelicities in the grammar for attributes, some forms described here
may not be successfully parsed in all cases.

   There are some problems with the semantics of attributes in C++.  For
example, there are no manglings for attributes, although they may affect
code generation, so problems may arise when attributed types are used in
conjunction with templates or overloading.  Similarly, `typeid' does
not distinguish between types with different attributes.  Support for
attributes in C++ may be restricted in future to attributes on
declarations only, but not on nested declarators.

   *Note Function Attributes::, for details of the semantics of
attributes applying to functions.  *Note Variable Attributes::, for
details of the semantics of attributes applying to variables.  *Note
Type Attributes::, for details of the semantics of attributes applying
to structure, union and enumerated types.

   An "attribute specifier" is of the form `__attribute__
((ATTRIBUTE-LIST))'.  An "attribute list" is a possibly empty
comma-separated sequence of "attributes", where each attribute is one
of the following:

   * Empty.  Empty attributes are ignored.

   * A word (which may be an identifier such as `unused', or a reserved
     word such as `const').

   * A word, followed by, in parentheses, parameters for the attribute.
     These parameters take one of the following forms:

        * An identifier.  For example, `mode' attributes use this form.

        * An identifier followed by a comma and a non-empty
          comma-separated list of expressions.  For example, `format'
          attributes use this form.

        * A possibly empty comma-separated list of expressions.  For
          example, `format_arg' attributes use this form with the list
          being a single integer constant expression, and `alias'
          attributes use this form with the list being a single string
          constant.

   An "attribute specifier list" is a sequence of one or more attribute
specifiers, not separated by any other tokens.

   An attribute specifier list may appear after the colon following a
label, other than a `case' or `default' label.  The only attribute it
makes sense to use after a label is `unused'.  This feature is intended
for code generated by programs which contains labels that may be unused
but which is compiled with `-Wall'.  It would not normally be
appropriate to use in it human-written code, though it could be useful
in cases where the code that jumps to the label is contained within an
`#ifdef' conditional.

   An attribute specifier list may appear as part of a `struct',
`union' or `enum' specifier.  It may go either immediately after the
`struct', `union' or `enum' keyword, or after the closing brace.  It is
ignored if the content of the structure, union or enumerated type is
not defined in the specifier in which the attribute specifier list is
used--that is, in usages such as `struct __attribute__((foo)) bar' with
no following opening brace.  Where attribute specifiers follow the
closing brace, they are considered to relate to the structure, union or
enumerated type defined, not to any enclosing declaration the type
specifier appears in, and the type defined is not complete until after
the attribute specifiers.

   Otherwise, an attribute specifier appears as part of a declaration,
counting declarations of unnamed parameters and type names, and relates
to that declaration (which may be nested in another declaration, for
example in the case of a parameter declaration), or to a particular
declarator within a declaration.  Where an attribute specifier is
applied to a parameter declared as a function or an array, it should
apply to the function or array rather than the pointer to which the
parameter is implicitly converted, but this is not yet correctly
implemented.

   Any list of specifiers and qualifiers at the start of a declaration
may contain attribute specifiers, whether or not such a list may in that
context contain storage class specifiers.  (Some attributes, however,
are essentially in the nature of storage class specifiers, and only make
sense where storage class specifiers may be used; for example,
`section'.)  There is one necessary limitation to this syntax: the
first old-style parameter declaration in a function definition cannot
begin with an attribute specifier, because such an attribute applies to
the function instead by syntax described below (which, however, is not
yet implemented in this case).  In some other cases, attribute
specifiers are permitted by this grammar but not yet supported by the
compiler.  All attribute specifiers in this place relate to the
declaration as a whole.  In the obsolescent usage where a type of `int'
is implied by the absence of type specifiers, such a list of specifiers
and qualifiers may be an attribute specifier list with no other
specifiers or qualifiers.

   An attribute specifier list may appear immediately before a
declarator (other than the first) in a comma-separated list of
declarators in a declaration of more than one identifier using a single
list of specifiers and qualifiers.  Such attribute specifiers apply
only to the identifier before whose declarator they appear.  For
example, in

     __attribute__((noreturn)) void d0 (void),
         __attribute__((format(printf, 1, 2))) d1 (const char *, ...),
          d2 (void)

the `noreturn' attribute applies to all the functions declared; the
`format' attribute only applies to `d1'.

   An attribute specifier list may appear immediately before the comma,
`=' or semicolon terminating the declaration of an identifier other
than a function definition.  At present, such attribute specifiers apply
to the declared object or function, but in future they may attach to the
outermost adjacent declarator.  In simple cases there is no difference,
but, for example, in

     void (****f)(void) __attribute__((noreturn));

at present the `noreturn' attribute applies to `f', which causes a
warning since `f' is not a function, but in future it may apply to the
function `****f'.  The precise semantics of what attributes in such
cases will apply to are not yet specified.  Where an assembler name for
an object or function is specified (*note Asm Labels::), at present the
attribute must follow the `asm' specification; in future, attributes
before the `asm' specification may apply to the adjacent declarator,
and those after it to the declared object or function.

   An attribute specifier list may, in future, be permitted to appear
after the declarator in a function definition (before any old-style
parameter declarations or the function body).

   Attribute specifiers may be mixed with type qualifiers appearing
inside the `[]' of a parameter array declarator, in the C99 construct by
which such qualifiers are applied to the pointer to which the array is
implicitly converted.  Such attribute specifiers apply to the pointer,
not to the array, but at present this is not implemented and they are
ignored.

   An attribute specifier list may appear at the start of a nested
declarator.  At present, there are some limitations in this usage: the
attributes correctly apply to the declarator, but for most individual
attributes the semantics this implies are not implemented.  When
attribute specifiers follow the `*' of a pointer declarator, they may
be mixed with any type qualifiers present.  The following describes the
formal semantics of this syntax.  It will make the most sense if you
are familiar with the formal specification of declarators in the ISO C
standard.

   Consider (as in C99 subclause 6.7.5 paragraph 4) a declaration `T
D1', where `T' contains declaration specifiers that specify a type TYPE
(such as `int') and `D1' is a declarator that contains an identifier
IDENT.  The type specified for IDENT for derived declarators whose type
does not include an attribute specifier is as in the ISO C standard.

   If `D1' has the form `( ATTRIBUTE-SPECIFIER-LIST D )', and the
declaration `T D' specifies the type "DERIVED-DECLARATOR-TYPE-LIST
TYPE" for IDENT, then `T D1' specifies the type
"DERIVED-DECLARATOR-TYPE-LIST ATTRIBUTE-SPECIFIER-LIST TYPE" for IDENT.

   If `D1' has the form `* TYPE-QUALIFIER-AND-ATTRIBUTE-SPECIFIER-LIST
D', and the declaration `T D' specifies the type
"DERIVED-DECLARATOR-TYPE-LIST TYPE" for IDENT, then `T D1' specifies
the type "DERIVED-DECLARATOR-TYPE-LIST
TYPE-QUALIFIER-AND-ATTRIBUTE-SPECIFIER-LIST TYPE" for IDENT.

   For example,

     void (__attribute__((noreturn)) ****f) (void);

specifies the type "pointer to pointer to pointer to pointer to
non-returning function returning `void'".  As another example,

     char *__attribute__((aligned(8))) *f;

specifies the type "pointer to 8-byte-aligned pointer to `char'".  Note
again that this does not work with most attributes; for example, the
usage of `aligned' and `noreturn' attributes given above is not yet
supported.

   For compatibility with existing code written for compiler versions
that did not implement attributes on nested declarators, some laxity is
allowed in the placing of attributes.  If an attribute that only applies
to types is applied to a declaration, it will be treated as applying to
the type of that declaration.  If an attribute that only applies to
declarations is applied to the type of a declaration, it will be treated
as applying to that declaration; and, for compatibility with code
placing the attributes immediately before the identifier declared, such
an attribute applied to a function return type will be treated as
applying to the function type, and such an attribute applied to an array
element type will be treated as applying to the array type.  If an
attribute that only applies to function types is applied to a
pointer-to-function type, it will be treated as applying to the pointer
target type; if such an attribute is applied to a function return type
that is not a pointer-to-function type, it will be treated as applying
to the function type.


File: gcc.info,  Node: Function Prototypes,  Next: C++ Comments,  Prev: Attribute Syntax,  Up: C Extensions

Prototypes and Old-Style Function Definitions
=============================================

   GNU C extends ISO C to allow a function prototype to override a later
old-style non-prototype definition.  Consider the following example:

     /* Use prototypes unless the compiler is old-fashioned.  */
     #ifdef __STDC__
     #define P(x) x
     #else
     #define P(x) ()
     #endif
     
     /* Prototype function declaration.  */
     int isroot P((uid_t));
     
     /* Old-style function definition.  */
     int
     isroot (x)   /* ??? lossage here ??? */
          uid_t x;
     {
       return x == 0;
     }

   Suppose the type `uid_t' happens to be `short'.  ISO C does not
allow this example, because subword arguments in old-style
non-prototype definitions are promoted.  Therefore in this example the
function definition's argument is really an `int', which does not match
the prototype argument type of `short'.

   This restriction of ISO C makes it hard to write code that is
portable to traditional C compilers, because the programmer does not
know whether the `uid_t' type is `short', `int', or `long'.  Therefore,
in cases like these GNU C allows a prototype to override a later
old-style definition.  More precisely, in GNU C, a function prototype
argument type overrides the argument type specified by a later
old-style definition if the former type is the same as the latter type
before promotion.  Thus in GNU C the above example is equivalent to the
following:

     int isroot (uid_t);
     
     int
     isroot (uid_t x)
     {
       return x == 0;
     }

GNU C++ does not support old-style function definitions, so this
extension is irrelevant.


File: gcc.info,  Node: C++ Comments,  Next: Dollar Signs,  Prev: Function Prototypes,  Up: C Extensions

C++ Style Comments
==================

   In GNU C, you may use C++ style comments, which start with `//' and
continue until the end of the line.  Many other C implementations allow
such comments, and they are included in the 1999 C standard.  However,
C++ style comments are not recognized if you specify an `-std' option
specifying a version of ISO C before C99, or `-ansi' (equivalent to
`-std=c89').


File: gcc.info,  Node: Dollar Signs,  Next: Character Escapes,  Prev: C++ Comments,  Up: C Extensions

Dollar Signs in Identifier Names
================================

   In GNU C, you may normally use dollar signs in identifier names.
This is because many traditional C implementations allow such
identifiers.  However, dollar signs in identifiers are not supported on
a few target machines, typically because the target assembler does not
allow them.


File: gcc.info,  Node: Character Escapes,  Next: Variable Attributes,  Prev: Dollar Signs,  Up: C Extensions

The Character <ESC> in Constants
================================

   You can use the sequence `\e' in a string or character constant to
stand for the ASCII character <ESC>.


File: gcc.info,  Node: Alignment,  Next: Inline,  Prev: Type Attributes,  Up: C Extensions

Inquiring on Alignment of Types or Variables
============================================

   The keyword `__alignof__' allows you to inquire about how an object
is aligned, or the minimum alignment usually required by a type.  Its
syntax is just like `sizeof'.

   For example, if the target machine requires a `double' value to be
aligned on an 8-byte boundary, then `__alignof__ (double)' is 8.  This
is true on many RISC machines.  On more traditional machine designs,
`__alignof__ (double)' is 4 or even 2.

   Some machines never actually require alignment; they allow reference
to any data type even at an odd address.  For these machines,
`__alignof__' reports the _recommended_ alignment of a type.

   If the operand of `__alignof__' is an lvalue rather than a type, its
value is the required alignment for its type, taking into account any
minimum alignment specified with GCC's `__attribute__' extension (*note
Variable Attributes::).  For example, after this declaration:

     struct foo { int x; char y; } foo1;

the value of `__alignof__ (foo1.y)' is 1, even though its actual
alignment is probably 2 or 4, the same as `__alignof__ (int)'.

   It is an error to ask for the alignment of an incomplete type.

