mkstr(1) General Commands Manual mkstr(1)
Name
mkstr - create an error message file
Syntax
mkstr [-] messagefile prefix file...
Description
The command 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.
The command 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 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 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 ter-
minates the message so it can be easily used when retrieved, the new-line character makes it possible to sensibly the error message file to
see its contents. The massaged copy of the input file then contains a pointer into the file which can be used to retrieve the message,
that is:
char filename[] = "/usr/lib/pi_strings";
int file = -1;
error(a1, a2, a3, a4)
{
char buf[256];
Bif (efil < 0) {
efil = open(efilname, 0);
if (efil < 0) {
oops:
perror(efilname);
exit(2);
}
}
if (lseek(efil, (long) a1, 0) || read(efil, buf, 256) <= 0)
goto oops;
printf(buf, a2, a3, a4);
}
Options
- Places error messages at the end of specified message file.
See Also
xstr(1), lseek(2)
mkstr(1)