@node Language facilities
@chapter Language facilities
@menu
* Alternative tokens:: Alternative spellings of common operators.
* Booleans:: Proper booleans in the C programming language.
* Non-returning functions:: Specifying that functions never return.
@end menu
@node Alternative tokens
@section Alternative tokens
@hfindex iso646.h
@cpindex Alternative tokens
@cpindex Tokens, alternative
The @sc{ISO}@tie{}C90 standard was amended in 1995 to
include alternative spellings of common operators,
referred to as C alternative tokens.
@table @code
@item and
@fnindex and
@code{&&}
@item and_eq
@fnindex and_eq
@code{&=}
@item bitand
@fnindex bitand
@code{&}
@item bitor
@fnindex bitor
@code{|}
@item compl
@fnindex compl
@code{~}
@item not
@fnindex not
@code{!}
@item not_eq
@fnindex not_eq
@code{!=}
@item or
@fnindex or
@code{||}
@item or_eq
@fnindex or_eq
@code{|=}
@item xor
@fnindex xor
@code{^}
@item xor_eq
@fnindex xor_eq
@code{^=}
@end table
These alternative spellings are implemented as a
group of macro constants, and are made available
by including the header file @file{<iso646.h>}.
They were added because a concern that the standard
names are difficult to type on some keyboard-layouts.
Use of these alternative tokens are discouraged,
they lessen the readability of your code. If it is
difficult to type some characters without yout
keyboard-layout, it is better to change keyboard-layout.
@node Booleans
@section Booleans
@hfindex stdbool.h
@cpindex Booleans
@tpindex bool
@tpindex _Bool
@lvindex true
@lvindex false
@lvindex __bool_true_false_are_defined
The @sc{ISO}@tie{}C99 standard added the keyword
@code{_Bool}, as well as a set macro definitions
that are made available by including the header
file @file{<stdbool.h>}.
@table @code
@item bool
Expands to @code{_Bool}, an integer data
type. Any non-zero value (any true value)
is stored as 1, to avoid integer overflows,
that may occur when using @code{int}, and
not using @code{!!} when casting to @code{int}.
@item true
Has the value 1, and represents a true value.
@item false
Has the value 0, and represents a false value.
@item __bool_true_false_are_defined
Will be defined if the other three macros
are define. So, it will will be defined if
the header file is included.
@end table
The macros @code{bool}, @code{true}, and @code{false}
may be removed and become built-in the future; or at
least, the right to undefined them may be removed.
@node Non-returning functions
@section Non-returning functions
@hfindex stdnoreturn.h
@cpindex Non-returning functions
@cpindex @code{noreturn}
@cpindex @code{_Noreturn}
@tpindex noreturn
@tpindex _Noreturn
A few, such as @code{exit}, functions never return,
and cannot fail. The @sc{ISO}@tie{}C11 added a
function qualifier that lets you specify that a
functon never returns, that is, the process exits
or changes process image before returning. Note
that this is not the same thing only returning on
failure, like the @code{exec} functions. This
qualifier is known as @code{_Noreturn} and must be
used at the beginning the the function declaration.
By including the header file @file{<stdnoreturn.h>},
the macro definition @code{noreturn} is made
available as an alias for @code{_Noreturn} .
@lvindex __noreturn_is_defined
Note that @code{slibc}, in contrast to some C
standard libraries, does not defined, the
non-standardised, @code{__noreturn_is_defined} macro.
Some compilers have supported this before
@sc{ISO}@tie{}C11, by specifying the function
attribute @code{noreturn}. Note that including the
@file{<stdnoreturn.h>} header file conflicts with
this compiler feature. Because of this,
@file{<stdnoreturn.h>} is considered non-portable
by @code{slibc}. If you want to use both, GCC
supports @code{__attribute__((__noreturn__))} as
a synonym for @code{__attribute__((noreturn))}.
