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C Preprocessor Stringification Explained

Stringification in C involves using the # operator to convert a macro parameter into a string constant. When a macro parameter is used with a leading '#', the preprocessor replaces it with the literal text of the actual argument as a string constant without macro-expanding it first. There is no way to stringify the result of expanding a macro argument directly, but it can be done by using two levels of macros so that the inner macro stringifies after the outer macro has expanded its argument.

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170 views2 pages

C Preprocessor Stringification Explained

Stringification in C involves using the # operator to convert a macro parameter into a string constant. When a macro parameter is used with a leading '#', the preprocessor replaces it with the literal text of the actual argument as a string constant without macro-expanding it first. There is no way to stringify the result of expanding a macro argument directly, but it can be done by using two levels of macros so that the inner macro stringifies after the outer macro has expanded its argument.

Uploaded by

aamya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

12/3/2016

StringificationTheCPreprocessor

Next:Concatenation,Previous:MacroArguments,Up:Macros

3.4Stringification
[Link]
stringconstants,butyoucanusethe#[Link]
leading#,thepreprocessorreplacesitwiththeliteraltextoftheactualargument,convertedtoastring
[Link],[Link]
stringification.
[Link],youcan
[Link]
[Link]
longstring.
Hereisanexampleofamacrodefinitionthatusesstringification:
#defineWARN_IF(EXP)\
do{if(EXP)\
fprintf(stderr,"Warning:"#EXP"\n");}\
while(0)
WARN_IF(x==0);
==>do{if(x==0)
fprintf(stderr,"Warning:""x==0""\n");}while(0);

TheargumentforEXPissubstitutedonce,asis,intotheifstatement,andonce,stringified,intotheargumentto
[Link],itwouldbeexpandedintheifstatement,butnotinthestring.
Thedoandwhile(0)areakludgetomakeitpossibletowriteWARN_IF(arg);,whichtheresemblanceof
WARN_IFtoafunctionwouldmakeCprogrammerswanttodoseeSwallowingtheSemicolon.
[Link]
backslashescapesthequotessurroundingembeddedstringconstants,andallbackslasheswithinstringand
characterconstants,[Link],stringifying
p="foo\n";resultsin"p=\"foo\\n\";".However,backslashesthatarenotinsidestringorcharacter
constantsarenotduplicated:\nbyitselfstringifiesto"\n".
[Link]
[Link]
longbeforestringificationhappens,sotheyneverappearinstringifiedtext.
Thereisnowaytoconvertamacroargumentintoacharacterconstant.
Ifyouwanttostringifytheresultofexpansionofamacroargument,youhavetousetwolevelsofmacros.
#definexstr(s)str(s)
#definestr(s)#s
#definefoo4
str(foo)
==>"foo"
xstr(foo)
==>xstr(4)
==>str(4)
==>"4"

[Link]

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12/3/2016

StringificationTheCPreprocessor

sisstringifiedwhenitisusedinstr,[Link],so
itiscompletelymacroexpandedbeforexstritselfisexpanded(seeArgumentPrescan).Therefore,bythetime
strgetstoitsargument,ithasalreadybeenmacroexpanded.

[Link]

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