MKSTR(1,C)                  AIX Commands Reference                   MKSTR(1,C)



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mkstr



PURPOSE

Creates files of error messages.

SYNTAX


         +-----+
mkstr ---|     |--- messagefile --- prefix --- file ---|
         +- - -+                            ^        |
                                            +--------+


Note:  This command does not have MBCS support.

DESCRIPTION

The mkstr command is used to create files of error messages.  It can make
programs with large numbers of error diagnostics smaller and reduce system
overhead since the error messages do not have to be swapped constantly.

The mkstr command  processes each specified file, placing a messaged version of
the input file in a file whose name consists of the specified prefix and the
original name.  A typical usage of the mkstr command would be:

  mkstr pistrings xx *.c

This example causes all 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, the mkstr
command keys on the string "%'error("'" in the input stream.  Each time the
string occurs, the C string starting at "'"'" is placed in the message file,
followed by a null character and a new-line character.  The null character
terminates the message so it can be used easily when retrieved.  The new-line
character makes it possible to use the cat command to display the contents of
the error message file.

The messaged copy of the input file then contains an lseek pointer into the
file, which can be used to retrieve the message.  For example:









Processed November 8, 1990        MKSTR(1,C)                                  1

MKSTR(1,C)                  AIX Commands Reference                   MKSTR(1,C)



  char efilname[] =  "/usr/lib/pi_strings"
  int    efil = -1;

  error(a1, a2, a3, a4)
  {
      char buf[256];
      if (efil < 0) {
          efil = open(efilname, 0);
          if (efil < 0) {
  oops:
              perror(efilname);
              exit(1);
          }
      }
      if (lseek(efil, (long) a1, 0) || read(efil, buf, 256) <= 0)
          goto oops;
      printf(buf, a2, a3, a4);
  }

The optional - causes the error messages to be placed at the end of the
specified message file for recompiling part of a large mkstr program.

RELATED INFORMATION

See the following command:  "xstr."






























Processed November 8, 1990        MKSTR(1,C)                                  2