assert(3X)                                                assert(3X)


       NAME
             assert - verify program assertion

       SYNOPSIS
             #include <assert.h>
             void assert(int expression);

       DESCRIPTION
             This macro is useful for putting diagnostics into programs.
             When it is executed, if expression is false (zero), assert
             prints

                   Assertion failed: expression, file xyz, line nnn

             on the standard error output and aborts.  In the error
             message, xyz is the name of the source file and nnn the source
             line number of the assert statement.  The latter are
             respectively the values of the preprocessor macros __FILE__
             and __LINE__.

             Compiling with the preprocessor option -DNDEBUG [see cc(1)],
             or with the preprocessor control statement #define NDEBUG
             ahead of the #include assert.h statement, will stop assertions
             from being compiled into the program.

       REFERENCES
             abort(3C), cc(1)

       NOTICES
             Since assert is implemented as a macro, the expression may not
             contain any string literals.

















                           Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 1