ERROR(1) COMMAND REFERENCE ERROR(1)
NAME
error - analyze and disperse compiler error messages
SYNOPSIS
error [ -Iignorefile ] [ -S ] [ -T ] [ -n ] [ -q ] [ -s ] [
-t suffixlist ] [ -v ] [ filename ]
DESCRIPTION
Error analyzes and optionally disperses the diagnostic error
messages produced by a number of compilers and language
processors to the source file and line where the errors
occurred. It can replace the painful, traditional methods of
scribbling abbreviations of errors on paper, and permits
error messages and source code to be viewed simultaneously
without machinations of multiple windows in a screen editor.
Error looks at the error messages, either from the specified
file filename or from the standard input, and attempts to
determine which language processor produced each error
message, determines the source file and line number to which
the error message refers, determines if the error message is
to be ignored or not, and inserts the (possibly slightly
modified) error message into the source file as a comment on
the line preceding to which the line the error message
refers. Error messages which can't be categorized by
language processor or content are not inserted into any
file, but are sent to the standard output. Error touches
source files only after all input has been read. By
specifying the -q query option, the user is asked to confirm
any potentially dangerous (such as touching a file) or
verbose action. Otherwise error proceeds on its merry
business. If the -t touch option and associated suffix list
is given, error will restrict itself to touch only those
files with suffixes in the suffix list. Error also can be
asked (by specifying -v) to invoke vi(1) on the files in
which error messages were inserted; this obviates the need
to remember the names of the files with errors.
Error is intended to be run with its standard input
connected via a pipe to the error message source. Some
language processors put error messages on their standard
error file; others put their messages on the standard
output. Hence, both error sources should be piped together
into error. (see example).
Error knows about the error messages produced by: make, cc,
cpp, ccom, as, ld, lint, pi, pc and f77. Error knows a
standard format for error messages produced by the language
processors, so is sensitive to changes in these formats.
For all languages except Pascal, error messages are
restricted to be on one line. Some error messages refer to
more than one line in more than one files; error will
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ERROR(1) COMMAND REFERENCE ERROR(1)
duplicate the error message and insert it at all of the
places referenced.
Error will do one of six things with error messages.
synchronize
Some language processors produce short errors describing
which file it is processing. Error uses these to
determine the filename for languages that don't include
the filename in each error message. These
synchronization messages are consumed entirely by error.
discard
Error messages from lint that refer to one of the two
lint libraries, /usr/lib/llib-lc and /usr/lib/llib-port
are discarded, to prevent accidently touching these
libraries. Again, these error messages are consumed
entirely by error.
nullify
Error messages from lint can be nullified if they refer
to a specific function, which is known to generate
diagnostics which are not interesting. Nullified error
messages are not inserted into the source file, but are
written to the standard output. The names of functions
to ignore are taken from either the file named .errorrc
in the users's home directory, or from the file named by
the -I option. If the file does not exist, no error
messages are nullified. If the file does exist, there
must be one function name per line.
not file specific
Error messages that can't be intuited are grouped
together, and written to the standard output before any
files are touched. They will not be inserted into any
source file.
file specific
Error message that refer to a specific file, but to no
specific line, are written to the standard output when
that file is touched.
true errors
Error messages that can be intuited are candidates for
insertion into the file to which they refer.
Only true error messages are candidates for inserting into
the file they refer to. Other error messages are consumed
entirely by error or are written to the standard output.
Error inserts the error messages into the source file on the
line preceding the line the language processor found in
error. Each error message is turned into a one line comment
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ERROR(1) COMMAND REFERENCE ERROR(1)
for the language, and is internally flagged with the string
``###'' at the beginning of the error, and ``%%%'' at the
end of the error. This makes pattern searching for errors
easier with an editor, and allows the messages to be easily
removed. In addition, each error message contains the
source line number for the line the message refers to. A
reasonably formatted source program can be recompiled with
the error messages still in it, without having the error
messages themselves cause future errors. For poorly
formatted source programs in free format languages, such as
C or Pascal, it is possible to insert a comment into another
comment, which can wreak havoc with a future compilation.
To avoid this, format the source program so there are no
language statements on the same line as the end of a
comment.
Error catches interrupt and terminate signals, and if in the
insertion phase, will orderly terminate what it is doing.
OPTIONS
-Iignorefile
Specifies the file which contains the names of functions
to ignore.
-S Print error messages as they are processed, giving the
type of error and the name of the program that produced
the message (such as cc or make)
-T Terse output.
-n Do not touch any files; all error messages are sent to
the standard output.
-q The user is queried whether s/he wants to touch the
file. A ``y'' or ``n'' to the question is necessary to
continue. Absence of the -q option implies that all
referenced files (except those refering to discarded
error messages) are to be touched.
-s Print out statistics regarding the error categorization.
Not too useful.
-t suffixlist
Take the following argument as a suffix list. Files
whose suffixes do not appear in the suffix list are not
touched. The suffix list is dot separated, and ``*''
wildcards work. Thus the suffix list:
".c.y.foo*.h"
allows error to touch files ending with ``.c'', ``.y'',
``.foo*'' and ``.y''.
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ERROR(1) COMMAND REFERENCE ERROR(1)
-v After all files have been touched, overlay the visual
editor vi with it set up to edit all files touched, and
positioned in the first touched file at the first error.
If vi can't be found, try ex or ed from standard places.
EXAMPLES
The following examples put error messages resulting from
compiling the files hello.c and world.c into these files at
the line numbers where the errors occur, do not put errors
in any header (.h) files containing errors, and put the user
in the editor vi(1) at the place where the first error was
found. The first invocation is for sh(1sh), and the second
is for csh(1csh).
cc hello.c world.c 2>&1 | error -t ".c" -v
cc hello.c world.c |& error -t ".c" -v
Note that the standard output and standard error are being
redirected.
FILES
$HOME/.errorrc File containing function names to
ignore for lint error messages.
/dev/tty The user's teletype.
CAVEATS
Opens the teletype directly to do user querying.
Source files with links make a new copy of the file with
only one link to it.
Changing a language processor's format of error messages may
cause error to not understand the error message.
Error, since it is purely mechanical, will not filter out
subsequent errors caused by `floodgating' initiated by one
syntactically trivial error. Humans are still much better
at discarding these related errors.
Pascal error messages belong after the lines affected (error
puts them before). The alignment of the `|' marking the
point of error is also disturbed by error.
Error was designed for work on CRT's at reasonably high
speed. It is less pleasant on slow speed terminals, and has
never been used on hardcopy terminals.
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ERROR(1) COMMAND REFERENCE ERROR(1)
SEE ALSO
as(1), cc(1), csh(1csh), ed(1), ex(1), f77(1), ld(1),
lint(1), pc(1), sh(1sh).
Printed 10/17/86 5
%%index%%
na:72,88;
sy:160,346;
de:506,3028;3678,2750;6572,1053;
op:7625,1430;9199,289;
ex:9488,685;
fi:10173,275;
ca:10448,1029;
se:11621,267;
%%index%%000000000167