COMPILE_ET(1)

NAME
compile_et - error table compiler

SYNOPSIS
compile_et file

DESCRIPTION
compile_et converts a table listing error-code names and associated messages into a C source file suitable for use with the com_err(3) library.

The source file name must end with a suffix of “.et”; the file consists of headers and declarations supplying the name (up to four characters long) of the error-code table.

The file may have these declarations:

id string
    Specify string as a revision control system tag.

prefix string
    Prepends string to all error codes specified in the file.

error_table name
    Specifies the name of the error table.

index number
    Sets the assigned error number for the next entry.

error_code
    name, "string" Declares an error code called name with description string; up to 256 error codes are allowed.

end Indicates the end of the table.

The name of the table is used to construct the name of a subroutine initialize_XXXX_error_table which must be called in order for the com_err(3) library to recognize the error table.

The various error codes defined are assigned sequentially increasing numbers (starting with a large number computed as a hash function of the name of the table); thus for compatibility it is suggested that new codes be added only to the end of an existing table, and that no codes be removed from tables.

The names defined in the table are placed into a C header file with preprocessor directives defining them as integer constants of up to 32 bits in magnitude.

A C source file is also generated which should be compiled and linked with the object files which reference these error codes; it contains the text of the messages and the initialization subroutine. Both C files have names derived from that of the original source file, with the “.et” suffix replaced by “.c” and “.h”.

A hash mark (‘#’) in the source file is treated as a comment character; subsequent characters to the end of the source line will be ignored.

SEE ALSO
yacc(1), com_err(3) Ken Raeburn, A Common Error Description Library for UNIX.

BUGS
Since compile_et uses a very simple parser based on yacc(1), its error recovery leaves much to be desired.