Exception trapping in C?

[KKramsch]

One of the features from other languages that I miss most in C is
trappable exceptions. More specifically, I think it's great to be
able to demarcate a whole block of code where several exceptions
can happen at various points, so that any one of these exceptions
can be trapped and handled by the exception-handling code collected
in one place after the block. This also means that the exception
generating code can be much cleaner, since all it has to do is
raise the exception locally and bomb. In contrast, in traditional
C programming, many, if not all, function calls have to be surrounded
by error-checking and error-handling code. The error checking can
easily overwhelm the code.

Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
mechanism for exception trapping in C?

Thanks!

Karl
--
Sent from a spam-bucket account; I check it once in a blue moon. If
you still want to e-mail me, cut out the extension from my address,
and make the obvious substitutions on what's left.

[Eric Sosman]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

KKramsch wrote:[color=blue]
> One of the features from other languages that I miss most in C is
> trappable exceptions. More specifically, I think it's great to be
> able to demarcate a whole block of code where several exceptions
> can happen at various points, so that any one of these exceptions
> can be trapped and handled by the exception-handling code collected
> in one place after the block. This also means that the exception
> generating code can be much cleaner, since all it has to do is
> raise the exception locally and bomb. In contrast, in traditional
> C programming, many, if not all, function calls have to be surrounded
> by error-checking and error-handling code. The error checking can
> easily overwhelm the code.
>
> Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
> mechanism for exception trapping in C?[/color]

Many people have used setjmp() and longjmp() to build
exception facilities of varying degrees of sophistication.
The lack of "linguistic " support means that setjmp() and
longjmp() must be used with great care, and that the compiler
is usually unable to warn you about misuse. There are also
some nasty issues about the values of non-volatile variables
after longjmp().

A more modest function-local error-handling scheme can
be built with the `goto' statement. Each fallible operation
must still be tested for failure, but the action upon failure
can be to `goto' a chunk of all-purpose recovery code. This
code will clean up by freeing dynamic memory, closing opened
files, and so on, and typically returns a failure code as the
function value. Unlike setjmp()/longjmp() schemes, this sort
of thing is "linguistically " supported and the compiler can
detect some errors (e.g., trying to `goto' a label that's not
in the same function).

--
Eric.Sosman@sun .com

[jacob navia]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

KKramsch wrote:[color=blue]
> One of the features from other languages that I miss most in C is
> trappable exceptions. More specifically, I think it's great to be
> able to demarcate a whole block of code where several exceptions
> can happen at various points, so that any one of these exceptions
> can be trapped and handled by the exception-handling code collected
> in one place after the block. This also means that the exception
> generating code can be much cleaner, since all it has to do is
> raise the exception locally and bomb. In contrast, in traditional
> C programming, many, if not all, function calls have to be surrounded
> by error-checking and error-handling code. The error checking can
> easily overwhelm the code.
>
> Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
> mechanism for exception trapping in C?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Karl[/color]

The lcc-win32 compiler implements the exception handling proposed
by Microsoft for the windows system, and implemented in most windows
compilers
__try {
// protected block
}
__except(EXCEPT _EXECUTE_HANDLE R) {
exception handling block
}

In future versions this will be extended to try/catch.

The problems with setjmp/longjmp (that also can be used to build
exception handling mechanisms) is that you have to write code to
handle all exceptions one by one.

It would be nice if the C language would standardize the use
of catch/throw, but surely this is too much asking, hence this
non portable solution.

For a discussion about this see
ftp://ftp.cs.virginia.edu:/pub/lcc-win32/tutorial.pdf

See there 1.34.5 Structured exception handling.

[Dave Vandervies]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

In article <41b0b94d$0$905 8$8fcfb975@news .wanadoo.fr>,
jacob navia <jacob@jacob.re mcomp.fr> wrote:[color=blue]
>KKramsch wrote:[/color]
[color=blue][color=green]
>> Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
>> mechanism for exception trapping in C?[/color][/color]
[color=blue]
>The lcc-win32 compiler implements the exception handling proposed
>by Microsoft for the windows system,[/color]

I'm sure if the OP wanted an implementation-specific answer, he'd've
posted in an implementation-specific group.

Please restrict your comments in comp.lang.c to the C language itself;
there are plenty of other, more appropriate, places to discuss proprietary
extensions.


dave

--
Dave Vandervies dj3vande@csclub .uwaterloo.ca
I later told my sister (23 years old) that I had got a personal reply from
Dennis Ritchie. She said she didn't believe it. What is funny is that my sister
... probably doesn't even know who Dennis Ritchie is. --Joona Palaste in CLC

[Merrill & Michele]

Re: Exception trapping in C?


"Eric Sosman" <eric.sosman@su n.com> wrote in message
news:coqb7u$8r9 $1@news1brm.Cen tral.Sun.COM...[color=blue]
> KKramsch wrote:[color=green]
> > One of the features from other languages that I miss most in C is
> > trappable exceptions. More specifically, I think it's great to be
> > able to demarcate a whole block of code where several exceptions
> > can happen at various points, so that any one of these exceptions
> > can be trapped and handled by the exception-handling code collected
> > in one place after the block. This also means that the exception
> > generating code can be much cleaner, since all it has to do is
> > raise the exception locally and bomb. In contrast, in traditional
> > C programming, many, if not all, function calls have to be surrounded
> > by error-checking and error-handling code. The error checking can
> > easily overwhelm the code.
> >
> > Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
> > mechanism for exception trapping in C?[/color]
>
> Many people have used setjmp() and longjmp() to build
> exception facilities of varying degrees of sophistication.
> The lack of "linguistic " support means that setjmp() and
> longjmp() must be used with great care, and that the compiler
> is usually unable to warn you about misuse. There are also
> some nasty issues about the values of non-volatile variables
> after longjmp().
>
> A more modest function-local error-handling scheme can
> be built with the `goto' statement. Each fallible operation
> must still be tested for failure, but the action upon failure
> can be to `goto' a chunk of all-purpose recovery code. This
> code will clean up by freeing dynamic memory, closing opened
> files, and so on, and typically returns a failure code as the
> function value. Unlike setjmp()/longjmp() schemes, this sort
> of thing is "linguistically " supported and the compiler can
> detect some errors (e.g., trying to `goto' a label that's not
> in the same function).[/color]

Douglas Gwyn in news:2YudnTjaca 2vkS3cRVn-1w@comcast.com
quote
The need for exception handling is amply demonstrated
by the number of independent kludge implementations
of it, based on setjmp/longjmp since that is the only
fe[a]sible way to do anything of the kind in Standard C,
combined with the evident deficiencies of such kludges.

One hindering factor would be the matter of C++
compatibility, which is hard if not impossible to
achieve without extending C in ways we have in the
past rejected.
end quote

As for me, I wonder why C is lightning-fast while a change to C would be
only be described as glacial if the passage of time could be reckoned in the
language at all. MPJ

[KKramsch]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

In <5sednUDTu9yXXC 3cRVn-oQ@comcast.com> "Merrill & Michele" <beckjensen@com cast.net> writes:[color=blue]
>Douglas Gwyn in news:2YudnTjaca 2vkS3cRVn-1w@comcast.com
>quote
>The need for exception handling is amply demonstrated
>by the number of independent kludge implementations
>of it, based on setjmp/longjmp since that is the only
>fe[a]sible way to do anything of the kind in Standard C,
>combined with the evident deficiencies of such kludges.[/color]

Can anyone point me to any one such (open/vendor-independent)
implementations ? I'm thinking that such a kluge, imperfect as it
may be, could be useful if used carefully during development and
testing and then disabled in the production code.

Karl

--
Sent from a spam-bucket account; I check it once in a blue moon. If
you still want to e-mail me, cut out the extension from my address,
and make the obvious substitutions on what's left.

[Merrill & Michele]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

[color=blue]
> "KKramsch"[color=green]
> > "Merrill & Michele" <beckjensen@com cast.net> writes:
> >Douglas Gwyn in news:2YudnTjaca 2vkS3cRVn-1w@comcast.com
> >quote
> >The need for exception handling is amply demonstrated
> >by the number of independent kludge implementations
> >of it, based on setjmp/longjmp since that is the only
> >fe[a]sible way to do anything of the kind in Standard C,
> >combined with the evident deficiencies of such kludges.[/color]
>
> Can anyone point me to any one such (open/vendor-independent)
> implementations ? I'm thinking that such a kluge, imperfect as it
> may be, could be useful if used carefully during development and
> testing and then disabled in the production code.[/color]

When you get some code to look at, send it along. Keep in mind C89:

4 An invocation of the setjmp macro shall appear only in one of
the following contexts:

- the entire controlling expression of a selection or iteration
statement;

- one operand of a relational or equality operator with the
other operand an integer constant expression, with the
resulting expression being the entire controlling expression
of a selection or iteration statement;

- the operand of a unary ! operator with the resulting expression
being the entire controlling expression of a selection or
iteration statement; or

- the entire expression of an expression statement (possibly
cast to void).

The OPer of this I call Vlad the Impaler. He has extraordinary respect for
such matters, and I would not cross him. MPJ

[Dan Pop]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

In <coq9mq$cmp$1@r eader1.panix.co m> KKramsch <karlUNDERSCORE kramsch@yahooPE RIODcom.invalid > writes:
[color=blue]
>Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
>mechanism for exception trapping in C?[/color]

Why bother? If you need C++, you know where to find it.

BTW, C++ exceptions are one of the major headaches of the C++
implementors.

Dan
--
Dan Pop
DESY Zeuthen, RZ group
Email: Dan.Pop@ifh.de
Currently looking for a job in the European Union

[Keith Thompson]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

jacob navia <jacob@jacob.re mcomp.fr> writes:[color=blue]
> KKramsch wrote:[/color]
[...][color=blue][color=green]
>> Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
>> mechanism for exception trapping in C?
>> Thanks!
>> Karl[/color]
>
> The lcc-win32 compiler implements the exception handling proposed
> by Microsoft for the windows system, and implemented in most windows
> compilers
> __try {
> // protected block
> }
> __except(EXCEPT _EXECUTE_HANDLE R) {
> exception handling block
> }[/color]

That's nice, but the previous poster asked about implementing it *in C*.

--
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keit h) kst-u@mib.org <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
San Diego Supercomputer Center <*> <http://users.sdsc.edu/~kst>
We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do this.

[jacob navia]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

Dave Vandervies wrote:[color=blue]
> In article <41b0b94d$0$905 8$8fcfb975@news .wanadoo.fr>,
> jacob navia <jacob@jacob.re mcomp.fr> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>KKramsch wrote:[/color]
>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
>>>mechanism for exception trapping in C?[/color][/color]
>
>[color=green]
>>The lcc-win32 compiler implements the exception handling proposed
>>by Microsoft for the windows system,[/color]
>
>
> I'm sure if the OP wanted an implementation-specific answer, he'd've
> posted in an implementation-specific group.
>[/color]

If you had cared to *read* what the original poster wrote you would
have seen:
[color=blue]
> One of the features from other languages that I miss most in C is
> trappable exceptions.[/color]

That was the first sentence of his post.
[color=blue]
> Please restrict your comments in comp.lang.c to the C language itself;
> there are plenty of other, more appropriate, places to discuss proprietary
> extensions.[/color]

I do not see any propietary extensions in a construct that is widely
used by all windows compilers. I am not claiming any copyright in
that either.

jacob

[William Ahern]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

KKramsch <karlUNDERSCORE kramsch@yahoope riodcom.invalid > wrote:[color=blue]
> In <5sednUDTu9yXXC 3cRVn-oQ@comcast.com> "Merrill & Michele" <beckjensen@com cast.net> writes:[color=green]
> >Douglas Gwyn in news:2YudnTjaca 2vkS3cRVn-1w@comcast.com
> >quote
> >The need for exception handling is amply demonstrated
> >by the number of independent kludge implementations
> >of it, based on setjmp/longjmp since that is the only
> >fe[a]sible way to do anything of the kind in Standard C,
> >combined with the evident deficiencies of such kludges.[/color][/color]
[color=blue]
> Can anyone point me to any one such (open/vendor-independent)
> implementations ? I'm thinking that such a kluge, imperfect as it
> may be, could be useful if used carefully during development and
> testing and then disabled in the production code.[/color]

You can download a nice implementation from

http://cexcept.sourceforge.net/

The "official" site is

http://www.nicemice.net/cexcept/

Alternate implementations are also listed.

[Flash Gordon]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

On Fri, 03 Dec 2004 22:57:31 +0100
jacob navia <jacob@jacob.re mcomp.fr> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Dave Vandervies wrote:[color=green]
> > In article <41b0b94d$0$905 8$8fcfb975@news .wanadoo.fr>,
> > jacob navia <jacob@jacob.re mcomp.fr> wrote:
> >[color=darkred]
> >>KKramsch wrote:[/color]
> >
> >[color=darkred]
> >>>Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
> >>>mechanism for exception trapping in C?[/color]
> >
> >[color=darkred]
> >>The lcc-win32 compiler implements the exception handling proposed
> >>by Microsoft for the windows system,[/color]
> >
> >
> > I'm sure if the OP wanted an implementation-specific answer, he'd've
> > posted in an implementation-specific group.
> >[/color]
>
> If you had cared to *read* what the original poster wrote you would
> have seen:[/color]

I'm sure Dave did read the post, since his answer, unlike yours, shows
an understanding of what was being asked for.
[color=blue][color=green]
> > One of the features from other languages that I miss most in C is
> > trappable exceptions.[/color]
>
> That was the first sentence of his post.[/color]

Yes, which provided context but did not ask anything.
[color=blue][color=green]
> > Please restrict your comments in comp.lang.c to the C language
> > itself; there are plenty of other, more appropriate, places to
> > discuss proprietary extensions.[/color]
>
> I do not see any propietary extensions in a construct that is widely
> used by all windows compilers.[/color]

I'm not aware of it being available in gcc, a compiler I have been using
for a few years to produce *native* windows executables.
[color=blue]
> I am not claiming any copyright in
> that either.[/color]

No, you are once again suggesting using extensions and trying to promote
your compiler when someone asks for a *C* solution.
--
Flash Gordon
Living in interesting times.
Although my email address says spam, it is real and I read it.

[CBFalconer]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

jacob navia wrote:[color=blue]
> KKramsch wrote:
>[color=green]
> > One of the features from other languages that I miss most in C is
> > trappable exceptions. More specifically, I think it's great to be
> > able to demarcate a whole block of code where several exceptions
> > can happen at various points, so that any one of these exceptions
> > can be trapped and handled by the exception-handling code collected
> > in one place after the block. This also means that the exception
> > generating code can be much cleaner, since all it has to do is
> > raise the exception locally and bomb. In contrast, in traditional
> > C programming, many, if not all, function calls have to be surrounded
> > by error-checking and error-handling code. The error checking can
> > easily overwhelm the code.
> >
> > Is there any way to implement something like C++'s try/catch
> > mechanism for exception trapping in C?[/color]
>
> The lcc-win32 compiler implements the exception handling proposed
> by Microsoft for the windows system, and implemented in most windows
> compilers[/color]
.... snip ...

A better answer, which would not generate the usual chorus of
off-topic protests about this system, would have been:

"I supply a non-standard C system restricted to windows which
includes exception handling. You can find out about it on the
comp.compilers. lcc newsgroup. Cross-posted there and follow-ups
set, since it is OT on c.l.c."

This has been so cross-posted with follow-ups set.

--
Chuck F (cbfalconer@yah oo.com) (cbfalconer@wor ldnet.att.net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
<http://cbfalconer.home .att.net> USE worldnet address!

[KKramsch]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

In <3d6782-9er.ln1@wilbur. 25thandClement. com> William Ahern <william@wilbur .25thandClement .com> writes:
[color=blue]
>KKramsch <karlUNDERSCORE kramsch@yahoope riodcom.invalid > wrote:[color=green]
>> In <5sednUDTu9yXXC 3cRVn-oQ@comcast.com> "Merrill & Michele" <beckjensen@com cast.net> writes:[color=darkred]
>> >Douglas Gwyn in news:2YudnTjaca 2vkS3cRVn-1w@comcast.com
>> >quote
>> >The need for exception handling is amply demonstrated
>> >by the number of independent kludge implementations
>> >of it, based on setjmp/longjmp since that is the only
>> >fe[a]sible way to do anything of the kind in Standard C,
>> >combined with the evident deficiencies of such kludges.[/color][/color][/color]
[color=blue][color=green]
>> Can anyone point me to any one such (open/vendor-independent)
>> implementations ? I'm thinking that such a kluge, imperfect as it
>> may be, could be useful if used carefully during development and
>> testing and then disabled in the production code.[/color][/color]
[color=blue]
>You can download a nice implementation from[/color]
[color=blue]
>http://cexcept.sourceforge.net/[/color]
[color=blue]
>The "official" site is[/color]
[color=blue]
>http://www.nicemice.net/cexcept/[/color]
[color=blue]
>Alternate implementations are also listed.[/color]

Great! Thanks!

Karl

--
Sent from a spam-bucket account; I check it once in a blue moon. If
you still want to e-mail me, cut out the extension from my address,
and make the obvious substitutions on what's left.

[Friedrich Dominicus]

Re: Exception trapping in C?

>[color=blue]
> Great! Thanks![/color]
Let me add:
http://home.rochester.rr.com/bigbyofrocny/GEF/GEF.html

Am however not sure how standard conformant it really is.

Regards
Friedrich

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