macro usage - cpp faq example

[आलोक कुमार]

Hi,
This example is taken from the cpp faq by Marshall Cline, section 9.5.

// A macro that returns the absolute value of i
#define unsafe(i) \
( (i) >= 0 ? (i) : -(i) )

// An inline function that returns the absolute value of i
inline
int safe(int i)
{
return i >= 0 ? i : -i;
}

int f();

void userCode(int x)
{
int ans;

ans = unsafe(x++); // Error! x is incremented twice
ans = unsafe(f()); // Danger! f() is called twice

ans = safe(x++); // Correct! x is incremented once
ans = safe(f()); // Correct! f() is called once
}

My question: What is it that makes x get incremented twice in
ans = unsafe(x++) ?

Regards
आलोक
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[Artie Gold]

Re: macro usage - cpp faq example

आलोक कुमार wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi,
> This example is taken from the cpp faq by Marshall Cline, section 9.5.
>
> // A macro that returns the absolute value of i
> #define unsafe(i) \
> ( (i) >= 0 ? (i) : -(i) )
>
> // An inline function that returns the absolute value of i
> inline
> int safe(int i)
> {
> return i >= 0 ? i : -i;
> }
>
> int f();
>
> void userCode(int x)
> {
> int ans;
>
> ans = unsafe(x++); // Error! x is incremented twice
> ans = unsafe(f()); // Danger! f() is called twice
>
> ans = safe(x++); // Correct! x is incremented once
> ans = safe(f()); // Correct! f() is called once
> }
>
> My question: What is it that makes x get incremented twice in
> ans = unsafe(x++) ?
>[/color]
Macro expansion in C++ (as inherited from C) is pure text substitution.
In the example here, `unsafe(x++)' gets expanded to:

( (x++) >= 0 ? (x++) : -(x++) )

See the problem?

HTH,
--ag



--
Artie Gold -- Austin, Texas