🚀 go-pugleaf

>> I am tired of these stupid (to not say more) error messages provided
>> by the objective-C compiler !

>> I enjoyed messages like:

>> 	"Illegal syntax at or near @implementation" 
	
>> when the error is in fact located far before the '@implementation' keyword
>> (located in one of the imported files imported at the beginning of the file).

>> or message like ...
>> 	"expected ) found toto."

>> ... this message appears after a declaration like:
>> 	toto * pointer;
>> and means that the type toto has not been declared before !
>> Could'nt the compiler say that the type 'toto' has not been defined
>> before ?

>> Even now, with two years pratice of Objective-C, I am tired of
>> the incoherence of these error messages.
>> Please Stepstone, do something for error messages in your compiler !!!

>> Olivier_Bordes@hpgnd.hp.com             (Hewlett-Packard Grenoble)

Thanks for your input. The Objective-C compiler uses a recursive descent parser
which reaches certain conclusions in the parsing process.  The message you
complain about says that BASED ON WHAT IT HAS SEEN SO FAR, the only legal
token is a right paren. It has no way of knowing whether "toto" is wrong or
something it has seen previously is wrong. 

We are coming out with a maintanence version of Objective-C version 4.3. It
does not address the enhancement to the error diagnostics.  Unfortunately, this
is not a simple matter of changing error messages.  The maintenance release is
more directed on fixing ICpak101, C Preprocessor, objcc, and Objective-C known 
problems. The expected date of release will be in November/December of 
this year.  It incorporates many bug fixes and enhancements that customers 
asked of us previously.

In regards to the error messages, we have made minor improvements in this 
area also.  The documentation will be a new reprint and has reported errors 
corrected in it along with a better description of static binding and 
optimizing Objective-C code.  
-- 
The Stepstone Corporation                    Michael Goda
75 Glen Rd.                                  mikeg@stepstone.com
Sandy Hook, CT 06482                         uunet!stpstn!mikeg
(203) 426-1875    fax (203)270-0106