🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <44qg8v$s1m@ixnews2.ix.netcom.com>, berthold@ix.netcom.com (Richard Berthold) writes:
>
>Is there a limit to the number of characters in a physical line of C
>code which a "standard" compiler must be able to read (ie all lines
>must be less than 80 characters etc)?

Yes. All compilers must be able to handle logical source lines with at least
509 characters. Programs that have more than 509 characters in a source line
are not strictly conforming.

>Must all compilers support \ as a line continuation character? 

Yes.

>Is it
>always a continuation even if preceded by another \?

Yes. The removal of backslash-newline combinations occurrs in translation
phase 2. The only time an additional preceding backslash would be relevant is
if the whole construct occurred within a character constant or string literal.
But these preprocessing tokens do not exist until translation phase 3.

So, the following is valid code:

char *doublequote = "\\
"";

In line 1 above, there is no space after the second backslash. The first thing
that happens is the second backslash and subsequent newline annihilate each
other, leaving:

char *doublequote = "\"";

Then, we are left with a string literal containing a single
double-quote character (followed by the nul terminator, of course).

--

Chris Volpe				Phone: (518) 387-7766 (Dial Comm 8*833
GE Corporate R&D			Fax:   (518) 387-6560
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