1\input texinfo  @c -*-texinfo-*-
2@c %**start of header
3@setfilename libiberty.info
4@settitle @sc{gnu} libiberty
5@c %**end of header
6
7@syncodeindex fn cp
8@syncodeindex vr cp
9@syncodeindex pg cp
10
11@finalout
12@c %**end of header
13 
14@dircategory GNU libraries
15@direntry
16* Libiberty: (libiberty).          Library of utility functions which
17                                   are missing or broken on some systems.
18@end direntry
19
20@macro libib
21@code{libiberty}
22@end macro
23
24@c The edition date is written in three locations.  Search for 'thedate'.
25@ifinfo
26This manual describes the GNU @libib library of utility subroutines.
27This edition accompanies GCC 3, September 2001.
28
29Copyright @copyright{} 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
30
31      Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
32      under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
33      or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
34      with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no
35      Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the
36      section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
37
38@ignore
39Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the
40results, provided the printed document carries a copying permission
41notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
42(this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
43
44@end ignore
45@end ifinfo
46
47
48@c The edition date is written in three locations.  Search for 'thedate'.
49@titlepage
50@title @sc{gnu} libiberty
51@subtitle September 2001
52@subtitle for GCC 3
53@author Phil Edwards et al.
54@page
55
56
57@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
58Copyright @copyright{} 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
59
60      Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
61      under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
62      or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
63      with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no
64      Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the
65      section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
66
67@end titlepage
68@contents
69@page
70
71@ifnottex
72@node    Top,Using,,
73@top     Introduction
74
75The @libib{} library is a collection of subroutines used by various
76GNU programs.  It is available under the Library General Public
77License; for more information, see @ref{Library Copying}.
78
79@c The edition date is written in three locations.  Search for 'thedate'.
80This edition accompanies GCC 3, September 2001.
81
82@end ifnottex
83
84@menu
85* Using::              How to use libiberty in your code.
86
87* Overview::           Overview of available function groups.
88
89* Functions::          Available functions, macros, and global variables.
90
91* Obstacks::           Object Stacks.
92
93* Licenses::           The various licenses under which libiberty sources are
94                       distributed.
95
96* Index::              Index of functions and categories.
97@end menu
98
99@node Using
100@chapter Using
101@cindex using libiberty
102@cindex libiberty usage
103@cindex how to use
104
105@c THIS SECTION IS CRAP AND NEEDS REWRITING BADLY.
106
107To date, @libib{} is generally not installed on its own.  It has evolved
108over years but does not have its own version number nor release schedule.
109
110Possibly the easiest way to use @libib{} in your projects is to drop the
111@libib{} code into your project's sources, and to build the library along
112with your own sources; the library would then be linked in at the end.  This
113prevents any possible version mismatches with other copies of libiberty
114elsewhere on the system.
115
116Passing @option{--enable-install-libiberty} to the @command{configure}
117script when building @libib{} causes the header files and archive library
118to be installed when @kbd{make install} is run.  This option also takes
119an (optional) argument to specify the installation location, in the same
120manner as @option{--prefix}.
121
122For your own projects, an approach which offers stability and flexibility
123is to include @libib{} with your code, but allow the end user to optionally
124choose to use a previously-installed version instead.  In this way the
125user may choose (for example) to install @libib{} as part of GCC, and use
126that version for all software built with that compiler.  (This approach
127has proven useful with software using the GNU @code{readline} library.)
128
129Making use of @libib{} code usually requires that you include one or more
130header files from the @libib{} distribution.  (They will be named as
131necessary in the function descriptions.)  At link time, you will need to
132add @option{-liberty} to your link command invocation.
133
134
135@node Overview
136@chapter Overview
137
138Functions contained in @libib{} can be divided into three general categories.
139
140
141@menu
142* Supplemental Functions::       Providing functions which don't exist
143                                 on older operating systems.
144
145* Replacement Functions::        These functions are sometimes buggy or
146                                 unpredictable on some operating systems.
147
148* Extensions::                   Functions which provide useful extensions
149                                 or safety wrappers around existing code.
150@end menu
151
152@node Supplemental Functions
153@section Supplemental Functions
154@cindex supplemental functions
155@cindex functions, supplemental
156@cindex functions, missing
157
158Certain operating systems do not provide functions which have since
159become standardized, or at least common.  For example, the Single
160Unix Specification Version 2 requires that the @code{basename}
161function be provided, but an OS which predates that specification
162might not have this function.  This should not prevent well-written
163code from running on such a system.
164
165Similarly, some functions exist only among a particular ``flavor''
166or ``family'' of operating systems.  As an example, the @code{bzero}
167function is often not present on systems outside the BSD-derived
168family of systems.
169
170Many such functions are provided in @libib{}.  They are quickly
171listed here with little description, as systems which lack them
172become less and less common.  Each function @var{foo} is implemented
173in @file{@var{foo}.c} but not declared in any @libib{} header file; more
174comments and caveats for each function's implementation are often
175available in the source file.  Generally, the function can simply
176be declared as @code{extern}.
177
178
179
180@node Replacement Functions
181@section Replacement Functions
182@cindex replacement functions
183@cindex functions, replacement
184
185Some functions have extremely limited implementations on different
186platforms.  Other functions are tedious to use correctly; for example,
187proper use of @code{malloc} calls for the return value to be checked and
188appropriate action taken if memory has been exhausted.  A group of
189``replacement functions'' is available in @libib{} to address these issues
190for some of the most commonly used subroutines.
191
192All of these functions are declared in the @file{libiberty.h} header
193file.  Many of the implementations will use preprocessor macros set by
194GNU Autoconf, if you decide to make use of that program.  Some of these
195functions may call one another.
196
197
198@menu
199* Memory Allocation::            Testing and handling failed memory
200                                   requests automatically.
201* Exit Handlers::                Calling routines on program exit.
202* Error Reporting::              Mapping errno and signal numbers to
203                                   more useful string formats.
204@end menu
205
206@node Memory Allocation
207@subsection Memory Allocation
208@cindex memory allocation
209
210The functions beginning with the letter @samp{x} are wrappers around
211standard functions; the functions provided by the system environment
212are called and their results checked before the results are passed back
213to client code.  If the standard functions fail, these wrappers will
214terminate the program.  Thus, these versions can be used with impunity.
215
216
217@node Exit Handlers
218@subsection Exit Handlers
219@cindex exit handlers
220
221The existence and implementation of the @code{atexit} routine varies
222amongst the flavors of Unix.  @libib{} provides an unvarying dependable
223implementation via @code{xatexit} and @code{xexit}.
224
225
226@node Error Reporting
227@subsection Error Reporting
228@cindex error reporting
229
230These are a set of routines to facilitate programming with the system
231@code{errno} interface.  The @libib{} source file @file{strerror.c}
232contains a good deal of documentation for these functions.
233
234@c signal stuff
235
236
237@node Extensions
238@section Extensions
239@cindex extensions
240@cindex functions, extension
241
242@libib{} includes additional functionality above and beyond standard
243functions, which has proven generically useful in GNU programs, such as
244obstacks and regex.  These functions are often copied from other
245projects as they gain popularity, and are included here to provide a
246central location from which to use, maintain, and distribute them.
247
248@menu
249* Obstacks::                     Stacks of arbitrary objects.
250@end menu
251
252@c This is generated from the glibc manual using a make-obstacks-texi.sh
253@c script of Phil's.  Hope it's accurate.
254@include obstacks.texi
255
256@node Functions
257@chapter Function, Variable, and Macro Listing.
258@include functions.texi
259
260@node Licenses
261@appendix Licenses
262
263@menu
264
265* Library Copying::   The GNU Library General Public License
266* BSD::               Regents of the University of California
267
268@end menu
269
270@c This takes care of Library Copying.  It is the copying-lib.texi from the
271@c GNU web site, with its @node line altered to make makeinfo shut up.
272@include copying-lib.texi
273
274@page
275@node BSD
276@appendixsec BSD
277
278Copyright @copyright{} 1990 Regents of the University of California.
279All rights reserved.
280
281Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
282modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
283are met:
284
285@enumerate
286
287@item
288Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
289notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
290
291@item
292Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
293notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
294documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
295
296@item
297[rescinded 22 July 1999]
298
299@item
300Neither the name of the University nor the names of its contributors
301may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
302without specific prior written permission.
303
304@end enumerate
305
306THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE REGENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
307ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
308IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
309ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE REGENTS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
310FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
311DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
312OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
313HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
314LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY
315OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
316SUCH DAMAGE.
317
318@node Index
319@unnumbered Index
320
321@printindex cp
322
323@bye
324
325