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Macros & Preproccesor

The C preprocessor is a text substitution tool that is run as a separate step before compilation. It handles preprocessing directives like #define, #include, #if, #else, and #endif. #define is used to define macros, which are names that are substituted for code. #include inserts the contents of another file. Predefined macros like __DATE__, __TIME__, __FILE__, and __LINE__ provide information about the compilation.

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24 views4 pages

Macros & Preproccesor

The C preprocessor is a text substitution tool that is run as a separate step before compilation. It handles preprocessing directives like #define, #include, #if, #else, and #endif. #define is used to define macros, which are names that are substituted for code. #include inserts the contents of another file. Predefined macros like __DATE__, __TIME__, __FILE__, and __LINE__ provide information about the compilation.

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ronge7548
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Features of C pre-processor :

The C Preprocessor is not a part of the compiler, but is a separate step in the
compilation process. In simple terms, a C Preprocessor is just a text substitution tool
and it instructs the compiler to do required pre-processing before the actual
compilation. We'll refer to the C Preprocessor as CPP.

All preprocessor commands begin with a hash symbol (#). It must be the first
nonblank character, and for readability, a preprocessor directive should begin in the
first column. The following section lists down all the important preprocessor
directives −

Sr.No
Directive & Description
.

#define
1
Substitutes a preprocessor macro.

#include
2
Inserts a particular header from another file.

#undef
3
Undefines a preprocessor macro.

#ifdef
4
Returns true if this macro is defined.

#ifndef
5
Returns true if this macro is not defined.

#if
6
Tests if a compile time condition is true.

#else
7
The alternative for #if.

#elif
8
#else and #if in one statement.

#endif
9
Ends preprocessor conditional.

#error
10
Prints error message on stderr.

#pragma
11 Issues special commands to the compiler, using a
standardized method.

Prof.Mane P.V. Page 1


Predefined Macros:

ANSI C defines a number of macros. Although each one is available for use in
programming, the predefined macros should not be directly modified002E

Sr.No
Macro & Description
.

__DATE__
1 The current date as a character literal in "MMM DD YYYY"
format.

2 __TIME__
The current time as a character literal in "HH:MM:SS" format.

3 __FILE__
This contains the current filename as a string literal.

4 __LINE__
This contains the current line number as a decimal constant.

__STDC__
5 Defined as 1 when the compiler complies with the ANSI
standard.

Let's try the following example −

Live Demo

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {

printf("File :%s\n", __FILE__ );


printf("Date :%s\n", __DATE__ );
printf("Time :%s\n", __TIME__ );
printf("Line :%d\n", __LINE__ );
printf("ANSI :%d\n", __STDC__ );

}
Macro in c is defined by the #define directive. Macro is a name given to a piece of
code, so whenever the compiler encounters a macro in a program, it will replace it
with the macro value. In the macro definition, the macros are not terminated by the
semicolon(;).
Syntax of a Macro:
#define macro_name macro_value;

Prof.Mane P.V. Page 2


Example:

#define pi 3.14;

Below we have an example program using macros in c

Example Program:

#include <stdio.h>

#define a 10 //macro definition

int main()

printf("the value of a is: %d", a);

return 0;

From the above code, “a” is a macro name and 10 is the value. Whenever the
compiler encounters a macro name, it will replace it with the macro value.

// C program to illustrate macros

#include <stdio.h>

// Macro definition

#define LIMIT 5

// Driver Code

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int main()

// Print the value of macro defined

printf("The value of LIMIT"

" is %d",

LIMIT);

return 0;

File Inclusion in C

#include causes the contents of another file to be compiled as if they actually


appeared in place of the #include directive. The way this substitution is performed is
simple, the Preprocessor removes the directive and substitutes the contents of the
named file. Compiler allows two different types of #include’s, first is standard library
header include, syntax of which is as follows,

#include <filename.h>
Here, filename.h in angle brackets causes the compiler to search for the file in a
series of standard locations specific to implementation. For example, gcc compiler
on Linux, searches for standard library files in a directory called /usr/include.

Other type of #include compiler supports is called local include, whose syntax is as
follows,

#include "filename.h"

Prof.Mane P.V. Page 4

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