(m4.info)Other Incompat


Other incompatibilities
=======================

   There are a few other incompatibilities between this implementation
of `m4', and the System V version.

   * GNU `m4' implements sync lines differently from System V `m4',
     when text is being diverted.  GNU `m4' outputs the sync lines when
     the text is being diverted, and System V `m4' when the diverted
     text is being brought back.

     The problem is which lines and filenames should be attached to
     text that is being, or has been, diverted.  System V `m4' regards
     all the diverted text as being generated by the source line
     containing the `undivert' call, whereas GNU `m4' regards the
     diverted text as being generated at the time it is diverted.

     I expect the sync line option to be used mostly when using `m4' as
     a front end to a compiler.  If a diverted line causes a compiler
     error, the error messages should most probably refer to the place
     where the diversion were made, and not where it was inserted again.

   * GNU `m4' makes no attempt at prohiting autoreferential definitions
     like:

          define(`x', `x')
          define(`x', `x ')

     There is nothing inherently wrong with defining `x' to return `x'.
     The wrong thing is to expand `x' unquoted.  In `m4', one might
     use macros to hold strings, as we do for variables in other
     programming languages, further checking them with:

          ifelse(defn(`HOLDER'), `VALUE', ...)

     In cases like this one, an interdiction for a macro to hold its own
     name would be a useless limitation.  Of course, this leave more
     rope for the GNU `m4' user to hang himself!  Rescanning hangs may
     be avoided through careful programming, a little like for endless
     loops in traditional programming languages.

   * GNU `m4' without `-G' option will define the macro `__gnu__' to
     expand to the empty string.

     On UNIX systems, GNU `m4' without the `-G' option will define the
     macro `__unix__', otherwise the macro `unix'.  Both will expand to
     the empty string.


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