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\input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
@include version.texi
@c %**start of header
@setfilename chpp.info
@settitle CHPP Tutorial and Reference
@c %**end of header
@defindex ma
@iftex
@afourpaper
@end iftex
@ifinfo
This file documents the @code{chpp} Preprocessor.
Copyright (C) 1997, 1998, Mark Probst
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
are preserved on all copies.
@end ifinfo
@titlepage
@title chpp
@subtitle Tutorial (in spe) and Reference
@subtitle last updated @value{UPDATED} for version @value{VERSION}
@author Mark Probst (schani@@unix.cslab.tuwien.ac.at)
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
Copyright @copyright{} 1997, 1998 Mark Probst
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
are preserved on all copies.
@end titlepage
@node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Top, , (dir), (dir)
@menu
* Introduction:: Overview
* Guided Tour:: A Guided Tour through @code{chpp}
* Examples:: A few examples illustrating @code{chpp} features
* Invoking chpp:: @code{chpp} command line syntax
* Language Reference:: Detailed description of @code{chpp} syntax and semantics
* Extending chpp::
* Special Forms::
* Macro Reference:: Detailed description of all @code{chpp} macros
* Internal Variables:: Detailed description of all internal variables
* Package Reference:: Description of all standard @code{chpp} packages
* Macro Index::
@end menu
@c ************* Introduction
@node Introduction, Guided Tour, Top, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Introduction, Macro Reference, Top, Top
@chapter Introduction
@code{chpp} is a preprocessor. Therefore, its main purpose is to modify
input text by including other input files and by macro expansion.
Programs performing these tasks already exist, among them the popular C
Preprocessor (@code{cpp}) and @code{m4}, which have proven to be
convenient and valuable tools suitable for a variety of tasks. The
motivation for @code{chpp} is thus questionable.
What distinguishes @code{chpp} from at least the two programs mentioned
above are mainly two features:
@itemize @bullet
@item
@code{chpp} is non-intrusive. This means that you can take your
favourite text and it is very unlikely that it will be changed when
piped through @code{chpp}. Due to this feature it is pretty easy to
start using @code{chpp} since you can just start writing your text and
need not concern yourself with @code{chpp} sitting in the background
changing it for no obvious reason.
@item
@code{chpp} is not just a package for performing simple macro expansion,
but can indeed be considered a full-fledged programming language. Most
importantly, it provides support for complex data structures, namely
lists and hashes (associative arrays), which can be nested arbitrarily.
@end itemize
@code{chpp} consists of two parts which could, in some sense, be
regarded as two separate passes over the input file. This is not
entirely true, though, since the two parts are intertwined and cannot be
separated. The first part, which performs command processing, is similar
to what @code{cpp} does. It allows the inclusion of other files, simple
macro definitions and conditional inclusion and exclusion of parts of
the input. The second part does macro processing and is the actual
workhorse and core of @code{chpp}.
Although macro processing on its own could do anything that can be
accomplished with commands, the latter are not only easier to use but
also easier to read and therefore improve clarity.
@menu
* The Name:: What @code{chpp} stands for
* Uses:: Uses for @code{chpp}
* Non Uses:: What @code{chpp} should not be used for
* Planned Features:: Planned but not yet implemented features
* Obtaining chpp:: How to get @code{chpp}
* History:: The History of @code{chpp}
* Bugs:: Known bugs in @code{chpp}
* Reporting Bugs:: How to report bugs to the authors
* Licence:: Licencing terms and warranty of @code{chpp}
* The Authors:: About the authors of @code{chpp}
* Acknowledgements:: We would like to thank...
@end menu
@node The Name, Uses, Introduction, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section What @code{chpp} stands for
@code{chpp} does @strong{not} stand for Chakotay Preprocessor.
@node Uses, Non Uses, The Name, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Uses for @code{chpp}
@code{chpp} can be used very well as
@itemize @bullet
@item
a preprocessor for HTML (@pxref{Web Site}). This was, by the way, our
original motivation for @code{chpp} (@pxref{History}).
@item
a CGI scripting language. @code{chpp} will become even more attractive
for this kind of application when the planned database interface
(@pxref{Planned Features}) is available.
@item
a generator of Quake(tm) configuration files.
@item
a producer of funny sentences (@pxref{Tautogen}).
@item
and a lot more@dots{}
@end itemize
@node Non Uses, Planned Features, Uses, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section What @code{chpp} should not be used for
@code{chpp} should, due to its nature, not be used for
@itemize @bullet
@item
interactive applications.
@item
applications where text output is only a secondary function.
@item
applications which require speed. Unfortunately, @code{chpp} is not a
fast program. However, this may change in the future
(@pxref{Planned Features}).
@end itemize
@node Planned Features, Obtaining chpp, Non Uses, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Planned but not yet Implemented Features
We will, in some of the next releases, improve the performance of
@code{chpp} by yet another factor of two for typical applications.
It will be possible to write new built-in macros in C, which @code{chpp}
will load dynamically at run-time (@pxref{Extending chpp}).
We would also like to add a few extension packages to @code{chpp}, which
will make it more suitable for and easier to apply to various
applications, most notably CGI scripting, HTML generation and database
interfacing.
@node Obtaining chpp, History, Planned Features, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Obtaining @code{chpp}
@code{chpp} is available for free download on the world-wide-web. Point
your web-browser at @url{http://chakotay.ml.org/} (or
@url{http://chakotay.ml.org/chpp/} if you are using an ancient
browser). From there you can download the latest version of @code{chpp}.
@node History, Bugs, Obtaining chpp, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section The History of @code{chpp}
Not much here, yet.
@node Bugs, Reporting Bugs, History, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Problems and Known Bugs
@code{chpp} is far from error-free in its current version. It works
quite reliably now when not stressed too far, though. The biggest
problem is currently that @code{chpp}'s error handling is
insufficient. @code{chpp} does not report some errors, while others
cause it to crash or to hang up in an endless loop. We do, of course,
plan to change this in the future.
@node Reporting Bugs, Licence, Bugs, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Reporting Bugs
Before you tell us about a bug, please check that you are using the
latest version of @code{chpp} (@pxref{Obtaining chpp}). If this is not
the case, please upgrade and try again.
Please do not report bugs that concern @code{chpp}'s error handling. We
know that it is unreliable and buggy and we will change that. You
should, however, report any incident where @code{chpp} does anything
wrong with a script which you believe is correct. In such a case, please
write us an email containing the script that causes @code{chpp} to fail
and any additional files that your script needs. Better yet, try to
narrow the bug down to the smallest script possible. Do also include
information on the configuration you ran @code{chpp} on, especially if
the bug only happens to show up with this configuration. The email
address you should send your bug-report to is
@email{chpp@@unix.cslab.tuwien.ac.at}.
@node Licence, The Authors, Reporting Bugs, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Licence and Warranty
@code{chpp} is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
@code{chpp} is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with @code{chpp}; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
@node The Authors, Acknowledgements, Licence, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section The Authors
@code{chpp} was designed and implemented by Heinz Deinhart
(@email{heinz@@unix.cslab.tuwien.ac.at}) and Mark Probst
(@email{schani@@unix.cslab.tuwien.ac.at}). Check out the @code{chpp}
homepage (@pxref{Obtaining chpp}) for more information.
@node Acknowledgements, , The Authors, Introduction
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Acknowledgements
Our thanks go to Tatjana Svizensky for proofreading (an older edition
of) this manual and to Herbert P@"otzl for donating the hash-table
functions, which we were too lazy, erm, too busy to implement, and for
not reading the examples chapter of this document.
@c ************* Guided Tour
@node Guided Tour, Examples, Introduction, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Macro Reference, Concept Index, Introduction, Top
@chapter A Guided Tour through @code{chpp}
@c ************* Examples
@node Examples, Invoking chpp, Guided Tour, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Macro Reference, Concept Index, Introduction, Top
@chapter Examples
This chapter gives a few more practical examples of the use of
@code{chpp}, illustrating a few of its many possible applications.
@menu
* Song Lyrics::
* Web Site::
* Tautogen::
@end menu
@node Song Lyrics, Web Site, Examples, Examples
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Song Lyrics
Let us assume you have gathered a collection of song lyrics by various
performers as text files. You wish to generate not only HTML files for
all the songs but also an index page for each performer which contains,
sorted by album, hyperlinks to all the song HTML files.
The song files you have collected all look like this:
@example
Gloria
I try to sing this song.
I try to stand up.
But I can't find my feet.
I try, I try to speak up.
But only in you I'm complete.
...
@end example
Furthermore, assume you have created a directory for each performer
containing a directory for each album where the song files reside. The
names of the directories not necessarily match the corresponding
performer's name or the album's, as these often contain spaces, which
are uncommon in file names. The same applies to the song file
names. Thus, our first task is to somehow associate the names of the
performers, albums and songs with the song files. We have a bonus for
the song names since these are included in the song files themselves (in
the first line). For simplicity we will include this information in the
files themselves, namely as HTML comments containing assignments in
@code{chpp} syntax. To modify the files, we will use the following
@code{chpp} script:
@example
#include files.chh
%<file=%fopen(%SONGFILENAME)>\
%<songname=%sremovews(%fgets(%file))>\
<!-- %%<song=%songname>%%<album=%ALBUM>%%<perf=%PERF> -->
%frest(%file)\
%fclose(%file)\
@end example
The variables @code{SONGFILENAME}, @code{ALBUM} and @code{PERF} must be
set via the command-line. We can now convert all files in one album with
the following shell-command (assuming we are in the correct directory
and that all song files have the extension @file{.txt}):
@example
$ pwd
/home/schani/lyrics/u2/october
$ for fn in *.txt ; do
> chpp -DSONGFILENAME=$fn -DALBUM='October' \
> -DPERF='U2' ../../convert.ch >../$fn
> done
@end example
Note that we have generated the modified files in the performer's
directory. After we have done this for all albums, we can delete the
album directories. The song files now look like this:
@example
<!-- %<song=Gloria>%<album=October>%<perf=U2> -->
I try to sing this song.
I try to stand up.
But I can't find my feet.
I try, I try to speak up.
But only in you I'm complete.
...
@end example
We will now generate HTML files for the songs. For simplicity, we will
generate a simple HTML file which contains the song text in a
@code{<pre>} block:
@example
#include files.chh
%<file=%fopen(%SONGFILENAME)>%void(%@{%fgets(%file)@})\
\
<html> <head>
<title>%song - %album - %perf</title>
</head> <body>
<h1>%song</h1>
<pre>
%frest(%file)\
</pre>
</body>
</html>
%fclose(file)\
@end example
Since the information about the song title, album and performer is coded
as @code{chpp} code in the first line, we can obtain it by just
evaluating it and ignoring its result. With this script we can now
generate HTML files for all songs of one performer with the following
@code{bash} command:
@example
$ pwd
/home/schani/lyrics/u2
$ for fn in *.txt ; do
> chpp -DSONGFILENAME=$fn ../template.ch >$@{fn%.txt@}.html
> done
@end example
Finally, we need to generate an index file for each performer containing
hyperlinks to all songs. This file is generated by the following
@code{chpp} script:
@example
#include files.chh
%<albums=%hash()>\
%<file=%fpipe(/bin/sh,-c,ls *.txt)>\
%foreach(songfilename,%ssplit(%'[ \n]+',%sremovews(%frest(file))),
%<songfile=%fopen(%songfilename)>\
%void(%@{%fgets(%songfile)@})\
%fclose(%songfile)\
%<regs=%list()>%void(%smatch(%'(.*)\\.',%songfilename,%®s))\
%<htmlfile=%regs[1].html>\
%if(%hcontains(%albums,%album),
%<albums@{%album@}@{%song@}=%htmlfile>
,
%<albums@{%album@}=%hash(%song,%htmlfile)>
)\
)\
%fclose(file)\
\
<html>
<head>
<title>%perf</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>%perf</h1>
%foreach(album,%lsort(%hkeys(%albums)),\
<h2>%album</h2>%'\n'<blockquote>%'\n'\
%foreach(song,%lsort(%hkeys(%albums@{%album@})),\
<p><a href="%albums@{%album@}@{%song@}">%song</a>%'\n'\
)\
</blockquote>%'\n'\
)\
</body>
</html>
@end example
The first part of the file gets all information about the songs in the
current directory. It generates an entry in the hash @code{%albums} for
each album, which in turn is a hash containing all names of the HTML
files indexed by the song names. The second part just iterates through
this table, producing an @code{<h2>} for each album and an anchor for
each song within.
@node Web Site, Tautogen, Song Lyrics, Examples
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Web Site
Suppose you were to create a web-site with three main pages: News, Tips
and Tricks. Each of these pages should have a layout similar to this:
@example
N N EEEE W W SSS News
NN N E W W S
N N N EEE W W W SSS _Tips_
N NN E W W W S
N N EEEE W W SSS _Tricks_
--------------------------------------------
This is good news!
--------------------------------------------
News | _Tips_ | _Tricks_
@end example
The header consists of a big graphic banner denoting the title of this
particular page. On the right side of the banner are three little
graphics, each standing for one of the pages. Two of them lead to the
other two pages, whereas the one for the actual page is not functional
and grayed out.
The footer consists of a textual link bar with two active links and one
'inactive link' (normal text) for the actual page.
Although these three pages are easy to implement with conventional
methods, this becomes increasingly difficult when there are more pages
or even hierarchical structures of pages. Therefore, we will use this as
an example of how to easily create HTML pages with @code{chpp}, leaving
more sophisticated designs to the gentle reader.
Ideally, we would like, say, the news source file (which we name
@file{news.csml}), as rendered above, to look like this:
@example
#include header.chml
This is good news!
#include footer.chml
@end example
This way, we need not be concerned with the design of the header and
footer when we work on the pages and we can easily modify the header and
footer in one central place, although they apply to our whole web-site.
Now we need a place where we can enter all the names of the main pages
of our web-site and associate them with their corresponding files. We
call this file @file{menu.chml}:
@example
%addmenuentry(News,news.csml)
%addmenuentry(Tips,tips.csml)
%addmenuentry(Tricks,tricks.csml)
@end example
We simply assume that the generated HTML files will have the same
base-name as the sources but the extension @file{.html}. We furthermore
assume that for each main-page we have three additional graphics
available, namely one containing the large banner and two containing the
small icons, where one of the two is grayed out. These images have the
format JPEG, hence the extension @file{.jpg}. Their base-names consist
of the base-names of their main-pages followed by one of the suffixes
@file{_l}, @file{_s} and @file{_s_g}, where @file{l} denotes large,
@file{s} small and @file{g} gray.
The include-file @file{header.chml} fulfills two purposes: Firstly, it
must process the information of the file @file{menu.chml} and secondly,
it must generate the header of the HTML file. Since the latter depends
on the former, we will first focus our attention on processing the
information of @file{menu.chml}. Each main page will be represented by a
hash containing the keys @code{filename}, @code{name},
@code{htmlfilename}, @code{imglarge}, @code{imgsmall} and
@code{imgsmallgray}, the meanings of which should be obvious. We will
collect all these hashes in a list named @code{menu}, which will contain
these hashes in the order in which they were entered in
@file{menu.chml}. Since @file{menu.chml} is already in @code{chpp}
syntax, all we need to do is to define a macro @code{addmenuentry} which
creates such a hash and appends it to the list @code{menu}:
@example
%<menu=%list()>\
%define(addmenuentry,name,filename,
%<regs=%list()>%void(%smatch(%'(.*)\\.csml$',%filename,%®s))\
%<basename=%regs[1]>\
%lappend(%&menu,
%hash(filename,%filename,
name,%name,
htmlfilename,%basename.html,
imglarge,%<basename>_l.jpg,
imgsmall,%<basename>_s.jpg,
imgsmallgray,%<basename>_s_g.jpg))
)\
@end example
Now we can include @file{menu.chml} for its side-effects:
@example
%void(
#include menu.chml
)\
@end example
Finally, for convenience, we define a variable @code{thisentry} which
contains the hash that applies to the currently processed page:
@example
%<thisentry=%foreach(menuentry,%menu,
%if(%equal(%menuentry@{filename@},%mainfilename),%menuentry))>\
@end example
Now we are set and can generate the header of the HTML file:
@example
<html>
<head>
<title>%thisentry@{name@}</title>
</head>
<body>
<table>
<td>
<img src="%thisentry@{imglarge@}" alt="%thisentry@{name@}">
<td>
#include choicestrip.chml
</table>
<hr>
@end example
The file @file{choicestrip.chml} generates a vertical table consisting
of the small images for the main-pages with links. It is quite simple:
@example
<table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0>
%foreach(menuentry,%menu,
<tr><td>\
%if(%equal(%menuentry@{filename@},%thisentry@{filename@}),
<img src="%menuentry@{imgsmallgray@}" alt="%menuentry@{name@}">
,
<a href="%menuentry@{htmlfilename@}">\
<img border=0 src="%menuentry@{imgsmall@}" alt="%menuentry@{name@}">\
</a>
)
)
</table>
@end example
The footer is even more simple: It contains a horizontal rule and a
choice-bar:
@example
<hr>
#include choicebar.chml
</body>
</html>
@end example
@file{choicebar.chml} is similar to @file{choicestrip.chml}:
@example
#include list.chh
<h5><center>
%<barentries=%list()>\
%foreach(menuentry,%menu,
%lappend(%&barentries,
%if(%equal(%menuentry@{filename@},%thisentry@{filename@}),
%menuentry@{name@}
,
<a href="%menuentry@{htmlfilename@}">%menuentry@{name@}</a>
)
)
)\
%listJoin(%' | ',%barentries)
</center></h5>
@end example
All we need now is a comfortable way to create all HTML files from the
sources. That is what makefiles are for. They have the additional
advantage that files are regenerated only if needed, i.e. when one of
the files that the file to be created depends on has changed. A makefile
for @code{gnumake} suitable for our simple purposes would look like
this:
@example
CHFILES=header.chml footer.chml choicebar.chml choicestrip.chml
all : news.html tips.html tricks.html
%.html : %.csml
../../macros -o $@ $<
news.html tricks.html tips.html : $(CHFILES)
clean :
rm -f news.html tips.html tricks.html
@end example
@node Tautogen, , Web Site, Examples
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Tautogen
Suppose we have a simple context-sensitive grammar, which we want to use
to generate sentences, which is quite the opposite of parsing sentences
of that grammar. To illustrate this more clearly, let us assume we have
a file like this:
@example
--sentence
$subject $verb $object.
$subject, while $gerund $object, $verb $object.
$subject watches $object $gerund $object.
--subject
$person
The $adjective $person
--object
$person
--person
Butthead
Mrs Krabappel
Charlie Brown
Mrs Robinson
--adjective
observant
naive
embarassed
--verb
kisses
kicks
envies
--gerund
holding
zapping
hugging
smashing
@end example
The file is separated into several categories containing so-called
productions for so-called non-terminals. The first non-terminal is
called the start non-terminal, which is, in our case, @code{sentence}.
We start by randomly picking one of the right-hand-sides of the
productions of the start non-terminal (i.e. one of the lines following
the introduction of @code{sentence}). Now we repeat the following cycle
until our string contains no more placeholders (words prefixed by the
dollar sign (@code{$})): Replace the first placeholder by the
right-hand-side of a randomly picked production for that placeholder.
The process could evolve like this:
@example
$sentence
$subject, while $gerund $object, $verb $object.
The $adjective $person, while $gerund $object, $verb $object.
The naive $person, while $gerund $object, $verb $object.
The naive Charlie Brown, while $gerund $object, $verb $object.
The naive Charlie Brown, while hugging $object, $verb $object.
The naive Charlie Brown, while hugging $person, $verb $object.
The naive Charlie Brown, while hugging Mrs Robinson, $verb $object.
The naive Charlie Brown, while hugging Mrs Robinson, kicks $object.
The naive Charlie Brown, while hugging Mrs Robinson, kicks $person.
The naive Charlie Brown, while hugging Mrs Robinson, kicks Butthead.
@end example
It is easy to see that this simple algorithm even allows for recursive
grammars.
This example is not a typical application for a pre-processor. It should
rather demonstrate that @code{chpp} can be used very successfully for
tackling problems not within its direct field of application, i.e. that
it is suitable for more general problems.
You may have noticed that our grammar file is not in @code{chpp} syntax,
so we have the choice of either converting it or parsing it at
run-time. Since the former has the disadvantage of being more
complicated in usage (the grammar would have to be converted each time
it is changed) and is not easier to implement than the latter, the
choice is obvious.
The first step of our application is reading in the grammar file, which
we call @file{grammar}. Its content will be stored in a hash
@code{data}, where the keys are the names of the non-terminals and the
values are the lists of the right-hand-sides of the corresponding
productions.
@example
%<file=%fopen(grammar)>\
%<current=runaway>\
%<data=%hash(runaway,%list())>\
%until(%feof(%file),
%<line=%sremovews(%fgets(%file))>\
%<regs=%list()>\
%if(%[%smatch(%'^--([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)',%line,%®s)!=-1],
%<current=%regs[1]>\
%<data@{%current@}=%list()>\
%if(%not(%bound(start)),%<start=%current>)
,
%if(%line,%<data@{%current@}[%llength(%data@{%current@})]=%line>)
)
)\
%fclose(%file)\
@end example
We then proceed to define some variables and macros. First, if the
variable @code{n}, which will denote the number of sentences generated,
is not defined (it could be defined on the command-line), it is set to
@code{10}:
@example
%if(%not(%bound(n)),%<n=10>)\
@end example
The macro @code{some}, when called with the name of a non-terminal,
returns the right-hand-side of a random production for that
non-terminal:
@example
%define(some,nt,%data@{%nt@}[%random(%llength(%data@{%nt@}))])\
@end example
The generation of the sentences is now a fairly trivial task:
@example
#include strings.chh
%for(i,1,%n,
%<current=%some(%start)>\
%<regs=%list()>\
%while(%<mp=%smatch(%'\\$([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)',%current,%®s)>%[mp!=-1],
%<current=%replacesubstring(%current,%mp,%slength(%regs[0]),
%some(%regs[1]))>
)\
%current%'\n\n'
)\
@end example
@c ************* Invoking chpp
@node Invoking chpp, Language Reference, Examples, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@chapter Syntax Reference
@chapter Invoking @code{chpp}
To get a quick overview of @code{chpp} command line syntax, just type
@example
chpp --help
@end example
The general @code{chpp} syntax is
@example
chpp [@var{option} ...] [@var{filename} ...]
@end example
@code{chpp} reads and processes all specified files in sequential order,
as if they were one file. If no file is specified, @code{chpp} reads
from standard input. Output is written to standard output if not
otherwise specified.
The following is a summary and description of all available @code{chpp}
options:
@table @code
@item --version
Prints out the version number of the invoked @code{chpp}.
@item --help
Prints out a summary of @code{chpp} command line syntax.
@item --output @var{filename}
@itemx -o @var{filename}
Specifies that output should be written to file @var{filename}.
@item --include-dir @var{dir}
@itemx -I @var{dir}
Adds @var{dir} to the list of standard include directories.
@item -D @var{name}=@var{value}
Defines the @code{chpp} variable @var{name} with the value @var{value}.
@item --generate-dependencies
@itemx -M
Generates a dependency list suitable for @code{make} like @code{cpp}.
@end table
@c ************* Language Reference
@node Language Reference, Extending chpp, Invoking chpp, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@chapter Syntax Reference
@chapter Language Reference
Files processed with @code{chpp} are passed through two stages, which
are, however, not sequential in nature but can rather be viewed as
coroutines. The first stage processes commands
(@pxref{Commands}). Command processing is a sequential process, i.e. no
loops or recursions occur. The second stage is macro processing
(@pxref{The Meta-Char}) and allows for loops as well as for recursion.
@menu
* Commands::
* The Meta-Char::
* Data Types::
* Variables::
* Arithmetic Expansion::
* Quotation::
* Explicit Evaluation::
@end menu
@node Commands, The Meta-Char, Language Reference, Language Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Commands
Command processing is line-oriented. It affects only lines which have,
as their first non-whitespace character, the command-char
(@code{#}). All other lines are passed through literally. Another
function of command processing is the concatenation of lines: If the
last character of a line is the backslash (@code{\}), then the
backslash, the following newline and all leading whitespace of the next
line are ignored.
A line invoking a command consists of optional whitespace at the
beginning, the command-char @code{#}, optional whitespace, the command
name, whitespace and the command arguments (if any). Thus, the following
lines are all commands (given that the command names exist):
@example
#abc
#def arg
# ghi too many arguments
@end example
while the following lines are not:
@example
this is a line without commands.
although this line contains a # it is not a command.
@end example
@menu
* Comments::
* Command Reference::
@end menu
@node Comments, Command Reference, Commands, Commands
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Comments
The command @code{!} (exclamation mark) is a special case among
commands, as it does nothing, independent of its parameters, i.e. can be
used to write comments, or, if used in the first line of a file, to
specify the command line to be used if the containing file is
executed. Thus, this is a "Hello world" program in @code{chpp}:
@example
#! /usr/local/bin/chpp
Hello world!
@end example
After setting the executable bit for this file, it can be called like
any command and will produce the output
@example
Hello world!
@end example
Note that the exclamation mark must be followed by whitespace.
@node Command Reference, , Comments, Commands
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Command Reference
@deffn Command include @var{filename}
Includes the file @var{filename}. If @var{filename} is relative, it is
first searched for in the directory of the including file, then in the
directories contained in the include search path (@pxref{Invoking chpp}).
If the file is not found, an error message is produced.
@end deffn
@deffn Command define @var{name} @var{value}
Defines the global variable @var{name} to contain whatever @var{value}
evaluates to.
@end deffn
@deffn Command if @var{condition}
Evaluates @var{condition}. If its boolean value is FALSE, it skips
everything up to the corresponding @code{end}.
@end deffn
@deffn Command ifdefined @var{symbol}
@deffnx Command ifdef @var{symbol}
If a variable with the name @var{symbol} does not exist, skips
everything up to the corresponding @code{end}.
@end deffn
@deffn Command ifnotdefined @var{symbol}
@deffnx Command ifndef @var{symbol}
If a variable with the name @var{symbol} exists, skips everything
up to the corresponding @code{end}.
@end deffn
@deffn Command error @var{message}
Produces an error message with the text @var{message}.
@end deffn
@deffn Command discard
@deffnx Command disc
Discards everything up to the corresponding @code{end}.
@end deffn
@node The Meta-Char, Data Types, Commands, Language Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section The Meta-Char
The second stage processes everything that is passed through by the
first stage. It is called macro processing because its main use is the
expansion of macros. There is just one special character for this stage,
namely the meta-char (@code{%}). Only character sequences beginning with
the meta-char are modified by the macro processing stage. All other
characters are simply passed through. Since @code{chpp} was designed to
be non-intrusive, even uses of the meta-char which do not correspond to
the uses described in this chapter are copied verbatim. For example:
@example
Temperature today is 10% above average.
@result{} Temperature today is 10% above average.
@end example
In cases where it is absolutely necessary that the meta-char not be
interpreted as special, it can be quoted with itself (i.e. @code{%%}),
yielding one meta-char. Example:
@example
%<heinz=deinz>\
%%heinz evals to %heinz.
@result{} %heinz evals to deinz.
@end example
@node Data Types, Variables, The Meta-Char, Language Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Data Types
The only primitive type in @code{chpp} is the string. Values of that
type are referred to as scalars (@pxref{Scalars}). Values of any type
can be combined arbitrarily to lists (@pxref{Lists}) and hashes
(@pxref{Hashes}). Closures (@pxref{Closures}) also form a data type as
they can be stored and used, even though they cannot be directly
manipulated.
@menu
* Scalars::
* Lists::
* Hashes::
* Closures::
@end menu
@node Scalars, Lists, Data Types, Data Types
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Scalars
Scalars are strings of arbitrary length (including the length 0).
@node Lists, Hashes, Scalars, Data Types
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Lists
Lists are ordered collections of arbitrary values indexed by consecutive
numbers starting at 0. It follows that lists cannot have gaps.
@node Hashes, Closures, Lists, Data Types
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Hashes
Hashes are ordered collections of arbitrary values indexed by arbitrary
scalars, i.e. they establish a so-called key/value mapping.
@node Closures, , Hashes, Data Types
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Closures
A closure is a piece of code associated with an environment in which it
is to be executed, as created by @code{lambda} (or @code{define}, for
that matter). Thus, the names macro and closure actually stand for the
same thing, although one usually tends to call anonymous macros
(i.e. values returned by @code{lambda}) closures, whereas named closure
(i.e. @code{define}d macros) are usually called macros.
@node Variables, Arithmetic Expansion, Data Types, Language Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Variables
In order to be able to retain values for subsequent use it is necessary
to store them in variables.
@menu
* Accessing Variables::
* Subscription::
* Copies and References::
* Macro Invocation::
* Subscribing Non-Variables::
* Assignment::
* Scoping::
@end menu
@node Accessing Variables, Subscription, Variables, Variables
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Accessing Variables
There are two different syntactic forms of variable access, called the
short and the long form.
The short form consists of the meta-char followed by an optional
ampersand (@code{&}) followed by the variable name, e.g. @code{%name} or
@code{%&name}. The variable name is taken as-is, i.e. is not
evaluated. The variable name ends with the first char that is not a
letter, a digit or the underscore (@code{_}). If a variable with the
given name does not exist, the whole string is not interpreted as a
variable access and is copied verbatim, i.e. @code{%name} evaluates to
@code{%name} if there is no variable with the name @code{name}.
The long form consists of the meta-char followed by the optional
ampersand and the variable name within angle brackets,
e.g. @code{%<name>} or @code{%<&name>}. The variable name is evaluated
before the variable is looked up, making it possible, for example, to
use variable names containing right angle brackets: The term
@code{%<%'>>>'>} accesses the variable @code{>>>}. If a variable with
the name does not exists, an error message is issued. @strong{Note:}
Although it is possible to use macros to construct variable names
(e.g. @code{%<%name>}), this feature is deprecated. Please don't use it.
@node Subscription, Copies and References, Accessing Variables, Variables
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection List and Hash Subscription
If the variable is a list or a hash, it can be subscribed by appending
the index in brackets or curly braces to the name, in both the short and
the long form. In order to access nested data structures, any number of
such indexes can be used in one access, for example
@code{%name[3]@{foo@}}.
@node Copies and References, Macro Invocation, Subscription, Variables
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Copies and References
Accessing a variable or a subscript without an ampersand produces a
shallow copy of its value, i.e. accessing a list produces a copy of the
list containing the elements of the original list. Example:
@example
%<lst1=%list(a,b,c)>%<lst2=%lst1>\
%same(%&lst1,%&lst2) : %same(%&lst1[0],%&lst2[0])
@result{} 0 : 1
@end example
Accessing a variable or subscript with an ampersand produces the same
value, i.e. can be used to bind two names to the same value:
@example
%<str1=abc>%<str2=%&str1>\
%same(%&str1,%&str2)
@result{} 1
@end example
There are several important issues to this:
@itemize @bullet
@item
Copying values is of course slower than just reusing the same
value. @code{chpp}'s built-in macros, however, are wise enough not to
copy their arguments when they don't need to. For example, calling
@code{llength} never copies its argument.
@item
Circular data structures can be built easily. Care has to be taken when
processing these structures, or one might end up in an endless loop.
@item
Memory management becomes more complicated when arbitrary
cross-references in data-structures are allowed. This, however, need not
concern the @code{chpp} user, as it employs garbage collection to free
unused memory.
@end itemize
@node Macro Invocation, Subscribing Non-Variables, Copies and References, Variables
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Macro Invocation
A macro can be invoked by appending, in the short or long form of
variable access, to the variable name or subscript a left parenthesis
followed by the actual arguments separated by commas followed by a right
parenthesis, e.g. @code{%list(a,b)}. The value that is yielded by the
macro invocation cannot be subscribed further, i.e. @code{%list(a,b)[1]}
is not allowed. However, see @ref{Subscribing Non-Variables} for a
method to achieve this goal.
Arguments of a macro-call are processed as follows: First, all leading
and trailing whitespace from all arguments is removed. Then, the
remaining strings are evaluated and the results are passed as arguments
to the macro. In order to pass an argument with leading or trailing
whitespace to a macro, it must be quoted. For example:
@example
%define(foobar,arg,"%arg")
%foobar( xyz )
@result{} "xyz"
%foobar( )
@result{} ""
%foobar( %' ' )
@result{} " "
%foobar(%' xyz ')
@result{} " xyz "
@end example
@node Subscribing Non-Variables, Assignment, Macro Invocation, Variables
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Subscribing Non-Variables
It is possible to subscribe values that are not variables, for example
ones that are returned from macros, by using a modified long form of
variable access. Instead of the variable name the expression yielding
the value enclosed in parentheses is used. Upon evaluation, the
expression is evaluated and all following subscriptions are applied to
its value. Example:
@example
%<(%list(a,b))[1]>
@result{} b
@end example
@node Assignment, Scoping, Subscribing Non-Variables, Variables
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Assignment
Assignment syntax is an enhancement of the long form of variable access.
The last subscription (or the variable name, if no subscription is used)
is followed by an equal sign (@code{=}) which is followed by an
expression yielding the value to be assigned.
When assignment is attempted to an element of a list which is out of
bounds, the list is enlarged. Elements between the formerly last element
and the newly added element default to the empty string. Indexes less
then 0 are not allowed.
Assigning to a key in a hash which is not part of it, adds the key/value
pair to the hash.
It is not possible to assign to a subscript of a value which is not
subscribeable, i.e. it is not possible to do @code{%<bar[3]=foo>} if
@code{bar} is not a list. To make @code{bar} an empty list, simply do
@code{%<bar=%list()>}.
Assignment usually changes a binding, be it in an environment or in a
list or hash. This means that the sequence
@example
%<value=%list()>%<value=%hash()>
@end example
first binds the name @code{value} to a newly created list and then
rebinds @code{value} to a newly created hash, leaving the old list
intact. When using the ampersand-form, however, the old value is changed
to the new value, which is a destructive process. Example:
@example
%<value=abc>%<ref=%&value>%<&value=123>%ref
@result{} 123
@end example
When an assignment to a variable is executed for which there is no
binding, a new binding in the global environment is created for this
variable name.
@node Scoping, , Assignment, Variables
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection Scoping Rules
@code{chpp} uses lexical scoping, using an environmental model, very
similar to Scheme's. An environment contains bindings for names to
values and a reference to its parent environment. The only environment
without parent is the global environment. Execution always takes place
in some environment. If a variable name has to be resolved, the current
environment is checked for whether it contains a binding for that
name. If it does not, its parent is checked, and so on until the global
environment is reached. If it does not contain a corresponding binding,
the variable name cannot be resolved and an error message is produced.
New environments are created upon several occasions:
@itemize @bullet
@item
The execution of a @code{locals} expression. The new environment is set
up to contain bindings for all the variables mentioned as parameters to
@code{locals}. The parent environment of the new environment is the
environment active at the time of execution of the expression. The
environment is active throughout the body of the @code{locals}
expression.
@item
The execution of a closure (i.e. the value returned by an invocation of
@code{lambda} or the value bound to a name as a result of an invocation
of @code{define}). The environment is set up to contain bindings for all
the parameters of the closure. The parent environment of this new
environment is the environment active at the time of the generation of
the closure, i.e. of the invocation of @code{lambda}. That makes it
possible to do things like this:
@example
%define(newcounter,%locals(c,%<c=0>%lambda(%<c=%[c+1]>%c)))\
%<counter=%newcounter()>\
%counter() %counter() %counter()
@result{} 1 2 3
@end example
The parent environment for the environments of the closure invocations
is the environment created by @code{locals}, mapping @code{c} to
@code{0}, which is itself created every time @code{newcounter} is
executed. Thus, in a way, @code{counter} carries a state, namely its
private variable @code{c}. Had we called @code{newcounter} a second
time, a second counter would have been created, with its own @code{c},
initally set to @code{0}, completely independent of the first.
@item
The execution of @code{for}, @code{foreach} and @code{foreachkey}
expressions (@pxref{Special Forms}).
@end itemize
@node Arithmetic Expansion, Quotation, Variables, Language Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Arithmetic Expansion
@code{chpp} permits the evaluation of arithmetic expressions by
enclosing the expression in square brackets (@code{[]}) preceded by the
meta-char. The expression is first evaluated according to @code{chpp}
rules and the resulting value is treated as an arithmetic expression
which, in turn, yields a number. Whitespace between operators and
operands is ignored. The following table is a summary of all available
operators together with their arity. They are sorted by precedence, the
first line being of the highest precedence. All binary operators
evaluate from left to right. All operators have the same meaning as the
corresponding operators in the C language.
@multitable @columnfractions .2 .8
@item @strong{Operators} @tab @strong{Arity}
@item @code{!}, @code{~}, @code{-} @tab unary
@item @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{%} @tab binary
@item @code{+}, @code{-} @tab binary
@item @code{<}, @code{>}, @code{<=}, @code{>=} @tab binary
@item @code{==}, @code{!=} @tab binary
@item @code{&} @tab binary
@item @code{^} @tab binary
@item @code{|} @tab binary
@item @code{&&} @tab binary
@item @code{||} @tab binary
@end multitable
Precedence of operators can be overridden by using parentheses
(@code{()}).
In order to make arithmetic expressions more readable, it is allowed to
refer to the values of variables within an arithmetic expression by
writing its name---without a preceding meta-char. Note that subscription
and macro invocation using this syntax is not allowed.
Some examples:
@example
%[1+2]
@result{} 3
%[1.5+3.3]
@result{} 4.800000
%[3==3]
@result{} 1
%[3!=3]
@result{} 0
%[(1+2)*(3+4)]
@result{} 21
%<x=4>%[%x+1]
@result{} 5
%<x=4>%[x+1]
@result{} 5
@end example
@node Quotation, Explicit Evaluation, Arithmetic Expansion, Language Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Quotation
To prevent some string from evaluation, it can be quoted by enclosing it
in a pair of single-quotes (@code{''}), preceded by the meta-char. The
only special characters after the first double-quote are the quote-char
(the backslash, @code{\}) and the closing double-quote. The quote-char
gives special meanings to some characters following it: an @code{n}
becomes a newline character and a @code{t} is interpreted as a
tabulator. All other character preceded by the quote-char stand for
themselves. This includes the quote-char and the double-quote,
i.e. @code{%'\\\''} evaluates to @code{\'}.
@node Explicit Evaluation, , Quotation, Language Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Explicit Evaluation
In order to evaluate a string twice, for example to evaluate the
contents of a variable, the string must be enclosed in curly braces
(@code{@{@}}), preceded by the meta-char. Example:
@example
%<a=abc>%<b=%%a>%@{%b@}
@result{} abc
@end example
@c ************* Special Forms
@node Extending chpp, Special Forms, Language Reference, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@chapter Extending @code{chpp}
@c ************* Special Forms
@node Special Forms, Macro Reference, Extending chpp, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@chapter Special Forms
Special forms, although syntactically equivalent to macros, differ from
macros in that their arguments are not automatically evaluated before
they are called. The evaluation of their arguments usually depend on
some condition of some other argument.
@defspec if (@var{condition},@var{consequent}[,@var{alternative}])
Evaluates @var{condition} and, if its boolean value is TRUE, evaluates
@var{consequent}. Otherwise, @var{alternative} is evaluated, if
specified.
@end defspec
@defspec cond ([@var{condition},@var{consequent}[,...]])
Evaluates the @var{condition}s one at a time and checks for their
boolean value. If a @var{condition} with a value of TRUE is encountered,
its corresponding @var{consequent} is evaluated and its result
returned. If no @var{condition} evaluates to TRUE, nothing is
done. Example:
@example
%<number=23>\
%cond(%[number < 10],less than 10,
%[number < 50],less than 50 but greater than 9,
else,greater than 49)
@result{} less than 50 but greater than 9
@end example
@end defspec
@defspec case (@var{string},@var{list},@var{consequent}[,...[,@code{else},@var{alternative}]])
Evaluates @var{string} to a scalar. Then, one at a time evaluates each
@var{list} and checks whether @var{string} is contained in the resulting
list. If it is, the corresponding @var{consequent} is evaluated and its
result returned. If the @code{else} clause is specified and the string
is contained in no list, its @var{alternative} is evaluated. Otherwise,
nothing is done. Example:
@example
%<number=7>\
%case(%number,
%list(0,2,4,6,8),even,
%list(1,3,5,7,9),odd)
@result{} odd
@end example
@end defspec
@defspec for (@var{counter},@var{start},@var{stop},[@var{increment},]@var{body})
Evaluates @var{counter}, @var{start}, @var{stop} and, if specified,
@var{increment}. The values of @var{start}, @var{stop} and
@var{increment} must be integer numbers. If @var{increment} is not
specified, an increment of @math{1} is used if @var{start} is greater
than @var{stop}, otherwise @math{-1}. Then counts, beginning with
@var{start}, while the value of the counter is before or equal to
@var{stop} in the counting direction. For each step, evaluates
@var{body} in a new environment where @var{counter} is bound to the
value of the counter.
A few examples:
@example
%for(i,1,10,%i%' ')
@result{} 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
%for(i,10,1,%i%' ')
@result{} 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
%for(i,1,10,2,%i%' ')
@result{} 1 3 5 7 9
%for(i,10,1,-2,%i%' ')
@result{} 10 8 6 4 2
%for(i,1,10,0,%i%' ')
@error{} increment in for-loop cannot be zero
%for(i,10,1,1,%i%' ')
@result{}
@end example
@end defspec
@defspec foreach (@var{counter},@var{list},@var{body})
Evaluates @var{counter} and @var{list}, which must yield a list. Then
iterates over this list evaluating @var{body} in a new environment in which
@var{counter} is bound to the current list element.
@end defspec
@defspec foreachkey (@var{counter},@var{hash},@var{body})
Evaluates @var{counter} and @var{hash}, which must yield a hash. Then
iterates over all keys in the hash evaluating @var{body} in a new environment
in which @var{counter} is bound to the current hash key.
@end defspec
@defspec while (@var{condition},@var{expr})
Evaluates @var{condition}. If this yields a boolean value of TRUE,
@var{expr} is evaluated, otherwise the loop is finished. Then repeats the
cycle.
@end defspec
@defspec until (@var{condition},@var{expr})
Evaluates @var{condition}. If this yields a boolean value of TRUE, the
loop is finished, otherwise @var{expr} is evaluated. Then repeats the
cycle.
@end defspec
@defspec dowhile (@var{expr},@var{condition})
Evaluates @var{expr}, then evaluates @var{condition}. If this yields
a boolean value of TRUE, the cycle is repeated.
@end defspec
@defspec dountil (@var{expr},@var{condition})
Evaluates @var{expr}, then evaluates @var{condition}. If this yields a
boolean value of TRUE, the loop is finished, otherwise the cycle is
repeated.
@end defspec
@defspec and ([@var{expr}[,...]])
Evaluates the @var{expr}s from left to right. For the first @var{expr}
evaluating to boolean FALSE, returns @code{0}. If all @var{expr}s
evaluate to boolean TRUE, returns @code{1}. This means that if one
@var{expr} evaluates to FALSE, all @var{expr}s to its right do not get
evaluated. If @code{and} is called without parameters, it returns
@code{1}.
@end defspec
@defspec or ([@var{expr}[,...]])
Evaluates the @var{expr}s from left to right. For the first @var{expr}
evaluating to boolean TRUE, returns @code{1}. If all @var{expr}s
evaluate to boolean FALSE, returns @code{0}. This means that if one
@var{expr} evaluates to TRUE, all @var{expr}s to its right do not get
evaluated. If @code{or} is called without parameters, it returns
@code{0}.
@end defspec
@defspec define (@var{name},@var{argname}[,@var{argname}...],@var{body})
Defines a macro with the name @var{name} and the specified argument
names. The body @var{body} is not evaluated.
If the last @var{argname} matches the pattern
@var{lstname}@code{:}[@var{lower}]@code{:}[@var{upper}] then the macro
takes a variable number of arguments. All @var{argname}s but the last
are treated as single arguments. The last @var{argname} corresponds to a
number of arguments not less than @var{lower} and not greater than
@var{upper}. When the macro is called, these arguments are bound to the
@var{lstname} in the form of a list. If @var{lower} is not given, zero
arguments for @var{lstname} are allowed. If @var{upper} is not given,
there is no upper limit on the number of arguments.
Examples:
@example
%define(mac,a,b,a=%a b=%b)
@end example
defines a macro @code{mac} taking exactly two arguments.
@example
%define(mac,a,b,c:2:3,a=%a b=%b c=%encode(%c))
%mac(1,2,3,4)
@result{} a=1 b=2 c=%list(%'3',%'4')
@end example
defines a macro @code{mac} taking four or five arguments.
@example
%define(mac,a,b,c::3,a=%a b=%b c=%encode(%c))
@end example
defines a macro @code{mac} taking at most five arguments.
@example
%define(mac,a,b,c:2:,a=%a b=%b c=%encode(%c))
@end example
defines a macro @code{mac} taking at least four arguments.
@end defspec
@defspec lambda (@var{argname}[,@var{argname}...],@var{body})
Creates an anonymous macro (closure) with the specified argument names
and the body @var{body}, which is not evaluated.
If the last @var{argname} matches the pattern
@var{lstname}@code{:}[@var{lower}]@code{:}[@var{upper}] then the closure
takes a variable number of arguments. The semantics of this feature are
equal to that of @code{define}.
The definition
@example
%define(mac,a,b,a=%a b=%b)
@end example
is semantically equivalent to
@example
%<mac=%lambda(a,b,a=%a b=%b)>
@end example
@end defspec
@defspec locals (@var{symbol}[,@var{symbol}...],@var{body})
Evaluates @var{body} in a new scope with the specified local variables.
@end defspec
@c ************* Macro Reference
@node Macro Reference, Internal Variables, Special Forms, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Macro Reference, Concept Index, Introduction, Top
@chapter Macros
@menu
* List Operations::
* Hash Operations::
* File Operations::
* String Operations::
* Miscellaneous::
@end menu
@node List Operations, Hash Operations, Macro Reference, Macro Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section List Operations
@defmac list ([@var{element},...])
Returns a list containing all specified @var{element}s in the specified
order, beginning with index 0. Note that @code{%list()} returns an empty
list while @code{%list(%'')} returns a list with one element, which is
the empty string.
@end defmac
@defmac llength (@var{list})
Returns the number of elements in the list @var{list}.
@end defmac
@defmac linsert (@var{list},@var{index},@var{element})
Inserts the element @var{element} into the list @var{list} at index
@var{index}. If @var{index} is greater or equal the length of
@var{list}, the list is enlarged by appending empty strings. Examples:
@example
%<lst=%list(a,b,c)>
%linsert(%&lst,1,x)%encode(%lst)
@result{} %list(%'a',%'x',%'b',%'c')
%linsert(%&lst,5,y)%encode(%lst)
@result{} %list(%'a',%'x',%'b',%'c',%'',%'y')
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac ldelete (@var{list},@var{index})
Deletes from the list @var{list} the element at index
@var{index}. Example:
@example
%<lst=%list(a,b,c)>%ldelete(%&lst,1)%encode(%lst)
@result{} %list(%'a',%'c')
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac lsort (@var{list}[,@var{comparator}])
Sorts the elements of the list @var{list}, which should be strings,
according to the order specified by @var{comparator}, which must be a
closure taking two arguments and returning an integer. A return value of
@code{0} denotes that the two arguments are equal, less than @code{0}
means that the first argument should come before the second, greater
than @code{0} means that the first argument should come after the
second. If @var{comparator} is omitted, the macro @code{scmp} is used.
Returns the resulting list. Examples:
@example
%encode(%lsort(%list(b,c,a)))
@result{} %list(%'a',%'b',%'c')
%encode(%lsort(%list(b,c,a),%lambda(a,b,%scmp(%b,%a))))
@result{} %list(%'c',%'b',%'a')
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac lappend (@var{list},@var{value}[,@var{value}...])
Appends all @var{value}s to the list @var{list}. Returns nothing,
i.e. is called for its side effects, which means that the first
parameter should be a list to be modified, not a copy of a list.
@end defmac
@defmac luniq (@var{list}[,@var{comparator}])
Removes all but the first occurrences of all sequential occurrences of the
same element in @var{list}, where the sameness is determined by the
closure @var{comparator}, which must accept two arguments and return a
boolean value of TRUE if they are equal, FALSE otherwise. If
@var{comparator} is omitted, @code{seq} is used. Returns the modified
@var{list}.
@example
%encode(%luniq(%list(a,b,b,c,d,e,e,e,f)))
@result{} %list(%'a',%'b',%'c',%'d',%'e',%'f')
@end example
@end defmac
@node Hash Operations, File Operations, List Operations, Macro Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Hash Operations
@defmac hash ([@var{key},@var{value},...])
Returns a hash containing all the specified key/value pairs.
@end defmac
@defmac hcount (@var{hash})
Returns the number of key/value pairs in the hash @var{hash}.
@end defmac
@defmac hcontains (@var{hash},@var{key})
Returns @code{1}, if the key @var{key} is contained in the hash
@var{hash}. Otherwise, returns @code{0}.
@end defmac
@defmac hkeys (@var{hash})
Returns a list of all keys in the hash @var{hash} in no particular
order.
@end defmac
@node File Operations, String Operations, Hash Operations, Macro Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section File Operations
@defmac fopen (@var{filename}[,@var{mode}])
Opens the file named @var{filename} and returns a handle to it. If the
file could not be opened, for example because it does not exists, for
lack of permission or if @var{mode} is illegal, returns
@code{-1}. @var{mode} describes for what purposes the file is opened and
must be one of the following:
@table @code
@item r
Reading.
@item w
Writing.
@item a
Appending.
@end table
If @var{mode} is omitted, the file is opened for reading.
@end defmac
@defmac fpipe (@var{mode},@var{executable}[,@var{arg}...])
Forks off a child process, starts the specified executable with the
specified parameters. If @var{mode} is @code{r}, returns a handle for
reading the processes standard output. If @var{mode} is @code{w},
returns a handle for writing to the processes standard input. Returns
@code{-1} if something goes wrong. Note that the arguments are not
subject to shell expansion, since the process does not start a
subshell. If you want shell expansion, you have to start a subshell
explicitly. For example, to list all files beginning with an @code{a}:
@example
%fpipe(r,/bin/sh,-c,ls a*)
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac fclose (@var{file})
Closes the file associated with the handle @var{file}.
@end defmac
@defmac fgets (@var{file})
Reads one line from the file associated with the handle @var{file} and
returns it. The newline character is included.
@end defmac
@defmac fputs (@var{file},@var{string})
Writes @var{string} to the file associated with the handle @var{file},
which must have been opened for writing.
@end defmac
@defmac feof (@var{file})
Returns boolean TRUE if the end of the file associated with the handle
@var{file} is reached, FALSE otherwise.
@end defmac
@defmac fstat (@var{filename})
Returns a hash containing information on the file with name
@var{filename}. Returns an empty hash if the file does not
exist. Otherwise, the hash contains values for the following keys:
@table @code
@item uid
User ID of owner.
@item gid
Group ID of owner.
@item size
Size in bytes.
@item blksize
Blocksize for filesystem I/O.
@item blocks
Number of blocks allocated.
@item atime
Time of last access.
@item mtime
Time of last modification.
@item ctime
Time of last change.
@end table
All times are given in seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 GMT. For
detailed description of these values see @code{stat(2)}.
@end defmac
@defmac fgetwd ()
Returns the current working directory.
@end defmac
@defmac fchdir (@var{path})
Changes the current working directory to @var{path}.
@end defmac
@node String Operations, Miscellaneous, File Operations, Macro Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section String Operations
@defmac smatch (@var{regexp},@var{string}[,@var{registers}])
Searches the string @var{string} for the first occurrence of the regular
expression @var{regexp} and returns the index of the first character of
this substring. If no match was found, returns @code{-1}. If
@var{registers} is specified, which must be a list, clears it and sets
its elements (beginning with @math{1}) to the contents of the
corresponding submatches (parts of the regular expression enclosed by
parentheses). The element @code{0} is set to the whole match. For
example:
@example
%<regs=%list()>\
%smatch(%'\.([^.]*)$',alittlepicture.jpg,%®s) %regs[1]
@result{} 14 jpg
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac ssplit (@var{regexp},@var{string}[,@var{connector}])
Splits the string @var{string} into parts separated by the regular
expression @var{regexp}. Returns a list containing these parts. If
@var{connector} is specified, the parts that are inserted into the list
are generated by invocations of @var{connector}. @var{connector} is
always called with three parameters, the first being the registers of
@var{regexp} for the match right before the string and the third being
the registers of the match right after the string. The second parameter
is the string itself. For the very first string, the first parameter is
an empty list, whereas for the last string, the third parameter is an
empty list. Thus
@example
%ssplit(%regex,%string)
@end example
is equivalent to
@example
%ssplit(%regex,%string,%lambda(a,b,c,%b))
@end example
Example:
@example
%encode(%ssplit(:+,foo::bar:rules))
@result{} %list(%'foo',%'bar',%'rules')
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac stokenize (@var{regexp},@var{string}[,@var{tokener}])
Returns a list containing all substrings of @var{string} matching
@var{regexp}. If @var{tokener} is specified, not the whole matches are
inserted into the result list, but the results of calling @var{tokener}
with the respective lists of registers of the matches. This means, that
these two calls have the same result:
@example
%stokenize(%regexp,%string)
%stokenize(%regexp,%string,%lambda(r,%r[0]))
@end example
Examples:
@example
%encode(%stokenize([a-zA-Z0-9]+,%' a bc d04 d fsfd, rwe'))
@result{} %list(%'a',%'bc',%'d04',%'d',%'fsfd',%'rwe')
%encode(%stokenize(%'-([0-9]+)-',%' -32- -- 543 -12--43--',
%lambda(r,%r[1])))
@result{} %list(%'32',%'12',%'43')
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac sgsub (@var{regexp},@var{string},@var{replacement}[,@var{options}])
Replaces all occurrences of the regular expression @var{regexp} in
@var{string}. If @var{replacement} is a string, the occurrences are
replaced with this string. Otherwise, @var{replacement} must be a
closure taking one argument and returning a string. In this case, the
occurrences are replaced by the result of the closure when called with a
list containing the regular expression registers in elements beginning
with @code{1} and the whole match in element @code{0}. @var{options}, if
specified, should be a string composed of one or more of the following
characters:
@table @code
@item i
Match case insensitively. The default is case-sensitive matching.
@end table
Examples:
@example
%sgsub(ei,HEINZI Deinzi,!,i)
@result{} H!NZI D!nzi
%sgsub(a+,abaacaaadaaaa,%lambda(r,%slength(%r[0])))
@result{} 1b2c3d4
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac sremovews (@var{string})
Returns a string which results from removing all leading and trailing
whitespace from the string @var{string}.
@end defmac
@defmac slength (@var{string})
Returns the length of the string @var{string}.
@end defmac
@defmac ssub (@var{string},@var{start}[,@var{length}])
Returns a substring of the string @var{string}. If it is called with two
arguments and @var{start} is positive, then the substring beginning with
index @var{start} is returned. If @var{start} is negative, the last
@var{@minus{}start} characters are returned. If called with two
arguments, @var{start} specifies the index of the first character in the
substring. If @var{length} is positive, it specifies the length of
substring. If it is negative, then @var{@minus{}length} specifies the
index of the character following the last character of the substring.
Examples:
@example
%substring(0123456789,3)
@result{} 3456789
%substring(0123456789,-3)
@result{} 789
%substring(0123456789,2,3)
@result{} 234
%substring(0123456789,2,-5)
@result{} 234
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac scmp (@var{string1},@var{string2})
Returns the result of the @code{strcmp()} C function with @var{string1}
and @var{string2}.
@end defmac
@defmac schr (@var{code})
Returns a string with the character with character code @var{code}.
@end defmac
@defmac snumber (@var{number},@var{base})
Formats the decimal integer @var{number} according to the given base
@var{base}, which must be between 2 and 36 inclusive. Example:
@example
%snumber(34,2)
@result{} 100010
%snumber(-255,16)
@result{} -ff
@end example
@end defmac
@node Miscellaneous, , String Operations, Macro Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Miscellaneous
@defmac void (@var{expr})
Executes @var{expr} but discard the result. Example:
@example
%<regs=%list()>\
%void(%smatch(%'\.([^.]*)$',alittlepicture.jpg,%®s))%regs[1]
@result{} jpg
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac outputenable (@var{flag})
If the boolean value of @var{flag} is TRUE, enables output, otherwise
disables it. If output is disabled, everything is evaluated as usual,
but @code{chpp} does not output anything.
@end defmac
@defmac depend (@var{dependency}[,@var{target}])
Adds the filename @var{dependency} to the list of dependencies for the
file @var{target}. If @var{target} is not specified, the name of the
output file is used.
@end defmac
@defmac warning (@var{message})
Causes @code{chpp} to give a warning with the message @var{message}.
@end defmac
@defmac error (@var{message})
Causes @code{chpp} to signal an error with the message @var{message}.
@end defmac
@defmac encode (@var{value})
Returns a string which, upon evaluation, yields a value equal to @var{value}.
@end defmac
@defmac random (@var{limit})
Returns a random number in the interval 0 to @var{limit}@minus{}1. The
random number are uniformly distributed.
@end defmac
@defmac same (@var{val1},@var{val2})
Returns @code{1} if @var{val1} and @var{val2} refer to the same value,
otherwise @code{0}. Two values are the same if a change in one entails
the same change in the other, i.e. if they occupy the same memory
location. Examples:
@example
%<val=abc>%same(%val,%val)
@result{} 0
%<val=abc>%same(%&val,%&val)
@result{} 1
%<val=abc>%<val2=%&val>%same(%&val,%&val2)
@result{} 1
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac equal (@var{val1},@var{val2})
Returns @code{1} if @var{val1} is equal to @var{val2}, otherwise
@code{0}. Two scalars are equal if the strings they contain are
equal. Two lists are equal if they have the same length and contain
equal elements. Two hashes are equal if they have the same count and the
same keys map to equal values.
@example
%equal(%list(a,b,c),%list(a,b,c))
@result{} 1
%equal(%hash(a,1,b,2,c,3),%hash(c,3,b,2,a,1))
@result{} 1
%equal(%list(a,b,c),%list(1,2,3))
@result{} 0
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac typeof (@var{value})
Returns the type of @var{value}. The result can be one of @code{scalar},
@code{list}, @code{hash}, @code{lambda}, @code{built-in}.
@example
%typeof(abc)
@result{} scalar
%typeof(%list(a,b,c))
@result{} list
%typeof(%hash(a,1,b,2,c,3))
@result{} hash
%typeof(%lambda(a,%a%a))
@result{} lambda
%typeof(%typeof)
@result{} built-in
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac bound (@var{name})
Returns @code{1} if the name @var{name} is bound in the current
environment. If not, returns @code{0}.
@end defmac
@defmac apply (@var{lambda},@var{arglist})
Calls @var{lambda} with the elements of @var{arglist} as arguments.
@example
%apply(%lambda(a,b,c,my args are %a %b %c),%list(1,2,3))
@result{} my args are 1 2 3
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac not (@var{expr})
Returns the negation of the boolean value of @var{expr}, i.e. returns
@code{1} if @var{expr} is FALSE and @code{0} if @var{expr} is TRUE.
@end defmac
@defmac shexencode (@var{string})
Translates the bytes of @var{string} to a sequence of hexadecimal
digits.
@example
%shexencode(hello world!)
@result{} 68656C6C6F20776F726C6421
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac shexdecode (@var{string})
Translates a sequence of hexadecimal digits as produced by
@code{shexencode} to a string.
@example
%shexdecode(68656C6C6F20776F726C6421)
@result{} hello world!
@end example
@end defmac
@c ************* Internal Variables
@node Internal Variables, Package Reference, Macro Reference, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@chapter Internal Variables
@defvar outputenabled
Is @code{1} if output is enabled, @code{0} otherwise. Output can be
enabled and disabled with the macro @code{outputenable}.
@end defvar
@defvar dependencing
Is @code{1} if @code{chpp} was started to generate dependencies (option
@code{--generate-dependencies}), @code{0} otherwise.
@end defvar
@defvar mainfilename
Is set to the filename of the currently executed top-level source file.
@end defvar
@defvar env
Is a hash containing all environment variables of the process.
@example
%env@{TERM@}
@result{} xterm
@end example
@end defvar
@c ************* Package Reference
@node Package Reference, Macro Index, Internal Variables, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Macro Reference, Concept Index, Introduction, Top
@chapter Packages
@menu
* files.chh::
* strings.chh::
* list.chh::
* time.chh::
* sql.chh::
* cgi.chh::
@end menu
@node files.chh, strings.chh, Package Reference, Package Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section @file{files.chh}
@defmac frest (@var{file})
Returns the not yet read contents of the file associated with the handle
@var{file}.
@end defmac
@defmac fwholefile (@var{filename})
Returns the whole contents of the file with the name @var{filename}.
@end defmac
@defmac fneweras (@var{filename1},@var{filename2})
Returns @code{1} if the modification time of the file with name
@var{filename1} is more recent than that of the file with name
@var{filename2} or if the file with name @var{filename2} does not
exist. Returns @var{0} otherwise.
@end defmac
@node strings.chh, list.chh, files.chh, Package Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section @file{strings.chh}
@defmac replacesubstring (@var{string},@var{start},@var{length},@var{replacement})
Returns a string resulting from replacing the substring starting at
index @var{start} with length @var{length} of @var{string} by the string
@var{replacement}.
@end defmac
@defmac strneq (@var{string1},@var{string2})
Returns a boolean value of TRUE if @var{string1} and @var{string2} are
not equal, otherwise TRUE.
@end defmac
@node list.chh, time.chh, strings.chh, Package Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section @file{list.chh}
@defmac listSearch (@var{list},@var{criterion})
Returns the index of the first element of @var{list} for which the
closure @var{criterion}, when called with that element as parameter,
evaluates to boolean TRUE. Example
@example
%listSearch(%list(a,bb,ccc,dddd),%lambda(e,%[%slength(%e)>=3]))
@result{} 2
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac listIndexOf (@var{list},@var{value})
Returns the index of the first element of @var{list} which is
@code{equal} to @var{value}. Example:
@example
%listIndexOf(%list(a,b,c,d),b)
@result{} 1
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac listMap (@var{mapping},@var{list}[,@var{list}...])
All @var{list}s must have the same length, and @var{mapping} must be a
closure taking as many arguments as there are
@var{list}s. @code{listMap} creates a new list by applying @var{mapping}
element-wise to the elements of the @var{list}s and storing the results
in the corresponding elements of the resulting list. Example:
@example
%listMap(%lambda(a,b,%[a+b]),%list(2,5,7),%list(4,2,9))
@result{} %list(%'6',%'7',%'16')
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac listLeftAccumulate (@var{accumulator},@var{list},@var{zero})
If the length of @var{list} is @code{0}, returns @var{zero}. Otherwise,
accumulates all elements of @var{list} through @var{accumulator}, which
must be a closure taking two arguments, in a left-associative
way. Examples:
@example
%listLeftAccumulate(%lambda(a,b,%[a+b]),%list(1,2,3),0)
@result{} 6
%listLeftAccumulate(%lambda(a,b,acc%'('%a%','%b%')'),
%list(a,b,c),zero)
@result{} acc(acc(a,b),c)
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac listRightAccumulate (@var{accumulator},@var{list},@var{zero})
If the length of @var{list} is @code{0}, returns @var{zero}. Otherwise,
accumulates all elements of @var{list} through @var{accumulator}, which
must be a closure taking two arguments, in a right-associative
way. Examples:
@example
%listRightAccumulate(%lambda(a,b,acc%'('%a%','%b%')'),
%list(a,b,c),zero)
@result{} acc(a,acc(b,c))
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac listJoin (@var{string},@var{list})
Joins the elements of the list @var{list} by inserting between two
sequential elements the string @var{string}. Example:
@example
%listJoin(:,%list(the,quick,brown,fox))
@result{} the:quick:brown:fox
@end example
@end defmac
@node time.chh, sql.chh, list.chh, Package Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section @file{time.chh}
Time values are represented in @code{chpp} by hashes containing values
for some of the following keys:
@table @code
@item year
@item month
@item day
@item hour
@item minute
@item second
@end table
@defmac timeToString (@var{format},@var{time})
Converts a time value to a string according to the format string
@var{format}. Ordinary characters in @var{format} are copied verbatim,
while the dollar character (@code{$}), followed by any of the following
characters is treated specially:
@table @code
@item $
The character @code{$}.
@item d
The day of the month as a decimal number, beginning with @code{1} for
the first day of the month.
@item m
The month as a decimal number, beginning with @code{1} for January.
@item b
The abbreviated month name.
@item B
The full month name.
@item Y
The year as a decimal number.
@item H
The hour as a decimal number (range @code{0} to @code{23}).
@item M
The minute as a decimal number (range @code{0} to @code{59}).
@item S
The second as a decimal number (range @code{0} to @code{59}).
@end table
Example:
@example
%timeToString($d $B $Y,%hash(day,29,month,12,year,1975))
@result{} 29 December 1975
@end example
@end defmac
@defmac timeFromString (@var{format},@var{string})
Converts the string @var{string}, which must obey the time format
@var{format}, as described above, to a time value. Example:
@example
%encode(%timeFromString($d $B $Y,29 December 1975))
@result{} %hash(%'year',%'1975',%'day',%'29',%'month',%'12')
@end example
@end defmac
@node sql.chh, cgi.chh, time.chh, Package Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section @file{sql.chh}
This section describes @code{chpp}'s interface to relational databases,
called @code{chdbc} (@code{chpp} Database Connectivity). The interface
is a layer above the client libraries for the various database servers,
making it thus transparent to the user which database she is using.
Connections and results are represented by abstract datatypes. When
passing a connection or result to a @code{chdbc} macro, do always pass
the value which was returned by the creating macro, not a copy (i.e. use
the reference form of variable access (@pxref{Accessing Variables}) to
pass connection and result parameters).
Drivers are currently implemented for mSQL and MySQL. The latter takes
a connection hash with keys @code{user} and @code{password}.
@defmac sqlConnect (@var{url},@var{hash})
Opens a connection to the SQL Server with the given @var{url}, which
needs to be of the form
@code{chdbc:}@var{drivername}@code{://}@var{hostname}[@code{:}@var{port}]@code{/}@var{dbname}@code{/}. A
valid example would be @code{chdbc:mysql://localhost/test/}. @var{hash}
must be hash containing information required by the driver to connect to
the server, e.g. username and password. @code{sqlConnect} returns a
value representing the connection to the server or a boolean value of
FALSE if the connection could not be made.
@end defmac
@defmac sqlClose (@var{connection})
Closes the database connection @var{connection}.
@end defmac
@defmac sqlDatabaseInfo (@var{connection})
Returns a hash containing information about the database. The hash
contains values for the following keys, if appropriate for the database:
@table @code
@item timeformat
Format for time values which can be used in inserts and updates, like
@code{$H:$M:$S}.
@item dateformat
Format for date values which can be used in inserts and updates, like
@code{$Y-$m-$d}.
@item datetimeformat
Format for time plus date values which can be used in inserts and
updates, like @code{$Y-$m-$d $H:$M:$S}.
@end table
@end defmac
@defmac sqlQuery (@var{connection},@var{querystring})
Performs a query on the database connected to by
@var{connection}. Returns a value representing the result of the query
or a boolean value of FALSE if the query could not be executed.
@end defmac
@defmac sqlResultData (@var{result})
Returns the result rows of the query result @var{result}, as obtained by
@code{sqlQuery}, in the form of a list. Each row in this list is
represented as a hash whose keys are the column names of the
result. Values for columns representing time (@code{time}, @code{date}
and @code{datetime}) are automatically converted to @code{chpp}'s time
format (@pxref{time.chh}).
@end defmac
@defmac sqlResultColumnInfo (@var{result})
Returns a hash indexed by the column names of the query result
@var{result} containing information about the columns. Each value
contained in the hash is a hash containing values for the following
keys:
@table @code
@item type
Type of the column.
@end table
@end defmac
@defmac sqlResultColumnNames (@var{result})
Returns a list containing the names of the column of the query result
@var{result}.
@end defmac
@defmac sqlUpdate (@var{connection},@var{updatestring})
Performs an SQL statement contained in the string @var{updatestring}
changing the data of the database connected to by @var{connection}, like
an insert or an update.
@end defmac
@node cgi.chh, , sql.chh, Package Reference
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section @file{cgi.chh}
The package @file{cgi.chh} provides rudimentary support for
CGI scripting.
@defmac cgiGetParameters ()
Returns a hash containing all parameters passed to the CGI
script. Supported encodings are @code{application/x-www-form-urlencoded}
(both @code{GET} and @code{POST}) and @code{multipart/form-data}.
@end defmac
@c ************* Macro Index
@node Macro Index, , Package Reference, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Concept Index, , Macro Reference, Top
@unnumbered Macro Index
@printindex fn
@c ************* Concept Index
@c @node Concept Index, , Macro Index, Top
@c @comment node-name, next, previous, up@node Concept Index, , Macro Reference, Top
@c @unnumbered Concept Index
@c @printindex cp
@contents
@bye
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