Trigraphs and Pragmas

[Henry Spencer]

> To add to trigraph sequences, perhaps something like:
> 	#pragma trigraph LBRACE &<
> to allow &< to map to {		[notice &< is never legal C!]

This does somewhat depend on the outcome of the "can #pragma change the
semantics of the language?" debate (although in practice an implementor
who felt the need would undoubtedly do it anyway).

>	#pragma trigraph o240 o140

This is unfortunately character-set specific; it would be nice to avoid
that.

> 1- Where can I order the ANSI C standard?

You can't, because it doesn't exist yet.  The second-public-comment draft,
now obsolete, can probably still be had from Global Engineering Documents,
(714)261-1455, and the third-public-comment draft presumably will be available
from them when it comes out (which should be any time now).  The final
standard will be available from ANSI, of course.

>2- Where can I find the registry of international (esp. character) standards,
>	and also where can I get ordering information for such a body's work?

Probably the best place to ask both of these questions is ANSI; unfortunately
I don't have their address handy.

>	and will there be a standardized #pragma library available?

X3J11 decided it did not want to get involved in standardizing #pragma,
which is implementation-specific (i.e., nonstandard) by definition.  There
is some interest in some sort of registry for #pragmas, but X3J11/ANSI
almost certainly isn't going to be involved in that, and I have no more
definite information at this time.

> 4- And how long until the first completely ANSI, non-pre-ANSI C will be out?

Ask your compiler suppliers...  Actually any near-future ANSI compiler is
going to support pre-ANSI forms as well, as a practical consideration.
-- 
"For perfect safety... sit on a fence|  Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
and watch the birds." --Wilbur Wright| {ihnp4,decvax,uunet!mnetor}!utzoo!henry