


      EEEERRRRRRRROOOORRRR((((1111))))                    ((((bbbbssssdddd 4444....2222))))                    EEEERRRRRRRROOOORRRR((((1111))))



      NNNNAAAAMMMMEEEE
           error - analyze and disperse compiler error messages

      SSSSYYYYNNNNTTTTAAAAXXXX
           eeeerrrrrrrroooorrrr [ ----nnnn ] [ ----ssss ] [ ----qqqq ] [ ----vvvv ] [ ----tttt suffixlist ] [ ----IIII
           ignorefile ] [ name ]

      DDDDEEEESSSSCCCCRRRRIIIIPPPPTTTTIIIIOOOONNNN
           _E_r_r_o_r analyzes and optionally disperses the diagnostic error
           messages produced by a number of compilers and language
           processors to the source file and line where the errors
           occurred.  It can replace the painful, traditional methods
           of scribbling abbreviations of errors on paper, and permits
           error messages and source code to be viewed simultaneously
           without machinations of multiple windows in a screen editor.

           _E_r_r_o_r looks at the error messages, either from the specified
           file _n_a_m_e or from the standard input, and attempts to
           determine which language processor produced each error
           message, determines the source file and line number to which
           the error message refers, determines if the error message is
           to be ignored or not, and inserts the (possibly slightly
           modified) error message into the source file as a comment on
           the line preceding to which the line the error message
           refers.  Error messages which can't be categorized by
           language processor or content are not inserted into any
           file, but are sent to the standard output.  _E_r_r_o_r touches
           source files only after all input has been read.  By
           specifying the ----qqqq query option, the user is asked to confirm
           any potentially dangerous (such as touching a file) or
           verbose action.  Otherwise _e_r_r_o_r proceeds on its merry
           business.  If the ----tttt touch option and associated suffix list
           is given, _e_r_r_o_r will restrict itself to touch only those
           files with suffices in the suffix list.  Error also can be
           asked (by specifying ----vvvv)))) to invoke _v_i(1) on the files in
           which error messages were inserted; this obviates the need
           to remember the names of the files with errors.

           _E_r_r_o_r is intended to be run with its standard input
           connected via a pipe to the error message source.  Some
           language processors put error messages on their standard
           error file; others put their messages on the standard
           output.  Hence, both error sources should be piped together
           into _e_r_r_o_r. For example, when using the _c_s_h syntax,

                make -s lint |& error -q -v

           will analyze all the error messages produced by whatever
           programs _m_a_k_e runs when making lint.

           _E_r_r_o_r knows about the error messages produced by:  _m_a_k_e, _c_c,
           _c_p_p, _c_c_o_m, _a_s, _l_d, _l_i_n_t, and _f_7_7. _E_r_r_o_r knows a standard



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           format for error messages produced by the language
           processors, so is sensitive to changes in these formats.
           For all languages, error messages are restricted to be on
           one line.  Some error messages refer to more than one line
           in more than one file; _e_r_r_o_r will duplicate the error
           message and insert it at all of the places referenced.

           _E_r_r_o_r will do one of six things with error messages.

           _s_y_n_c_h_r_o_n_i_z_e
                     Some language processors produce short errors
                     describing which file it is processing.  _E_r_r_o_r
                     uses these to determine the file name for
                     languages that don't include the file name in each
                     error message.  These synchronization messages are
                     consumed entirely by _e_r_r_o_r.

           _d_i_s_c_a_r_d   Error messages from _l_i_n_t that refer to one of the
                     two _l_i_n_t libraries, /_u_s_r/_l_i_b/_l_l_i_b-_l_c and
                     /_u_s_r/_l_i_b/_l_l_i_b-_p_o_r_t are discarded, to prevent
                     accidently touching these libraries.  Again, these
                     error messages are consumed entirely by _e_r_r_o_r.

           _n_u_l_l_i_f_y   Error messages from _l_i_n_t can be nullified if they
                     refer to a specific function, which is known to
                     generate diagnostics which are not interesting.
                     Nullified error messages are not inserted into the
                     source file, but are written to the standard
                     output.  The names of functions to ignore are
                     taken from either the file named ._e_r_r_o_r_r_c in the
                     users's home directory, or from the file named by
                     the ----IIII option.  If the file does not exist, no
                     error messages are nullified.  If the file does
                     exist, there must be one function name per line.

           _n_o_t _f_i_l_e _s_p_e_c_i_f_i_c
                     Error messages that can't be intuited are grouped
                     together, and written to the standard output
                     before any files are touched.  They will not be
                     inserted into any source file.

           _f_i_l_e _s_p_e_c_i_f_i_c
                     Error message that refer to a specific file, but
                     to no specific line, are written to the standard
                     output when that file is touched.

           _t_r_u_e _e_r_r_o_r_s
                     Error messages that can be intuited are candidates
                     for insertion into the file to which they refer.

           Only true error messages are candidates for inserting into
           the file they refer to.  Other error messages are consumed



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           entirely by _e_r_r_o_r or are written to the standard output.
           _E_r_r_o_r inserts the error messages into the source file on the
           line preceding the line the language processor found in
           error.  Each error message is turned into a one line comment
           for the language, and is internally flagged with the string
           ``###'' at the beginning of the error, and ``%%%'' at the
           end of the error.  This makes pattern searching for errors
           easier with an editor, and allows the messages to be easily
           removed.  In addition, each error message contains the
           source line number for the line the message refers to.  A
           reasonably formatted source program can be recompiled with
           the error messages still in it, without having the error
           messages themselves cause future errors.  For poorly
           formatted source programs in free format languages, such as
           C or Pascal, it is possible to insert a comment into another
           comment, which can wreak havoc with a future compilation.
           To avoid this, programs with comments and source on the same
           line should be formatted so that language statements appear
           before comments.

           Options available with _e_r_r_o_r are:

           ----nnnn   Do _n_o_t touch any files; all error messages are sent to
                the standard output.

           ----qqqq   The user is _q_u_e_r_i_e_d whether s/he wants to touch the
                file.  A ``y'' or ``n'' to the question is necessary to
                continue.  Absence of the ----qqqq option implies that all
                referenced files (except those referring to discarded
                error messages) are to be touched.

           ----vvvv   After all files have been touched, overlay the visual
                editor _v_i with it set up to edit all files touched, and
                positioned in the first touched file at the first
                error.  If _v_i can't be found, try _e_x or _e_d from
                standard places.

           ----tttt   Take the following argument as a suffix list.  Files
                whose suffixes do not appear in the suffix list are not
                touched.  The suffix list is dot separated, and ``*''
                wildcards work.  Thus the suffix list:

                     ".c.y.foo*.h"

                allows _e_r_r_o_r to touch files ending with ``.c'', ``.y'',
                ``.foo*'' and ``.h''.

           ----ssss   Print out _s_t_a_t_i_s_t_i_c_s regarding the error
                categorization.  Not too useful.

           _E_r_r_o_r catches interrupt and terminate signals, and if in the
           insertion phase, will orderly terminate what it is doing.



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      EEEERRRRRRRROOOORRRR((((1111))))                    ((((bbbbssssdddd 4444....2222))))                    EEEERRRRRRRROOOORRRR((((1111))))



      FFFFIIIILLLLEEEESSSS
           ~/.errorrc          function names to ignore for _l_i_n_t error
           messages
           /dev/tty            user's teletype

      BBBBUUUUGGGGSSSS
           Opens the teletype directly to do user querying.

           Source files with links make a new copy of the file with
           only one link to it.

           Changing a language processor's format of error messages may
           cause _e_r_r_o_r to not understand the error message.

           _E_r_r_o_r, since it is purely mechanical, will not filter out
           subsequent errors caused by `floodgating' initiated by one
           syntactically trivial error.  Humans are still much better
           at discarding these related errors.

           _E_r_r_o_r was designed for work on CRT's at reasonably high
           speed.  It is less pleasant on slow speed terminals, and has
           never been used on hardcopy terminals.

































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