This is Info file gcc.info, produced by Makeinfo version 1.67 from the input file gcc.texi. This file documents the use and the internals of the GNU compiler. Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place - Suite 330 Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 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. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the sections entitled "GNU General Public License," "Funding for Free Software," and "Protect Your Freedom--Fight `Look And Feel'" are included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that the sections entitled "GNU General Public License," "Funding for Free Software," and "Protect Your Freedom--Fight `Look And Feel'", and this permission notice, may be included in translations approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in the original English.  File: gcc.info, Node: Top, Next: G++ and GCC, Up: (DIR) Introduction ************ This manual documents how to run, install and port the GNU compiler, as well as its new features and incompatibilities, and how to report bugs. It corresponds to GNU CC version 2.8.1. * Menu: * G++ and GCC:: You can compile C or C++ programs. * Invoking GCC:: Command options supported by `gcc'. * Installation:: How to configure, compile and install GNU CC. * C Extensions:: GNU extensions to the C language family. * C++ Extensions:: GNU extensions to the C++ language. * Gcov:: gcov: a GNU CC test coverage program. * Trouble:: If you have trouble installing GNU CC. * Bugs:: How, why and where to report bugs. * Service:: How to find suppliers of support for GNU CC. * Contributing:: How to contribute to testing and developing GNU CC. * VMS:: Using GNU CC on VMS. * Portability:: Goals of GNU CC's portability features. * Interface:: Function-call interface of GNU CC output. * Passes:: Order of passes, what they do, and what each file is for. * RTL:: The intermediate representation that most passes work on. * Machine Desc:: How to write machine description instruction patterns. * Target Macros:: How to write the machine description C macros. * Config:: Writing the `xm-MACHINE.h' file. * Fragments:: Writing the `t-TARGET' and `x-HOST' files. * Funding:: How to help assure funding for free software. * Look and Feel:: Protect your freedom--fight "look and feel". * Copying:: GNU General Public License says how you can copy and share GNU CC. * Contributors:: People who have contributed to GNU CC. * Index:: Index of concepts and symbol names.  File: gcc.info, Node: G++ and GCC, Next: Invoking GCC, Prev: Top, Up: Top Compile C, C++, or Objective C ****************************** The C, C++, and Objective C versions of the compiler are integrated; the GNU C compiler can compile programs written in C, C++, or Objective C. "GCC" is a common shorthand term for the GNU C compiler. This is both the most general name for the compiler, and the name used when the emphasis is on compiling C programs. When referring to C++ compilation, it is usual to call the compiler "G++". Since there is only one compiler, it is also accurate to call it "GCC" no matter what the language context; however, the term "G++" is more useful when the emphasis is on compiling C++ programs. We use the name "GNU CC" to refer to the compilation system as a whole, and more specifically to the language-independent part of the compiler. For example, we refer to the optimization options as affecting the behavior of "GNU CC" or sometimes just "the compiler". Front ends for other languages, such as Ada 9X, Fortran, Modula-3, and Pascal, are under development. These front-ends, like that for C++, are built in subdirectories of GNU CC and link to it. The result is an integrated compiler that can compile programs written in C, C++, Objective C, or any of the languages for which you have installed front ends. In this manual, we only discuss the options for the C, Objective-C, and C++ compilers and those of the GNU CC core. Consult the documentation of the other front ends for the options to use when compiling programs written in other languages. G++ is a *compiler*, not merely a preprocessor. G++ builds object code directly from your C++ program source. There is no intermediate C version of the program. (By contrast, for example, some other implementations use a program that generates a C program from your C++ source.) Avoiding an intermediate C representation of the program means that you get better object code, and better debugging information. The GNU debugger, GDB, works with this information in the object code to give you comprehensive C++ source-level editing capabilities (*note C and C++: (gdb.info)C.).  File: gcc.info, Node: Invoking GCC, Next: Installation, Prev: G++ and GCC, Up: Top GNU CC Command Options ********************** When you invoke GNU CC, it normally does preprocessing, compilation, assembly and linking. The "overall options" allow you to stop this process at an intermediate stage. For example, the `-c' option says not to run the linker. Then the output consists of object files output by the assembler. Other options are passed on to one stage of processing. Some options control the preprocessor and others the compiler itself. Yet other options control the assembler and linker; most of these are not documented here, since you rarely need to use any of them. Most of the command line options that you can use with GNU CC are useful for C programs; when an option is only useful with another language (usually C++), the explanation says so explicitly. If the description for a particular option does not mention a source language, you can use that option with all supported languages. *Note Compiling C++ Programs: Invoking G++, for a summary of special options for compiling C++ programs. The `gcc' program accepts options and file names as operands. Many options have multiletter names; therefore multiple single-letter options may *not* be grouped: `-dr' is very different from `-d -r'. You can mix options and other arguments. For the most part, the order you use doesn't matter. Order does matter when you use several options of the same kind; for example, if you specify `-L' more than once, the directories are searched in the order specified. Many options have long names starting with `-f' or with `-W'--for example, `-fforce-mem', `-fstrength-reduce', `-Wformat' and so on. Most of these have both positive and negative forms; the negative form of `-ffoo' would be `-fno-foo'. This manual documents only one of these two forms, whichever one is not the default. * Menu: * Option Summary:: Brief list of all options, without explanations. * Overall Options:: Controlling the kind of output: an executable, object files, assembler files, or preprocessed source. * Invoking G++:: Compiling C++ programs. * C Dialect Options:: Controlling the variant of C language compiled. * C++ Dialect Options:: Variations on C++. * Warning Options:: How picky should the compiler be? * Debugging Options:: Symbol tables, measurements, and debugging dumps. * Optimize Options:: How much optimization? * Preprocessor Options:: Controlling header files and macro definitions. Also, getting dependency information for Make. * Assembler Options:: Passing options to the assembler. * Link Options:: Specifying libraries and so on. * Directory Options:: Where to find header files and libraries. Where to find the compiler executable files. * Target Options:: Running a cross-compiler, or an old version of GNU CC. * Submodel Options:: Specifying minor hardware or convention variations, such as 68010 vs 68020. * Code Gen Options:: Specifying conventions for function calls, data layout and register usage. * Environment Variables:: Env vars that affect GNU CC. * Running Protoize:: Automatically adding or removing function prototypes.  File: gcc.info, Node: Option Summary, Next: Overall Options, Up: Invoking GCC Option Summary ============== Here is a summary of all the options, grouped by type. Explanations are in the following sections. *Overall Options* *Note Options Controlling the Kind of Output: Overall Options. -c -S -E -o FILE -pipe -v -x LANGUAGE *C Language Options* *Note Options Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options. -ansi -fallow-single-precision -fcond-mismatch -fno-asm -fno-builtin -ffreestanding -fhosted -fsigned-bitfields -fsigned-char -funsigned-bitfields -funsigned-char -fwritable-strings -traditional -traditional-cpp -trigraphs *C++ Language Options* *Note Options Controlling C++ Dialect: C++ Dialect Options. -fall-virtual -fdollars-in-identifiers -felide-constructors -fenum-int-equiv -fexternal-templates -ffor-scope -fno-for-scope -fhandle-signatures -fmemoize-lookups -fname-mangling-version-N -fno-default-inline -fno-gnu-keywords -fnonnull-objects -fguiding-decls -foperator-names -fstrict-prototype -fthis-is-variable -ftemplate-depth-N -nostdinc++ -traditional +eN *Warning Options* *Note Options to Request or Suppress Warnings: Warning Options. -fsyntax-only -pedantic -pedantic-errors -w -W -Wall -Waggregate-return -Wbad-function-cast -Wcast-align -Wcast-qual -Wchar-subscript -Wcomment -Wconversion -Werror -Wformat -Wid-clash-LEN -Wimplicit -Wimplicit-int -Wimplicit-function-declarations -Wimport -Winline -Wlarger-than-LEN -Wmain -Wmissing-declarations -Wmissing-prototypes -Wnested-externs -Wno-import -Wold-style-cast -Woverloaded-virtual -Wparentheses -Wpointer-arith -Wredundant-decls -Wreorder -Wreturn-type -Wshadow -Wsign-compare -Wstrict-prototypes -Wswitch -Wsynth -Wtemplate-debugging -Wtraditional -Wtrigraphs -Wundef -Wuninitialized -Wunused -Wwrite-strings *Debugging Options* *Note Options for Debugging Your Program or GCC: Debugging Options. -a -ax -dLETTERS -fpretend-float -fprofile-arcs -ftest-coverage -g -gLEVEL -gcoff -gdwarf -gdwarf-1 -gdwarf-1+ -gdwarf-2 -ggdb -gstabs -gstabs+ -gxcoff -gxcoff+ -p -pg -print-file-name=LIBRARY -print-libgcc-file-name -print-prog-name=PROGRAM -print-search-dirs -save-temps *Optimization Options* *Note Options that Control Optimization: Optimize Options. -fbranch-probabilities -fcaller-saves -fcse-follow-jumps -fcse-skip-blocks -fdelayed-branch -fexpensive-optimizations -ffast-math -ffloat-store -fforce-addr -fforce-mem -ffunction-sections -finline-functions -fkeep-inline-functions -fno-default-inline -fno-defer-pop -fno-function-cse -fno-inline -fno-peephole -fomit-frame-pointer -frerun-cse-after-loop -fschedule-insns -fschedule-insns2 -fstrength-reduce -fthread-jumps -funroll-all-loops -funroll-loops -O -O0 -O1 -O2 -O3 *Preprocessor Options* *Note Options Controlling the Preprocessor: Preprocessor Options. -AQUESTION(ANSWER) -C -dD -dM -dN -DMACRO[=DEFN] -E -H -idirafter DIR -include FILE -imacros FILE -iprefix FILE -iwithprefix DIR -iwithprefixbefore DIR -isystem DIR -M -MD -MM -MMD -MG -nostdinc -P -trigraphs -undef -UMACRO -Wp,OPTION *Assembler Option* *Note Passing Options to the Assembler: Assembler Options. -Wa,OPTION *Linker Options* *Note Options for Linking: Link Options. OBJECT-FILE-NAME -lLIBRARY -nostartfiles -nodefaultlibs -nostdlib -s -static -shared -symbolic -Wl,OPTION -Xlinker OPTION -u SYMBOL *Directory Options* *Note Options for Directory Search: Directory Options. -BPREFIX -IDIR -I- -LDIR -specs=FILE *Target Options* *Note Target Options::. -b MACHINE -V VERSION *Machine Dependent Options* *Note Hardware Models and Configurations: Submodel Options. *M680x0 Options* -m68000 -m68020 -m68020-40 -m68020-60 -m68030 -m68040 -m68060 -m5200 -m68881 -mbitfield -mc68000 -mc68020 -mfpa -mnobitfield -mrtd -mshort -msoft-float -malign-int *VAX Options* -mg -mgnu -munix *SPARC Options* -mcpu=CPU TYPE -mtune=CPU TYPE -mcmodel=CODE MODEL -malign-jumps=NUM -malign-loops=NUM -malign-functions=NUM -m32 -m64 -mapp-regs -mbroken-saverestore -mcypress -mepilogue -mflat -mfpu -mhard-float -mhard-quad-float -mimpure-text -mlive-g0 -mno-app-regs -mno-epilogue -mno-flat -mno-fpu -mno-impure-text -mno-stack-bias -mno-unaligned-doubles -msoft-float -msoft-quad-float -msparclite -mstack-bias -msupersparc -munaligned-doubles -mv8 *Convex Options* -mc1 -mc2 -mc32 -mc34 -mc38 -margcount -mnoargcount -mlong32 -mlong64 -mvolatile-cache -mvolatile-nocache *AMD29K Options* -m29000 -m29050 -mbw -mnbw -mdw -mndw -mlarge -mnormal -msmall -mkernel-registers -mno-reuse-arg-regs -mno-stack-check -mno-storem-bug -mreuse-arg-regs -msoft-float -mstack-check -mstorem-bug -muser-registers *ARM Options* -mapcs-frame -mapcs-26 -mapcs-32 -mlittle-endian -mbig-endian -mwords-little-endian -mshort-load-bytes -mno-short-load-bytes -msoft-float -mhard-float -mbsd -mxopen -mno-symrename *MN10300 Options* -mmult-bug -mno-mult-bug *M32R/D Options* -mcode-model=MODEL TYPE -msdata=SDATA TYPE -G NUM *M88K Options* -m88000 -m88100 -m88110 -mbig-pic -mcheck-zero-division -mhandle-large-shift -midentify-revision -mno-check-zero-division -mno-ocs-debug-info -mno-ocs-frame-position -mno-optimize-arg-area -mno-serialize-volatile -mno-underscores -mocs-debug-info -mocs-frame-position -moptimize-arg-area -mserialize-volatile -mshort-data-NUM -msvr3 -msvr4 -mtrap-large-shift -muse-div-instruction -mversion-03.00 -mwarn-passed-structs *RS/6000 and PowerPC Options* -mcpu=CPU TYPE -mtune=CPU TYPE -mpower -mno-power -mpower2 -mno-power2 -mpowerpc -mno-powerpc -mpowerpc-gpopt -mno-powerpc-gpopt -mpowerpc-gfxopt -mno-powerpc-gfxopt -mnew-mnemonics -mno-new-mnemonics -mfull-toc -mminimal-toc -mno-fop-in-toc -mno-sum-in-toc -mxl-call -mno-xl-call -mthreads -mpe -msoft-float -mhard-float -mmultiple -mno-multiple -mstring -mno-string -mupdate -mno-update -mfused-madd -mno-fused-madd -mbit-align -mno-bit-align -mstrict-align -mno-strict-align -mrelocatable -mno-relocatable -mrelocatable-lib -mno-relocatable-lib -mtoc -mno-toc -mtraceback -mno-traceback -mlittle -mlittle-endian -mbig -mbig-endian -mcall-aix -mcall-sysv -mprototype -mno-prototype -msim -mmvme -mads -myellowknife -memb -msdata -msdata=OPT -G NUM *RT Options* -mcall-lib-mul -mfp-arg-in-fpregs -mfp-arg-in-gregs -mfull-fp-blocks -mhc-struct-return -min-line-mul -mminimum-fp-blocks -mnohc-struct-return *MIPS Options* -mabicalls -mcpu=CPU TYPE -membedded-data -membedded-pic -mfp32 -mfp64 -mgas -mgp32 -mgp64 -mgpopt -mhalf-pic -mhard-float -mint64 -mips1 -mips2 -mips3 -mlong64 -mlong-calls -mmemcpy -mmips-as -mmips-tfile -mno-abicalls -mno-embedded-data -mno-embedded-pic -mno-gpopt -mno-long-calls -mno-memcpy -mno-mips-tfile -mno-rnames -mno-stats -mrnames -msoft-float -m4650 -msingle-float -mmad -mstats -EL -EB -G NUM -nocpp *i386 Options* -mcpu=CPU TYPE -march=CPU TYPE -mieee-fp -mno-fancy-math-387 -mno-fp-ret-in-387 -msoft-float -msvr3-shlib -mno-wide-multiply -mrtd -malign-double -mreg-alloc=LIST -mregparm=NUM -malign-jumps=NUM -malign-loops=NUM -malign-functions=NUM *HPPA Options* -mbig-switch -mdisable-fpregs -mdisable-indexing -mfast-indirect-calls -mgas -mjump-in-delay -mlong-load-store -mno-big-switch -mno-disable-fpregs -mno-disable-indexing -mno-fast-indirect-calls -mno-gas -mno-jump-in-delay -mno-long-load-store -mno-portable-runtime -mno-soft-float -mno-space -mno-space-regs -msoft-float -mpa-risc-1-0 -mpa-risc-1-1 -mportable-runtime -mschedule=LIST -mspace -mspace-regs *Intel 960 Options* -mCPU TYPE -masm-compat -mclean-linkage -mcode-align -mcomplex-addr -mleaf-procedures -mic-compat -mic2.0-compat -mic3.0-compat -mintel-asm -mno-clean-linkage -mno-code-align -mno-complex-addr -mno-leaf-procedures -mno-old-align -mno-strict-align -mno-tail-call -mnumerics -mold-align -msoft-float -mstrict-align -mtail-call *DEC Alpha Options* -mfp-regs -mno-fp-regs -mno-soft-float -msoft-float -malpha-as -mgas -mieee -mieee-with-inexact -mieee-conformant -mfp-trap-mode=MODE -mfp-rounding-mode=MODE -mtrap-precision=MODE -mbuild-constants -mcpu=CPU TYPE -mbwx -mno-bwx -mcix -mno-cix -mmax -mno-max *Clipper Options* -mc300 -mc400 *H8/300 Options* -mrelax -mh -ms -mint32 -malign-300 *SH Options* -m1 -m2 -m3 -m3e -mb -ml -mrelax *System V Options* -Qy -Qn -YP,PATHS -Ym,DIR *V850 Options* -mlong-calls -mno-long-calls -mep -mno-ep -mprolog-function -mno-prolog-function -mspace -mtda=N -msda=N -mzda=N -mv850 -mbig-switch *Code Generation Options* *Note Options for Code Generation Conventions: Code Gen Options. -fcall-saved-REG -fcall-used-REG -ffixed-REG -finhibit-size-directive -fcheck-memory-usage -fprefix-function-name -fno-common -fno-ident -fno-gnu-linker -fpcc-struct-return -freg-struct-return -fshared-data -fpic -fPIC -fexceptions -fshort-enums -fshort-double -fvolatile -fvolatile-global -fverbose-asm -fpack-struct -fstack-check +e0 +e1 * Menu: * Overall Options:: Controlling the kind of output: an executable, object files, assembler files, or preprocessed source. * C Dialect Options:: Controlling the variant of C language compiled. * C++ Dialect Options:: Variations on C++. * Warning Options:: How picky should the compiler be? * Debugging Options:: Symbol tables, measurements, and debugging dumps. * Optimize Options:: How much optimization? * Preprocessor Options:: Controlling header files and macro definitions. Also, getting dependency information for Make. * Assembler Options:: Passing options to the assembler. * Link Options:: Specifying libraries and so on. * Directory Options:: Where to find header files and libraries. Where to find the compiler executable files. * Target Options:: Running a cross-compiler, or an old version of GNU CC.  File: gcc.info, Node: Overall Options, Next: Invoking G++, Prev: Option Summary, Up: Invoking GCC Options Controlling the Kind of Output ====================================== Compilation can involve up to four stages: preprocessing, compilation proper, assembly and linking, always in that order. The first three stages apply to an individual source file, and end by producing an object file; linking combines all the object files (those newly compiled, and those specified as input) into an executable file. For any given input file, the file name suffix determines what kind of compilation is done: `FILE.c' C source code which must be preprocessed. `FILE.i' C source code which should not be preprocessed. `FILE.ii' C++ source code which should not be preprocessed. `FILE.m' Objective-C source code. Note that you must link with the library `libobjc.a' to make an Objective-C program work. `FILE.h' C header file (not to be compiled or linked). `FILE.cc' `FILE.cxx' `FILE.cpp' `FILE.C' C++ source code which must be preprocessed. Note that in `.cxx', the last two letters must both be literally `x'. Likewise, `.C' refers to a literal capital C. `FILE.s' Assembler code. `FILE.S' Assembler code which must be preprocessed. `OTHER' An object file to be fed straight into linking. Any file name with no recognized suffix is treated this way. You can specify the input language explicitly with the `-x' option: `-x LANGUAGE' Specify explicitly the LANGUAGE for the following input files (rather than letting the compiler choose a default based on the file name suffix). This option applies to all following input files until the next `-x' option. Possible values for LANGUAGE are: c objective-c c++ c-header cpp-output c++-cpp-output assembler assembler-with-cpp `-x none' Turn off any specification of a language, so that subsequent files are handled according to their file name suffixes (as they are if `-x' has not been used at all). If you only want some of the stages of compilation, you can use `-x' (or filename suffixes) to tell `gcc' where to start, and one of the options `-c', `-S', or `-E' to say where `gcc' is to stop. Note that some combinations (for example, `-x cpp-output -E' instruct `gcc' to do nothing at all. `-c' Compile or assemble the source files, but do not link. The linking stage simply is not done. The ultimate output is in the form of an object file for each source file. By default, the object file name for a source file is made by replacing the suffix `.c', `.i', `.s', etc., with `.o'. Unrecognized input files, not requiring compilation or assembly, are ignored. `-S' Stop after the stage of compilation proper; do not assemble. The output is in the form of an assembler code file for each non-assembler input file specified. By default, the assembler file name for a source file is made by replacing the suffix `.c', `.i', etc., with `.s'. Input files that don't require compilation are ignored. `-E' Stop after the preprocessing stage; do not run the compiler proper. The output is in the form of preprocessed source code, which is sent to the standard output. Input files which don't require preprocessing are ignored. `-o FILE' Place output in file FILE. This applies regardless to whatever sort of output is being produced, whether it be an executable file, an object file, an assembler file or preprocessed C code. Since only one output file can be specified, it does not make sense to use `-o' when compiling more than one input file, unless you are producing an executable file as output. If `-o' is not specified, the default is to put an executable file in `a.out', the object file for `SOURCE.SUFFIX' in `SOURCE.o', its assembler file in `SOURCE.s', and all preprocessed C source on standard output. `-v' Print (on standard error output) the commands executed to run the stages of compilation. Also print the version number of the compiler driver program and of the preprocessor and the compiler proper. `-pipe' Use pipes rather than temporary files for communication between the various stages of compilation. This fails to work on some systems where the assembler is unable to read from a pipe; but the GNU assembler has no trouble.  File: gcc.info, Node: Invoking G++, Next: C Dialect Options, Prev: Overall Options, Up: Invoking GCC Compiling C++ Programs ====================== C++ source files conventionally use one of the suffixes `.C', `.cc', `cpp', or `.cxx'; preprocessed C++ files use the suffix `.ii'. GNU CC recognizes files with these names and compiles them as C++ programs even if you call the compiler the same way as for compiling C programs (usually with the name `gcc'). However, C++ programs often require class libraries as well as a compiler that understands the C++ language--and under some circumstances, you might want to compile programs from standard input, or otherwise without a suffix that flags them as C++ programs. `g++' is a program that calls GNU CC with the default language set to C++, and automatically specifies linking against the C++ library. (1) On many systems, the script `g++' is also installed with the name `c++'. When you compile C++ programs, you may specify many of the same command-line options that you use for compiling programs in any language; or command-line options meaningful for C and related languages; or options that are meaningful only for C++ programs. *Note Options Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options, for explanations of options for languages related to C. *Note Options Controlling C++ Dialect: C++ Dialect Options, for explanations of options that are meaningful only for C++ programs. ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) Prior to release 2 of the compiler, there was a separate `g++' compiler. That version was based on GNU CC, but not integrated with it. Versions of `g++' with a `1.XX' version number--for example, `g++' version 1.37 or 1.42--are much less reliable than the versions integrated with GCC 2. Moreover, combining G++ `1.XX' with a version 2 GCC will simply not work.  File: gcc.info, Node: C Dialect Options, Next: C++ Dialect Options, Prev: Invoking G++, Up: Invoking GCC Options Controlling C Dialect ============================= The following options control the dialect of C (or languages derived from C, such as C++ and Objective C) that the compiler accepts: `-ansi' Support all ANSI standard C programs. This turns off certain features of GNU C that are incompatible with ANSI C, such as the `asm', `inline' and `typeof' keywords, and predefined macros such as `unix' and `vax' that identify the type of system you are using. It also enables the undesirable and rarely used ANSI trigraph feature, and it disables recognition of C++ style `//' comments. The alternate keywords `__asm__', `__extension__', `__inline__' and `__typeof__' continue to work despite `-ansi'. You would not want to use them in an ANSI C program, of course, but it is useful to put them in header files that might be included in compilations done with `-ansi'. Alternate predefined macros such as `__unix__' and `__vax__' are also available, with or without `-ansi'. The `-ansi' option does not cause non-ANSI programs to be rejected gratuitously. For that, `-pedantic' is required in addition to `-ansi'. *Note Warning Options::. The macro `__STRICT_ANSI__' is predefined when the `-ansi' option is used. Some header files may notice this macro and refrain from declaring certain functions or defining certain macros that the ANSI standard doesn't call for; this is to avoid interfering with any programs that might use these names for other things. The functions `alloca', `abort', `exit', and `_exit' are not builtin functions when `-ansi' is used. `-fno-asm' Do not recognize `asm', `inline' or `typeof' as a keyword, so that code can use these words as identifiers. You can use the keywords `__asm__', `__inline__' and `__typeof__' instead. `-ansi' implies `-fno-asm'. In C++, this switch only affects the `typeof' keyword, since `asm' and `inline' are standard keywords. You may want to use the `-fno-gnu-keywords' flag instead, as it also disables the other, C++-specific, extension keywords such as `headof'. `-fno-builtin' Don't recognize builtin functions that do not begin with two leading underscores. Currently, the functions affected include `abort', `abs', `alloca', `cos', `exit', `fabs', `ffs', `labs', `memcmp', `memcpy', `sin', `sqrt', `strcmp', `strcpy', and `strlen'. GCC normally generates special code to handle certain builtin functions more efficiently; for instance, calls to `alloca' may become single instructions that adjust the stack directly, and calls to `memcpy' may become inline copy loops. The resulting code is often both smaller and faster, but since the function calls no longer appear as such, you cannot set a breakpoint on those calls, nor can you change the behavior of the functions by linking with a different library. The `-ansi' option prevents `alloca' and `ffs' from being builtin functions, since these functions do not have an ANSI standard meaning. `-fhosted' Assert that compilation takes place in a hosted environment. This implies `-fbuiltin'. A hosted environment is one in which the entire standard library is available, and in which `main' has a return type of `int'. Examples are nearly everything except a kernel. This is equivalent to `-fno-freestanding'. `-ffreestanding' Assert that compilation takes place in a freestanding environment. This implies `-fno-builtin'. A freestanding environment is one in which the standard library may not exist, and program startup may not necessarily be at `main'. The most obvious example is an OS kernel. This is equivalent to `-fno-hosted'. `-trigraphs' Support ANSI C trigraphs. You don't want to know about this brain-damage. The `-ansi' option implies `-trigraphs'. `-traditional' Attempt to support some aspects of traditional C compilers. Specifically: * All `extern' declarations take effect globally even if they are written inside of a function definition. This includes implicit declarations of functions. * The newer keywords `typeof', `inline', `signed', `const' and `volatile' are not recognized. (You can still use the alternative keywords such as `__typeof__', `__inline__', and so on.) * Comparisons between pointers and integers are always allowed. * Integer types `unsigned short' and `unsigned char' promote to `unsigned int'. * Out-of-range floating point literals are not an error. * Certain constructs which ANSI regards as a single invalid preprocessing number, such as `0xe-0xd', are treated as expressions instead. * String "constants" are not necessarily constant; they are stored in writable space, and identical looking constants are allocated separately. (This is the same as the effect of `-fwritable-strings'.) * All automatic variables not declared `register' are preserved by `longjmp'. Ordinarily, GNU C follows ANSI C: automatic variables not declared `volatile' may be clobbered. * The character escape sequences `\x' and `\a' evaluate as the literal characters `x' and `a' respectively. Without `-traditional', `\x' is a prefix for the hexadecimal representation of a character, and `\a' produces a bell. * In C++ programs, assignment to `this' is permitted with `-traditional'. (The option `-fthis-is-variable' also has this effect.) You may wish to use `-fno-builtin' as well as `-traditional' if your program uses names that are normally GNU C builtin functions for other purposes of its own. You cannot use `-traditional' if you include any header files that rely on ANSI C features. Some vendors are starting to ship systems with ANSI C header files and you cannot use `-traditional' on such systems to compile files that include any system headers. The `-traditional' option also enables the `-traditional-cpp' option, which is described next. `-traditional-cpp' Attempt to support some aspects of traditional C preprocessors. Specifically: * Comments convert to nothing at all, rather than to a space. This allows traditional token concatenation. * In a preprocessing directive, the `#' symbol must appear as the first character of a line. * Macro arguments are recognized within string constants in a macro definition (and their values are stringified, though without additional quote marks, when they appear in such a context). The preprocessor always considers a string constant to end at a newline. * The predefined macro `__STDC__' is not defined when you use `-traditional', but `__GNUC__' is (since the GNU extensions which `__GNUC__' indicates are not affected by `-traditional'). If you need to write header files that work differently depending on whether `-traditional' is in use, by testing both of these predefined macros you can distinguish four situations: GNU C, traditional GNU C, other ANSI C compilers, and other old C compilers. The predefined macro `__STDC_VERSION__' is also not defined when you use `-traditional'. *Note Standard Predefined Macros: (cpp.info)Standard Predefined, for more discussion of these and other predefined macros. * The preprocessor considers a string constant to end at a newline (unless the newline is escaped with `\'). (Without `-traditional', string constants can contain the newline character as typed.) `-fcond-mismatch' Allow conditional expressions with mismatched types in the second and third arguments. The value of such an expression is void. `-funsigned-char' Let the type `char' be unsigned, like `unsigned char'. Each kind of machine has a default for what `char' should be. It is either like `unsigned char' by default or like `signed char' by default. Ideally, a portable program should always use `signed char' or `unsigned char' when it depends on the signedness of an object. But many programs have been written to use plain `char' and expect it to be signed, or expect it to be unsigned, depending on the machines they were written for. This option, and its inverse, let you make such a program work with the opposite default. The type `char' is always a distinct type from each of `signed char' or `unsigned char', even though its behavior is always just like one of those two. `-fsigned-char' Let the type `char' be signed, like `signed char'. Note that this is equivalent to `-fno-unsigned-char', which is the negative form of `-funsigned-char'. Likewise, the option `-fno-signed-char' is equivalent to `-funsigned-char'. You may wish to use `-fno-builtin' as well as `-traditional' if your program uses names that are normally GNU C builtin functions for other purposes of its own. You cannot use `-traditional' if you include any header files that rely on ANSI C features. Some vendors are starting to ship systems with ANSI C header files and you cannot use `-traditional' on such systems to compile files that include any system headers. `-fsigned-bitfields' `-funsigned-bitfields' `-fno-signed-bitfields' `-fno-unsigned-bitfields' These options control whether a bitfield is signed or unsigned, when the declaration does not use either `signed' or `unsigned'. By default, such a bitfield is signed, because this is consistent: the basic integer types such as `int' are signed types. However, when `-traditional' is used, bitfields are all unsigned no matter what. `-fwritable-strings' Store string constants in the writable data segment and don't uniquize them. This is for compatibility with old programs which assume they can write into string constants. The option `-traditional' also has this effect. Writing into string constants is a very bad idea; "constants" should be constant. `-fallow-single-precision' Do not promote single precision math operations to double precision, even when compiling with `-traditional'. Traditional K&R C promotes all floating point operations to double precision, regardless of the sizes of the operands. On the architecture for which you are compiling, single precision may be faster than double precision. If you must use `-traditional', but want to use single precision operations when the operands are single precision, use this option. This option has no effect when compiling with ANSI or GNU C conventions (the default).  File: gcc.info, Node: C++ Dialect Options, Next: Warning Options, Prev: C Dialect Options, Up: Invoking GCC Options Controlling C++ Dialect =============================== This section describes the command-line options that are only meaningful for C++ programs; but you can also use most of the GNU compiler options regardless of what language your program is in. For example, you might compile a file `firstClass.C' like this: g++ -g -felide-constructors -O -c firstClass.C In this example, only `-felide-constructors' is an option meant only for C++ programs; you can use the other options with any language supported by GNU CC. Here is a list of options that are *only* for compiling C++ programs: `-fno-access-control' Turn off all access checking. This switch is mainly useful for working around bugs in the access control code. `-fall-virtual' Treat all possible member functions as virtual, implicitly. All member functions (except for constructor functions and `new' or `delete' member operators) are treated as virtual functions of the class where they appear. This does not mean that all calls to these member functions will be made through the internal table of virtual functions. Under some circumstances, the compiler can determine that a call to a given virtual function can be made directly; in these cases the calls are direct in any case. `-fcheck-new' Check that the pointer returned by `operator new' is non-null before attempting to modify the storage allocated. The current Working Paper requires that `operator new' never return a null pointer, so this check is normally unnecessary. `-fconserve-space' Put uninitialized or runtime-initialized global variables into the common segment, as C does. This saves space in the executable at the cost of not diagnosing duplicate definitions. If you compile with this flag and your program mysteriously crashes after `main()' has completed, you may have an object that is being destroyed twice because two definitions were merged. `-fdollars-in-identifiers' Accept `$' in identifiers. You can also explicitly prohibit use of `$' with the option `-fno-dollars-in-identifiers'. (GNU C allows `$' by default on most target systems, but there are a few exceptions.) Traditional C allowed the character `$' to form part of identifiers. However, ANSI C and C++ forbid `$' in identifiers. `-fenum-int-equiv' Anachronistically permit implicit conversion of `int' to enumeration types. Current C++ allows conversion of `enum' to `int', but not the other way around. `-fexternal-templates' Cause template instantiations to obey `#pragma interface' and `implementation'; template instances are emitted or not according to the location of the template definition. *Note Template Instantiation::, for more information. This option is deprecated. `-falt-external-templates' Similar to -fexternal-templates, but template instances are emitted or not according to the place where they are first instantiated. *Note Template Instantiation::, for more information. This option is deprecated. `-ffor-scope' `-fno-for-scope' If -ffor-scope is specified, the scope of variables declared in a for-init-statement is limited to the `for' loop itself, as specified by the draft C++ standard. If -fno-for-scope is specified, the scope of variables declared in a for-init-statement extends to the end of the enclosing scope, as was the case in old versions of gcc, and other (traditional) implementations of C++. The default if neither flag is given to follow the standard, but to allow and give a warning for old-style code that would otherwise be invalid, or have different behavior. `-fno-gnu-keywords' Do not recognize `classof', `headof', `signature', `sigof' or `typeof' as a keyword, so that code can use these words as identifiers. You can use the keywords `__classof__', `__headof__', `__signature__', `__sigof__', and `__typeof__' instead. `-ansi' implies `-fno-gnu-keywords'. `-fguiding-decls' Treat a function declaration with the same type as a potential function template instantiation as though it declares that instantiation, not a normal function. If a definition is given for the function later in the translation unit (or another translation unit if the target supports weak symbols), that definition will be used; otherwise the template will be instantiated. This behavior reflects the C++ language prior to September 1996, when guiding declarations were removed. This option implies `-fname-mangling-version-0', and will not work with other name mangling versions. `-fno-implicit-templates' Never emit code for templates which are instantiated implicitly (i.e. by use); only emit code for explicit instantiations. *Note Template Instantiation::, for more information. `-fhandle-signatures' Recognize the `signature' and `sigof' keywords for specifying abstract types. The default (`-fno-handle-signatures') is not to recognize them. *Note Type Abstraction using Signatures: C++ Signatures. `-fhuge-objects' Support virtual function calls for objects that exceed the size representable by a `short int'. Users should not use this flag by default; if you need to use it, the compiler will tell you so. If you compile any of your code with this flag, you must compile *all* of your code with this flag (including the C++ library, if you use it). This flag is not useful when compiling with -fvtable-thunks. `-fno-implement-inlines' To save space, do not emit out-of-line copies of inline functions controlled by `#pragma implementation'. This will cause linker errors if these functions are not inlined everywhere they are called. `-fmemoize-lookups' `-fsave-memoized' Use heuristics to compile faster. These heuristics are not enabled by default, since they are only effective for certain input files. Other input files compile more slowly. The first time the compiler must build a call to a member function (or reference to a data member), it must (1) determine whether the class implements member functions of that name; (2) resolve which member function to call (which involves figuring out what sorts of type conversions need to be made); and (3) check the visibility of the member function to the caller. All of this adds up to slower compilation. Normally, the second time a call is made to that member function (or reference to that data member), it must go through the same lengthy process again. This means that code like this: cout << "This " << p << " has " << n << " legs.\n"; makes six passes through all three steps. By using a software cache, a "hit" significantly reduces this cost. Unfortunately, using the cache introduces another layer of mechanisms which must be implemented, and so incurs its own overhead. `-fmemoize-lookups' enables the software cache. Because access privileges (visibility) to members and member functions may differ from one function context to the next, G++ may need to flush the cache. With the `-fmemoize-lookups' flag, the cache is flushed after every function that is compiled. The `-fsave-memoized' flag enables the same software cache, but when the compiler determines that the context of the last function compiled would yield the same access privileges of the next function to compile, it preserves the cache. This is most helpful when defining many member functions for the same class: with the exception of member functions which are friends of other classes, each member function has exactly the same access privileges as every other, and the cache need not be flushed. The code that implements these flags has rotted; you should probably avoid using them. `-fstrict-prototype' Within an `extern "C"' linkage specification, treat a function declaration with no arguments, such as `int foo ();', as declaring the function to take no arguments. Normally, such a declaration means that the function `foo' can take any combination of arguments, as in C. `-pedantic' implies `-fstrict-prototype' unless overridden with `-fno-strict-prototype'. This flag no longer affects declarations with C++ linkage. `-fname-mangling-version-N' Control the way in which names are mangled. Version 0 is compatible with versions of g++ before 2.8. Version 1 is the default. Version 1 will allow correct mangling of function templates. For example, version 0 mangling does not mangle foo and foo given this declaration: template void foo(T t); `-fno-nonnull-objects' Don't assume that a reference is initialized to refer to a valid object. Although the current C++ Working Paper prohibits null references, some old code may rely on them, and you can use `-fno-nonnull-objects' to turn on checking. At the moment, the compiler only does this checking for conversions to virtual base classes. `-foperator-names' Recognize the operator name keywords `and', `bitand', `bitor', `compl', `not', `or' and `xor' as synonyms for the symbols they refer to. `-ansi' implies `-foperator-names'. `-fthis-is-variable' Permit assignment to `this'. The incorporation of user-defined free store management into C++ has made assignment to `this' an anachronism. Therefore, by default it is invalid to assign to `this' within a class member function; that is, GNU C++ treats `this' in a member function of class `X' as a non-lvalue of type `X *'. However, for backwards compatibility, you can make it valid with `-fthis-is-variable'. `-fvtable-thunks' Use `thunks' to implement the virtual function dispatch table (`vtable'). The traditional (cfront-style) approach to implementing vtables was to store a pointer to the function and two offsets for adjusting the `this' pointer at the call site. Newer implementations store a single pointer to a `thunk' function which does any necessary adjustment and then calls the target function. This option also enables a heuristic for controlling emission of vtables; if a class has any non-inline virtual functions, the vtable will be emitted in the translation unit containing the first one of those. `-ftemplate-depth-N' Set the maximum instantiation depth for template classes to N. A limit on the template instantiation depth is needed to detect endless recursions during template class instantiation. ANSI/ISO C++ conforming programs must not rely on a maximum depth greater than 17. `-nostdinc++' Do not search for header files in the standard directories specific to C++, but do still search the other standard directories. (This option is used when building the C++ library.) `-traditional' For C++ programs (in addition to the effects that apply to both C and C++), this has the same effect as `-fthis-is-variable'. *Note Options Controlling C Dialect: C Dialect Options. In addition, these optimization, warning, and code generation options have meanings only for C++ programs: `-fno-default-inline' Do not assume `inline' for functions defined inside a class scope. *Note Options That Control Optimization: Optimize Options. `-Wold-style-cast' `-Woverloaded-virtual' `-Wtemplate-debugging' Warnings that apply only to C++ programs. *Note Options to Request or Suppress Warnings: Warning Options. `-Weffc++' Warn about violation of some style rules from Effective C++ by Scott Myers. `+eN' Control how virtual function definitions are used, in a fashion compatible with `cfront' 1.x. *Note Options for Code Generation Conventions: Code Gen Options.