Subject: Re: Linux's printf() extensions
To: Lucio de Re <lucio@proxima.alt.za>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 09/22/1998 23:57:09
> Linux (apparently) allows qualifiers of the form "$n", where "n" is a
> number to specify a different sequence in which the printf()
> arguments are to be output.
Not just Linux. I saw this on some vendor OS too (Solaris? I forget),
which makes me suspect it's actually a part of some standard.
> Has anyone seen this facility ported to NetBSD?
Not me. Speaking as someone who basically reimplemented the guts of
printf a while ago, it would be nontrivial to do, and impossible in
some situations (for example, if $n is not used by the format, it's not
possible to handle $m correctly for m>n...unless certain
architecture-specific assumptions hold - assumptions which fail on many
current architectures).
The reimplementation I referred to is one that I can make available.
If anyone wants to pay me to add $n support to it... :-)
der Mouse
mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
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