The Compiler as a Code-Reading Tool

• Change the name of a definition and read the errors
• Use intermediate files (preprocessing, symbolic code)
• Read symbolic code to
  • To understand how an implementation-defined operation is actually performed
  • To see how compiler optimizations affect the resulting code
  • To convince yourself that the compiler correctly translates a piece of code, or (rarely) to find a compiler bug
  • To verify that hardware-specific code written in C actually performs the operations you expect
  • To learn how a particular construct can be written in symbolic code
• Examine the object code using nm (Unix) or dumpbin (Windows)

• PreviousCompiler Warning Messages
• Contents
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 Last change: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 11:02 am
 Unless otherwise expressly stated, all original material on this page created by Diomidis Spinellis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Greece License.