Re: Is 'extern' necessary?

From	David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
Subject	Re: Is 'extern' necessary?
Date	2017-02-13 23:29 +0100
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<o7tbt6$74t$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	(3 earlier) <eg7107Fbmb2U1@mid.individual.net> <o7s7rt$rup$1@dont-email.me> <20170213134423.3e115bb6b08b18a261c46bae@gmail.com> <o7sevq$l13$1@dont-email.me> <20170213172401.3de343e6dcce4212fa1334e8@gmail.com>

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On 13/02/17 17:24, GOTHIER Nathan wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:16:07 +0100 David Brown
> <david.brown@hesbynett.no> wrote:
>
>> No.  Prototypes are usually in advance of the definition, not
>> /after/ the definition (assuming the definition is in the same TU
>> as the prototype in question).  And if you have a "static" function
>> definition, it is perfectly reasonable to have a "static" prototype
>> for it in advance of the function definition - you do that if you
>> have mutually recursive static functions, or if you just prefer a
>> different order for defining your functions.
>
> I'm amazed how you make things right using corner cases...

The most common use of function prototypes is in the function definition:

// mod.c
static double foo(int a, double b) { return a * b; }

A second common use is in both a declaration, and the definition.  The 
declaration is put in a header:

// mod.h
extern double foo(int a, double b);
// or omit the "extern" if you prefer

// mod.c
#include "mod.h"
double foo(int a, double b) { return a * b; }

The third common use is in both a declaration and the definition, for 
"forward declarations" so that you can call the function before it is 
defined:

// mod.c
#include "mod.h"
static double foo(int a, double b);
static foo(int a, double b) { return a * b; }

Note that in most of these cases, the prototype is "static".  Only in 
the case of a header declaration is it "extern", and even then the 
"extern" keyword is optional (I like to use it, but I can't say how 
common that is).

Giving a prototype /after/ the definition of a function is basically 
useless - it might be done by a weird accident of how code is arranged, 
but it is not going to be done intentionally.

So in no sense do prototypes point to "a previous definition".

> Your quest
> for the only one truth show your devotion as a good Christian. :-)
>

I can't figure out any meaning from that sentence, but I get the vague 
feeling you are trying to be insulting, or at least critical.  I won't 
take offence - I will simply assure you that you are probably wrong.

> Usually prototypes are used to access definitions provided to the
> linker as a library.

No.  Prototypes are used to tell the compiler the "signature" of a 
function - it's name, qualifiers, parameters and return type.  That 
applies to /all/ functions, whether they are static to a file, shared 
across translation units, or as part of a library.

> Sometimes you can have function definitions
> containing a prototype...

Any function written since C90 was introduced should have a prototype as 
part of its definition - non-prototype function definitions are long 
outdated.

> but in this case there's no point in using
> "extern".
>

That part is true.  It is seldom that you see a function definition 
marked "extern" - you usually have the "extern" prototype in a header 
file separate from the function definition.

Thread

Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-10 17:16 +0000
  Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-10 09:33 -0800
    Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-10 18:41 +0000
      Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-10 12:09 -0800
        Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-10 20:29 +0000
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-10 13:26 -0800
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-10 22:56 +0000
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-10 20:19 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? "James R. Kuyper" <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2017-02-11 09:53 -0500
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2017-02-13 05:19 -0800
      Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-10 12:09 -0800
        Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-10 20:50 +0000
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-10 13:09 -0800
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-10 13:33 -0800
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-10 23:23 +0000
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-10 23:35 +0000
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-11 00:34 +0000
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-13 12:41 +0100
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-13 13:14 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-13 14:05 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-13 07:49 -0800
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-10 19:33 -0800
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-11 09:41 -0800
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-11 10:19 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? "James R. Kuyper" <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2017-02-11 13:39 -0500
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-12 10:10 -0800
      Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2017-02-10 14:59 -0800
      Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-13 12:33 +0100
  Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Siri Cruise <chine.bleu@yahoo.com> - 2017-02-10 09:35 -0800
    Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-10 12:12 -0800
  Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-10 10:38 -0800
  Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-10 21:10 +0000
    Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-10 13:25 -0800
  Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2017-02-10 14:53 -0800
    Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2017-02-10 15:06 -0800
    Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-10 23:24 +0000
      Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2017-02-11 12:34 +1300
        Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-13 13:14 +0100
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? GOTHIER Nathan <nathan.gothier@gmail.com> - 2017-02-13 13:44 +0100
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-13 14:13 +0000
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-13 15:16 +0100
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? GOTHIER Nathan <nathan.gothier@gmail.com> - 2017-02-13 17:24 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? "James R. Kuyper" <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2017-02-13 14:24 -0500
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-13 23:29 +0100
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-13 11:06 -0800
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2017-02-13 11:15 -0800
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? "James R. Kuyper" <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2017-02-13 11:48 -0500
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-13 09:03 -0800
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-13 23:37 +0100
      Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2017-02-10 15:40 -0800
      Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2017-02-13 05:09 -0800
        Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-13 13:46 +0000
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-13 09:52 -0800
            Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-13 19:19 +0000
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-13 11:34 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-13 20:13 +0000
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2017-02-13 13:11 -0800
              Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-14 00:33 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-14 01:02 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-14 09:28 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2017-02-14 03:31 -0600
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-14 11:42 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-14 13:29 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-14 05:16 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-14 14:51 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-14 07:24 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-14 21:35 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2017-02-14 15:53 -0500
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-15 09:31 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? "James R. Kuyper" <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2017-02-15 11:36 -0500
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-15 09:12 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? "James R. Kuyper" <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2017-02-15 12:58 -0500
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-15 10:01 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-15 10:55 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-15 11:42 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-15 12:28 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-15 13:58 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-14 08:54 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-14 08:51 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2017-02-14 17:32 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Gareth Owen <gwowen@gmail.com> - 2017-02-14 17:45 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-14 21:38 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-14 23:26 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-14 16:33 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-15 00:47 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Jean-Marc Bourguet <jm@bourguet.org> - 2017-02-14 18:17 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2017-02-14 09:47 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-14 18:36 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? jameskuyper@verizon.net - 2017-02-14 11:20 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2017-02-14 11:42 -0800
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-14 20:22 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2017-02-14 17:58 -0600
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-15 01:29 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2017-02-16 05:02 -0600
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-16 11:38 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-16 14:37 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-02-16 15:43 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-16 16:08 +0000
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? GOTHIER Nathan <nathan.gothier@gmail.com> - 2017-02-16 18:42 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2017-02-15 09:47 +0100
                Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2017-02-16 05:05 -0600
          Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2017-02-15 16:53 -0800
    Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-02-10 23:55 +0000
  Re: Is 'extern' necessary? Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> - 2017-02-10 19:24 -0600
  Re: Is 'extern' necessary? void <nathan.gothier@gmail.com> - 2017-02-11 03:17 -0800

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