COMPILE_ET(1)		    General Commands Manual		 COMPILE_ET(1)

NAME
       compile_et - error table compiler

SYNOPSIS
       compile_et file

DESCRIPTION
       Compile_et converts a table listing error-code names and associated
       messages into a C source file suitable for use with the com_err(3)
       library.

       The source file name must end with a suffix of ``.et''; the file
       consists of a declaration supplying the name (up to four characters
       long) of the error-code table:

       error_table name

       followed by up to 256 entries of the form:

       error_code name, " string "

       and a final

       end

       to indicate the end of the table.

       The name of the table is used to construct the name of a subroutine
       initialize_XXXX_error_table which must be called in order for the
       com_err library to recognize the error table.

       The various error codes defined are assigned sequentially increasing
       numbers (starting with a large number computed as a hash function of
       the name of the table); thus for compatibility it is suggested that new
       codes be added only to the end of an existing table, and that no codes
       be removed from tables.

       The names defined in the table are placed into a C header file with
       preprocessor directives defining them as integer constants of up to 32
       bits in magnitude.

       A C source file is also generated which should be compiled and linked
       with the object files which reference these error codes; it contains
       the text of the messages and the initialization subroutine.  Both C
       files have names derived from that of the original source file, with
       the ``.et'' suffix replaced by ``.c'' and ``.h''.

       A ``#'' in the source file is treated as a comment character, and all
       remaining text to the end of the source line will be ignored.


BUGS
       Since the original compile_et uses a very simple parser based on
       yacc(1), and this current version of compile_et uses an awk/sed
       combination of scripts, its error recovery leaves much to be desired.



SEE ALSO
       com_err (3).

       Ken Raeburn, "A Common Error Description Library for UNIX".

SIPB				  30 Mar 1998			 COMPILE_ET(1)