Preprocessor

The preprocessor built into the C166 Compiler processes the source text of a source file before it is actually compiled into machine language and object code. Preprocessing is the first thing the compiler does. The purpose of the preprocessor is to replace or insert additional text into the source file just prior to compilation.

Most of the obvious functions of the preprocessor require activation (by including preprocessor directives) in your source code. However, there are several things the preprocessor always does:

• Each C comment is replaced by a single space.
• Line continuations (indicated by a backslash ('\') at the end of a line) are removed and the lines they break apart are joined for compilation.
• Predefined macro names are replaced with their predefined text.

In addition to these operations, the preprocessor in the C166 Compiler supports the more obvious preprocessor operations:

• Header Files,
• Macros,
• Conditional Compilation.

If you encounter preprocessor problems, you may direct the compiler to generate a Preprocessor File that shows the exact output from the preprocessor.