Re: awk for config headers

[Benoit SIGOURE]

On Oct 8, 2007, at 9:25 PM, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:

> * Paul Eggert wrote on Wed, Oct 03, 2007 at 01:43:01AM CEST:
> > Ralf Wildenhues <address@hidden> writes:
> > >       split(line, ws1, "#")
> > >       split(ws1[2], ws2, substr(defundef, 1, 1))
> > >       line = ws1[1] "#" ws2[1] "define " macro " " value
> >
> > Better, but I think it's even clearer to use "index".
>
> Hmm, Solaris awk has `index', but Autoconf's manual says:
> |      Traditional Awk supports only the predefined functions `exp',
> |      `int', `length', `log', `split', `sprintf', `sqrt', and  
> `substr'.
>
> Which is why I tried to avoid it.  ;-)

On the other hand, the manual says that traditional Awk doesn't  
support user-defined functions, has a `split' with only arguments,  
and many more warts.  The manual is not really clear but when I read  
this part, it means (to me) that traditional Awk is unusable and that  
one can write portable Awk without necessarily worrying about it  
working on these "traditional Awk".  The fact that AC_PROG_AWK tries  
to find a version of Awk without these warts seems to confirm this  
feeling.

--
Benoit Sigoure aka Tsuna
EPITA Research and Development Laboratory

PGP.sig
Description: This is a digitally signed message part