Subject: Re: Linux's printf() extensions
To: Lucio de Re <lucio@proxima.alt.za>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 09/22/1998 23:57:09
> Linux (apparently) allows qualifiers of the form "$n", where "n" is a
> number to specify a different sequence in which the printf()
> arguments are to be output.

Not just Linux.  I saw this on some vendor OS too (Solaris? I forget),
which makes me suspect it's actually a part of some standard.

> Has anyone seen this facility ported to NetBSD?

Not me.  Speaking as someone who basically reimplemented the guts of
printf a while ago, it would be nontrivial to do, and impossible in
some situations (for example, if $n is not used by the format, it's not
possible to handle $m correctly for m>n...unless certain
architecture-specific assumptions hold - assumptions which fail on many
current architectures).

The reimplementation I referred to is one that I can make available.
If anyone wants to pay me to add $n support to it... :-)

					der Mouse

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