Preprocessor

The preprocessor is a stage in the compilation process that operates on the source code before it is passed to the compiler. The preprocessor is responsible for handling preprocessor directives, which are special commands in the source code that tell the preprocessor to perform certain operations on the code before it is compiled.

Some common operations performed by the preprocessor include:

• Macro substitution: Replacing a macro identifier with its corresponding macro definition. Macros are similar to functions, but they are expanded in-line in the code before compilation, rather than being called at runtime.
• File inclusion: Including code from other source files into the current source file. This can be useful for breaking up a large codebase into smaller, more manageable pieces.
• Conditional compilation: Allowing certain portions of code to be compiled based on defined conditions, such as the target platform or the presence of specific macros.

The preprocessor operates on the source code before the compiler, so the output of the preprocessor is a modified version of the original source code that has been processed according to the preprocessor directives. This modified code is then passed to the compiler for further processing.

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Status:: #wiki/notes/mature
Plantations:: Software Development - 20230221103859
References:: ILOG