Re: question about linker

On 11/12/2024 17:30, Janis Papanagnou wrote:

On 11.12.2024 09:43, Ike Naar wrote:

On 2024-12-09, Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> wrote:

An unambiguous grammar is something quite essential; how would you
parse code if it were ambiguous?

>
Here's an ambiguity in the C grammar:
>
[...]
>
The following selection-statement is grammatically ambiguous:
>
     if (E1) if (E2) S1 else S2

 Yes, the dangling else is a common ambiguity in many programming
languages.
 That's why I prefer languages with syntaxes like in Algol 68 or
Eiffel (for example).
 

It is easy to avoid in a C-like language - simply require braces on "if" statements, or at the very least, require them when there is an "else" clause.  Most C coding standards and style guides make that requirement - not because the C compiler sees it as ambiguous, but because humans often do.  (Or they misinterpret it.)