Re: There is a bug in m4 tracing

[Stepan Kasal]

Hello,

> Witness the following typescript:

looks right to me.

Let me explain; let's start with your definition:

> define(`foo', `This is the macro `foo'.')

The most natural way to use this macro as a parameter would be this:

> define(`echo3', `$1')
> echo3(`foo')

(Note that the parameter is quoted.)

echo3 would get one parameter, <foo>  (without the angle braces, of
course).  So it would expand to <foo>.  And this would expand to
        This is the macro `foo'.
which is expanded word by word and ends up as
        This is the macro foo.

Back to your example:

> define(`echo1', `$*')
> echo1(foo)

Since the parameter is not quoted, it is expanded during the parameter
scan for echo1.  So first <foo> is expanded to <This is the macro `foo'.>
and then to <This is the macro foo.>---and this is what becomes the
parameter for echo1.

Then echo1 is expanded, and we get <This is the macro foo.>
Then this is expanded word by word, so we get
        This is the macro This is the macro `foo'..
and
        This is the macro This is the macro foo..

To sum up, the macros were expanded in this order:
        foo, echo1, foo

> define(`echo2', `$@')
> echo2(foo)

This is similar, but $@ becomes <`This is the macro foo.'> and thus the
macro foo is not expanded once more, so the list is:
        foo, echo2

One final note:
> m4trace: -2- foo
The number 2 means that foo is expanded during the scan for parameters of
echo1.

Hope this helps,
        Stepan Kasal