DESCRIPTION

The System V Interface Definition (SVID) specifies that various math functions should invoke a function called matherr() if a math exception is detected. This function is called before the math function returns; after matherr() returns, the system then returns to the math function, which in turn returns to the caller.

The matherr() mechanism is supported by glibc, but is now obsolete: new applications should use the techniques described in math_error(7) and fenv(3). This page documents the glibc matherr() mechanism as an aid for maintaining and porting older applications.

To employ matherr(), the programmer must define the _SVID_SOURCE feature test macro (before including any header files), and assign the value _SVID_ to the external variable _LIB_VERSION.

The system provides a default version of matherr(). This version does nothing, and returns zero (see below for the significance of this). The default matherr() can be overridden by a programmer-defined version, which will be invoked when an exception occurs. The function is invoked with one argument, a pointer to an exception structure, defined as follows:

The type field has one of the following values:

The arg1 and arg2 fields are the arguments supplied to the function (arg2 is undefined for functions that take only one argument).

The retval field specifies the return value that the math function will return to its caller. The programmer-defined matherr() can modify this field to change the return value of the math function.

If the matherr() function returns zero, then the system sets errno as described above, and may print an error message on standard error (see below).

If the matherr() function returns a nonzero value, then the system does not set errno, and doesn't print an error message.

EXAMPLE

The example program demonstrates the use of matherr() when calling log(3). The program takes up to three command-line arguments. The first argument is the floating-point number to be given to log(3). If the optional second argument is provided, then _LIB_VERSION is set to _SVID_ so that matherr() is called, and the integer supplied in the command-line argument is used as the return value from matherr(). If the optional third command-line argument is supplied, then it specifies an alternative return value that matherr() should assign as the return value of the math function.

The following example run, where log(3) is given an argument of 0.0, does not use matherr():

In the following run, matherr() is called, and returns 0:

The message "log: SING error" was printed by the C library.

In the following run, matherr() is called, and returns a nonzero value:

In this case, the C library did not print a message, and errno was not set.

In the following run, matherr() is called, changes the return value of the math function, and returns a nonzero value:

#define _SVID_SOURCE
#include <errno.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

static int matherr_ret = 0;     /* Value that matherr()
                                   should return */
static int change_retval = 0;   /* Should matherr() change
                                   function's return value? */
static double new_retval;       /* New function return value */

int
matherr(struct exception *exc)
{
    fprintf(stderr, "matherr %s exception in %s() function\n",
           (exc−>type == DOMAIN) ?    "DOMAIN" :
           (exc−>type == OVERFLOW) ?  "OVERFLOW" :
           (exc−>type == UNDERFLOW) ? "UNDERFLOW" :
           (exc−>type == SING) ?      "SING" :
           (exc−>type == TLOSS) ?     "TLOSS" :
           (exc−>type == PLOSS) ?     "PLOSS" : "???",
            exc−>name);
    fprintf(stderr, "        args:   %f, %f\n",
            exc−>arg1, exc−>arg2);
    fprintf(stderr, "        retval: %f\n", exc−>retval);

    if (change_retval)
        exc−>retval = new_retval;

    return matherr_ret;
}

int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    double x;

    if (argc < 2) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <argval>"
                " [<matherr−ret> [<new−func−retval>]]\n", argv[0]);
        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
    }

    if (argc > 2) {
        _LIB_VERSION = _SVID_;
        matherr_ret = atoi(argv[2]);
    }

    if (argc > 3) {
        change_retval = 1;
        new_retval = atof(argv[3]);
    }

    x = log(atof(argv[1]));
    if (errno != 0)
        perror("errno");

    printf("x=%f\n", x);
    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
}

SEE ALSO

fenv(3), math_error(7), standards(7)