| 1 |
On 4/2/20 10:47 PM, Caveman Al Toraboran wrote: |
| 2 |
> wow, didn't know sendmail's syntax was so hard it needed a compiler |
| 3 |
> :D thank you very much for your help. highly appreciated. |
| 4 |
I think that's an inaccurate statement. |
| 5 |
|
| 6 |
First, m4 is a macro package, not a compiler. |
| 7 |
|
| 8 |
Second, the macros are used to reduce the size of the macro config (mc) |
| 9 |
file to something manageable instead of hundreds of lines that are easy |
| 10 |
to cause a syntax mistake. |
| 11 |
|
| 12 |
Third, the macros made the mc file more semantics in nature instead of |
| 13 |
Sendmail config file (cf) specific. Meaning that one line allows |
| 14 |
changing values in multiple places that use the common information, like |
| 15 |
the domain name(s). |
| 16 |
|
| 17 |
My home system has a 33 line mc file (including comments) that expands |
| 18 |
to 1915 lines of cf file (including comments). |
| 19 |
|
| 20 |
Both the input and output is ASCII text. Humans can read both of them. |
| 21 |
Humans that understand cf syntax can read both files. |
| 22 |
|
| 23 |
This is far from turning something into byte code. |
| 24 |
|
| 25 |
|
| 26 |
|
| 27 |
-- |
| 28 |
Grant. . . . |
| 29 |
unix || die |
Archives