gcc 7.3 diagnostic message descriptions

[David Gilbert]

Hello,

I have been scouring the net and the gcc documentation without success to
try and find a definitive description of the gcc diagnostic messages.

I am working on a project in which I need to parse the gcc compiler
diagnostics in order to automate the correction of the source code being
compiled.

For most of the diagnostics, the semantics are fairly self-evident but I am
left with a few questions:

.         In  some cases, the 'mark' line that follows an 'invalid
conversion' diagnostic description identifies the object that generated the
diagnostic with a '^' and a string of '~'s but in some cases the mark line
only contains a caret that identifies the closing parenthesis of a function
call or declaration and the column value in the diagnostic also points to
this location.  Why are there two behaviors?

.         In the case described in the first question above, I have found
that the error:/warning: diagnostic is followed by a note: diagnostic that
DOES identify the argument that provoked the diagnostic.  Is this entirely
consistent - i.e. will this 'note:' always be present?

.         What I am really trying to find is a comprehensive description of
the gcc diagnostic message syntax.  This is not in the documentation and
does not appear to be on the web either.  Can you point me at a source?

Thanks and regards,

David Gilbert

 

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