xref: /freebsd/share/man/man3/assert.3 (revision a0ee8cc6)
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28.\"     @(#)assert.3	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/9/93
29.\" $FreeBSD$
30.\"
31.Dd January 26, 1999
32.Dt ASSERT 3
33.Os
34.Sh NAME
35.Nm assert
36.Nd expression verification macro
37.Sh SYNOPSIS
38.In assert.h
39.Fn assert expression
40.Sh DESCRIPTION
41The
42.Fn assert
43macro tests the given
44.Ar expression
45and if it is false,
46the calling process is terminated.
47A
48diagnostic message is written to
49.Dv stderr
50and the function
51.Xr abort 3
52is called, effectively terminating the program.
53.Pp
54If
55.Ar expression
56is true,
57the
58.Fn assert
59macro does nothing.
60.Pp
61The
62.Fn assert
63macro
64may be removed at compile time by defining
65.Dv NDEBUG
66as a macro
67(e.g., by using the
68.Xr cc 1
69option
70.Fl D Ns Dv NDEBUG ) .
71.Sh EXAMPLES
72The assertion:
73.Pp
74.Dl "assert(1 == 0);"
75.Pp
76generates a diagnostic message similar to the following:
77.Pp
78.Dl "Assertion failed: (1 == 0), function main, file assertion.c, line 100."
79.Sh SEE ALSO
80.Xr abort 3
81.Sh STANDARDS
82The
83.Fn assert
84macro conforms to
85.St -isoC-99 .
86.Sh HISTORY
87An
88.Nm
89macro appeared in
90.At v6 .
91