xref: /dragonfly/share/man/man3/assert.3 (revision dc71b7ab)
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28.\"     @(#)assert.3	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/9/93
29.\" $FreeBSD: src/share/man/man3/assert.3,v 1.15 2002/12/04 18:57:46 ru Exp $
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31.\"
32.Dd January 26, 1999
33.Dt ASSERT 3
34.Os
35.Sh NAME
36.Nm assert
37.Nd expression verification macro
38.Sh SYNOPSIS
39.In assert.h
40.Fn assert expression
41.Sh DESCRIPTION
42The
43.Fn assert
44macro tests the given
45.Ar expression
46and if it is false,
47the calling process is terminated.
48A
49diagnostic message is written to
50.Dv stderr
51and the function
52.Xr abort 3
53is called, effectively terminating the program.
54.Pp
55If
56.Ar expression
57is true,
58the
59.Fn assert
60macro does nothing.
61.Pp
62The
63.Fn assert
64macro
65may be removed at compile time by defining
66.Dv NDEBUG
67as a macro
68(e.g., by using the
69.Xr cc 1
70option
71.Fl D Ns Dv NDEBUG ) .
72.Sh EXAMPLES
73The assertion:
74.Pp
75.Dl "assert(1 == 0);"
76.Pp
77generates a diagnostic message similar to the following:
78.Pp
79.Dl "Assertion failed: (1 == 0), function main, file assertion.c, line 100."
80.Sh SEE ALSO
81.Xr abort 3
82.Sh STANDARDS
83The
84.Fn assert
85macro conforms to
86.St -isoC-99 .
87.Sh HISTORY
88An
89.Nm
90macro appeared in
91.At v6 .
92