xref: /freebsd/share/man/man3/assert.3 (revision 3a31b7eb32ad60e1e05b2b2e184ff47e4afbb874)
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32.\"     @(#)assert.3	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/9/93
33.\" $FreeBSD$
34.\"
35.Dd January 26, 1999
36.Dt ASSERT 3
37.Os
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm assert
40.Nd expression verification macro
41.Sh SYNOPSIS
42.In assert.h
43.Fn assert expression
44.Sh DESCRIPTION
45The
46.Fn assert
47macro tests the given
48.Ar expression
49and if it is false,
50the calling process is terminated.
51A
52diagnostic message is written to
53.Em stderr
54and the function
55.Xr abort 3
56is called, effectively terminating the program.
57.Pp
58If
59.Ar expression
60is true,
61the
62.Fn assert
63macro does nothing.
64.Pp
65The
66.Fn assert
67macro
68may be removed at compile time by defining
69.Dv NDEBUG
70as a macro
71(e.g., by using the
72.Xr cc 1
73option
74.Fl D Ns Dv NDEBUG ) .
75.Sh EXAMPLES
76The assertion:
77.Pp
78.Dl "assert(1 == 0);"
79.Pp
80generates a diagnostic message similar to the following:
81.Pp
82.Dl "assertion (1 == 0) failed: function main(), file assertion.c:100"
83.Sh SEE ALSO
84.Xr abort 3
85.Sh STANDARDS
86The
87.Fn assert
88macro conforms to
89.St -isoC-99 .
90.Sh HISTORY
91An
92.Nm
93macro appeared in
94.At v6 .
95