OSF DCE Application Development Guide--Core Components

Interface Definition Language
17.9.4 String Constants
A string is a sequence of ASCII characters enclosed in double quotes. Whitespace
characters are interpreted literally. The \ (backslash) character introduces an escape
sequence, as defined in the ANSI C standard. The " (double quote) character can be
coded in a string only if it is escaped by a backslash.
You can specify any previously defined string constant as the value of a string constant.
17.9.5 NULL Constants
A void* constant can take only one literal value: NULL.
You can specify any previously defined void* constant as the value of a void* constant.
17.10 Type Declarations
The IDL type_declaration enables you to associate a name with a data type and to
specify attributes of the data type. It takes the following form:
typedef [[type_attribute, ...]] type_specifier type_declarator, ... ;
A type_attribute specifies characteristics of the type being declared.
The type_specifier can specify a base type, a constructed type, a predefined type, or a
named type. A function pointer can be specified if the local attribute has been specified.
Each type_declarator is a name for the type being defined. Note, though, that a
type_declarator can also be preceded by an * (asterisk), followed by [ ] (brackets), and
can include ( ) (parentheses) to indicate the precedence of its components.
17.10.1 Type Attributes
A type_attribute can be any of the following:
• handle: The type being declared is a user-defined, customized-handle type.
• context_handle: The type being declared is a context-handle type.
• transmit_as: The type being declared is a presented type. When it is passed in
remote procedure calls, it is converted to a specified transmitted type.
• ref: The type being declared is a reference pointer.
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