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cgccpragma

What does #pragma message do?

Using GCC on Linux (Mint)

I have a line of code ...

#pragma message "blah blah blah"

When I run GCC I get this output with no warning, errors, etc ...

src/source_file.c:29:9: note: ‘#pragma message: blah blah blah’
29 | #pragma message "blah blah blah"

enter image description here

I see tutorials specifying how to use #pragma message ... but I didn't know what to expect from compiler output.

Solution

  • The #pragma is a preprocessor directive that provides additional information to the compiler. They are not part of the core language but allow for various compiler-specific customizations and optimizations. The correct syntax for #pragma message requires the message to be enclosed in parentheses and double quotes.

    The pragma message can be used to output a message during compilation. For example if you write in the main.c file :

    #pragma message("Compiling " __FILE__)

    You should have this output :

    Compiling main.c