To ensure that the SOM Compiler can properly update method procedure prototypes in the implementation file, class implementers should avoid editing changes such as the following:
Error messages occur while updating an existing implementation file if it contains syntax that is not ANSI C. For example, "old style" method definitions such as the example on the left generate errors:
Invalid "old" syntax
Similarly, error messages occur if anything in the .idl file would produce an implementation file that is not syntactically valid for C/C++ (such as nested comments). If update errors occur, either the .idl file or the implementation file may be at fault. One way to track down the problem is to run the implementation file through the C/C++ compiler. Or, move the existing implementation file to another directory, generate a completely new one from the .idl file, and then run it through the C/C++ compiler. One of these steps should pinpoint the error, if the compiler is strict ANSI.
Conditional compilation (using #if and #ifdef directives) in the implementation file can be another source of errors, because the SOM Compiler does not invoke the preprocessor (it simply recognizes and ignores those directives). The programmer should be careful when using conditional compilation, to avoid a situation such as shown below; here, with apparently two open braces and only one closing brace, the c or xc emitter would report an unexpected end-of-file:
Invalid syntax