Avoid using the syntax symbol() in formatted documentation.

5 files changed, 70 insertions, 27 deletions

diff --git a/doc/alloca-opt.texi b/doc/alloca-opt.texi
index 307a8f12f6..3fea8f359a 100644
--- a/doc/alloca-opt.texi
+++ b/doc/alloca-opt.texi
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 @c Documentation of gnulib module 'alloca-opt'.
 
-@c Copyright (C) 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+@c Copyright (C) 2004, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
 @c Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
 @c under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
@@ -9,17 +9,33 @@
 @c Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the ``GNU Free
 @c Documentation License'' file as part of this distribution.
 
-The alloca-opt module provides for a function alloca() which allocates memory
-on the stack, where the system allows it. A memory block allocated with alloca()
-exists only until the function that calls alloca() returns or exits abruptly.
+The alloca-opt module provides for a function @code{alloca} which allocates
+memory on the stack, where the system allows it. A memory block allocated with
+@code{alloca} exists only until the function that calls @code{alloca} returns
+or exits abruptly.
 
 There are a few systems where this is not possible: HP-UX systems, and some
-other platforms when the C++ compiler is used. On these platforms the alloca-opt
-module provides no replacement, just a preprocessor macro HAVE_ALLOCA.
+other platforms when the C++ compiler is used. On these platforms the
+alloca-opt module provides no replacement, just a preprocessor macro
+HAVE_ALLOCA.
 
-The user can #include <alloca.h> on all platforms, and use alloca() on those
-platforms where the preprocessor macro HAVE_ALLOCA evaluates to true. If
-HAVE_ALLOCA is false, the code should use a heap-based memory allocation
-based on malloc() or - in C++ - 'new'. Note that the #include <alloca.h> must be
-the first one after the autoconf-generated config.h. Thanks to AIX for this nice
-restriction!
+The user can @code{#include <alloca.h>} on all platforms, and use
+@code{alloca} on those platforms where the preprocessor macro HAVE_ALLOCA
+evaluates to true. If HAVE_ALLOCA is false, the code should use a heap-based
+memory allocation based on @code{malloc} or - in C++ - @code{new}. Note that
+the @code{#include <alloca.h>} must be the first one after the
+autoconf-generated @file{config.h}, for AIX 3 compatibility. Thanks to IBM for
+this nice restriction!
+
+Note that GCC 3.1 and 3.2 can @emph{inline} functions that call @code{alloca}.
+When this happens, the memory blocks allocated with @code{alloca} will not be
+freed until @emph{the end of the calling function}. If this calling function
+runs a loop calling the function that uses @code{alloca}, the program easily
+gets a stack overflow and crashes. To protect against this compiler behaviour,
+you can mark the function that uses @code{alloca} with the following attribute:
+
+@smallexample
+#ifdef __GNUC__
+__attribute__ ((__noinline__))
+#endif
+@end smallexample
diff --git a/doc/alloca.texi b/doc/alloca.texi
index 704103912e..975cb998de 100644
--- a/doc/alloca.texi
+++ b/doc/alloca.texi
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 @c Documentation of gnulib module 'alloca'.
 
-@c Copyright (C) 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+@c Copyright (C) 2004, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
 @c Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
 @c under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
@@ -9,20 +9,35 @@
 @c Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the ``GNU Free
 @c Documentation License'' file as part of this distribution.
 
-The alloca module provides for a function alloca() which allocates memory
-on the stack, where the system allows it. A memory block allocated with alloca()
-exists only until the function that calls alloca() returns or exits abruptly.
+The alloca module provides for a function @code{alloca} which allocates
+memory on the stack, where the system allows it. A memory block allocated with
+@code{alloca} exists only until the function that calls @code{alloca} returns
+or exits abruptly.
 
 There are a few systems where this is not possible: HP-UX systems, and some
 other platforms when the C++ compiler is used. On these platforms the alloca
-module provides a malloc() based emulation. This emulation will not free a
+module provides a @code{malloc} based emulation. This emulation will not free a
 memory block immediately when the calling function returns, but rather will
-wait until the next alloca() call from a function with the same or a shorter
-stack length. Thus, in some cases, a few memory blocks will be kept although
-they are not needed any more.
+wait until the next @code{alloca} call from a function with the same or a
+shorter stack length. Thus, in some cases, a few memory blocks will be kept
+although they are not needed any more.
 
-The user can #include <alloca.h> and use alloca() on all platforms. Note
-that the #include <alloca.h> must be the first one after the autoconf-generated
-config.h. Thanks to AIX for this nice restriction!
+The user can @code{#include <alloca.h>} and use @code{alloca} on all platforms.
+Note that the @code{#include <alloca.h>} must be the first one after the
+autoconf-generated @file{config.h}, for AIX 3 compatibility. Thanks to IBM for
+this nice restriction!
 
-An alternative to this module is the 'alloca-opt' module.
+Note that GCC 3.1 and 3.2 can @emph{inline} functions that call @code{alloca}.
+When this happens, the memory blocks allocated with @code{alloca} will not be
+freed until @emph{the end of the calling function}. If this calling function
+runs a loop calling the function that uses @code{alloca}, the program easily
+gets a stack overflow and crashes. To protect against this compiler behaviour,
+you can mark the function that uses @code{alloca} with the following attribute:
+
+@smallexample
+#ifdef __GNUC__
+__attribute__ ((__noinline__))
+#endif
+@end smallexample
+
+An alternative to this module is the @samp{alloca-opt} module.
diff --git a/doc/error.texi b/doc/error.texi
index 3a80486f34..2f669db789 100644
--- a/doc/error.texi
+++ b/doc/error.texi
@@ -22,5 +22,5 @@ replacement @code{program_name}, and a GPL user should manually
 specify using the @code{progname} module.
 
 Additionally, using the @code{progname} module is not something that
-can be done implicitly. It requires that every @code{main()} function
+can be done implicitly. It requires that every @code{main} function
 be modified to set @code{program_name} as one of its first actions.
diff --git a/doc/gnulib-intro.texi b/doc/gnulib-intro.texi
index d5d7408086..c42a208034 100644
--- a/doc/gnulib-intro.texi
+++ b/doc/gnulib-intro.texi
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ that.
 Similarly, Gnulib has a facility for executing a command in a
 subprocess.  It is at the same time a portability enhancement (it
 works on GNU, Unix, and Windows, compared to the classical
-@code{fork()}/@code{exec()} which is not portable to Windows), as well
+@code{fork}/@code{exec} idiom which is not portable to Windows), as well
 as an application aid: it takes care of redirecting stdin and/or
 stdout if desired, and emits an error message if the subprocess
 failed.
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ C++ language or from the Linux kernel.
 @subsection Interfaces to external libraries
 
 Examples are the @samp{iconv} module, which interfaces to the
-@code{iconv()} facility, regardless whether it is contained in libc or in
+@code{iconv} facility, regardless whether it is contained in libc or in
 an external @code{libiconv}.  Or the @samp{readline} module, which
 interfaces to the GNU readline library.
 
diff --git a/doc/gnulib.texi b/doc/gnulib.texi
index ca52fdc9c7..c4f285d3c8 100644
--- a/doc/gnulib.texi
+++ b/doc/gnulib.texi
@@ -2891,6 +2891,8 @@ If you need this particular function, you may write to
 @chapter Particular Modules
 
 @menu
+* alloca::
+* alloca-opt::
 * Quoting::
 * error and progname::
 * gcd::
@@ -2898,6 +2900,16 @@ If you need this particular function, you may write to
 * Supporting Relocation::
 @end menu
 
+@node alloca
+@section alloca
+@findex alloca
+@include alloca.texi
+
+@node alloca-opt
+@section alloca-opt
+@findex alloca
+@include alloca-opt.texi
+
 @include quote.texi
 @include error.texi
 @include gcd.texi