Replacements for the C preprocessor [closed]

You can use PHP as a C preprocessor. The advantages are:

  • very similiar syntax, so syntax highlighting works.
  • <? and ?> are not used in standard C (with non-standard C, the only thing that gets broken is old GCC extension operator that returns min/max)
  • it’s rich in libraries.
  • it’s turing complete.
  • usage of macros is very explicit. (compared to sneaky C preprocessor macros)

For serious use though, making PHP print the #line directives is needed for debugging preprocessed code.

<?php include_once "stdio.h"; ?>

int main()
{
    <?php
        for($i = 0; $i < 20; $i++)
            echo 'printf("%d\n", '.$i.');';
    ?>
}

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