PACKAGE.md 1.2 KB
GNU M4
M4 is a powerful macro processor that copies files while expanding the macros that they contain. These macros are either built-in or user-defined and can take any number of arguments.
Features
- Macro expansion with built-in and user-defined macros
- File inclusion capabilities
- Unix command execution
- Integer arithmetic operations
- Text manipulation functions
- Recursion support
- Can be used as a compiler front-end or standalone macro processor
Description
The GNU M4 implementation of the traditional Unix macro processor is designed to be compatible with the original while providing many enhancements. M4 is particularly useful for:
- Generating configuration files
- Creating template-based code generation
- Preprocessing source code
- Building complex text processing pipelines
Installation
This package installs the m4 binary to /usr/bin along with supporting documentation and manual pages.
Usage
Basic usage involves processing input files and expanding macros:
m4 input.txt > output.txt
M4 can be used interactively or in shell scripts, making it a versatile tool for system administration and software development tasks.