Wnoerror

Wnoerror, typically expressed on the command line as -Wno-error, is a compiler option used by GCC and Clang to prevent warnings from being treated as errors. It serves as the counterpart to -Werror, which elevates warnings to error status. When invoked without a specific diagnostic, -Wno-error reverts all warnings to their default behavior, allowing compilation to continue despite warnings. It can also be applied selectively with -Wno-error=warning-name to disable the error-escalation for particular warnings.

Usage and behavior

- General form: -Wno-error disables the conversion of warnings into errors for all warnings.

- Selective form: -Wno-error=warning-name disables the escalation for a specific warning, even if -Werror is in effect.

- Interaction: If multiple such options are present, the most recent relevant option on the command line determines the outcome for a given diagnostic.

Practical notes

- -Wno-error does not turn warnings into errors; it simply prevents warnings from stopping compilation when -Werror is enabled.

- It does not affect actual compilation errors or other diagnostic severities that are not warnings.

- The exact semantics may vary slightly by toolchain version, so consult your compiler’s documentation for specifics. Some warnings may be treated as errors under certain configurations or by other flags, in which case broader -Wno-error may not override those conditions.

- This option is commonly used to allow legacy code or problematic sections to compile with warnings present, while still enforcing strict behavior for other parts of the project.

Related options

-Werror (treat all warnings as errors)

--Werror=warning-name (treat only that warning as an error)

-Wpedantic and other language-mode flags may interact with warning behavior differently across compilers.