stdnoreturn

The stdnoreturn attribute is a feature in the C and C++ programming languages that provides a way to indicate to the compiler that a particular function does not return to its caller. This attribute is part of the C11 and C++11 standards, and it is defined in the <stdnoreturn.h> header file in C and the <cstdlib> header file in C++. The attribute is used to inform the compiler that a function will either terminate the program (e.g., by calling exit() or abort()) or cause an unrecoverable error (e.g., by throwing an exception that is not caught within the function).

The stdnoreturn attribute can be applied to functions that are known to never return, such as those that terminate the program or those that throw exceptions that are not caught within the function. By using this attribute, the compiler can generate more optimized code and can also provide better warnings and error messages.

In C, the stdnoreturn attribute is specified using the _Noreturn keyword, which is placed before the return type of the function. For example:

_Noreturn void terminate_program() {

exit(1);

}

In C++, the stdnoreturn attribute is specified using the [[noreturn]] keyword, which is placed before the function declaration. For example:

[[noreturn]] void terminate_program() {

throw std::runtime_error("Error occurred");

}

The stdnoreturn attribute is a useful tool for improving the reliability and maintainability of C and C++ code, by providing a way to indicate to the compiler that certain functions do not return. By using this attribute, developers can help to ensure that their code is optimized and that any potential errors are caught early in the development process.