signame -- Global Variable

Array of names of signals
#include <signal.h>
extern char *signame[_SIGNAL_MAX];

When a program terminates abnormally, its parent process receives a byte of
termination information  from the system call wait().  This byte contains a
signal number, as defined in  the header file signal.h. For example, SIGINT
indicates an interrupt from the terminal.

The array signame, indexed by signal number, contains strings that give the
meaning  of  each  signal.   Thus,  signame[SIGINT]  points to  the  string
``interrupt''.  For  portability reasons, all programs  which wait on child
processes (such as the shell sh) should use signame.

Files

<signal.h>

See Also

Programming COHERENT,
sh,
signal(),
wait

Notes

Please note  that through  revision 10 of  the COHERENT manual,  the signal
numbers in signame[]  were offset  by one.  That  is erroneous:  the signal
numbers are not offset at all.

In standard  implementations of  UNIX, the  manifest constant NSIG  was one
larger than the number of signals.  Prior to release 4.2, however, COHERENT
defined  NSIG as  being equal  to  the number  of signals.   Beginning with
release  4.2, COHERENT  defines  NSIG to  conform  to the  UNIX usage,  and
introduces the manifest constant  _SIGNAL_MAX, which is equal to the number
of signals.   If your  code depends  upon the old  definition of  NSIG, you
should replace it with _SIGNAL_MAX.

Please note that signame[]  is obsolete,  and will  be removed  from future
releases of COHERENT.  Please do not  incorporate it into new code, and you
should try to remove it from existing code.

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness