NAME

   idl - Invokes the Interface Definition Language (IDL) compiler

 SYNOPSIS

   idl filename [argument] ...

 DESCRIPTION

   The idl command invokes the IDL compiler to convert an interface
   definition, written in IDL, into output files. The output files
   include a header file, server stub file, client stub file, and
   auxiliary files.  The compiler constructs the names of the output
   files by keeping the basename of the interface definition source file
   but replacing the filename extension with the new extension (or suffix
   and extension) appropriate to the newly generated type of output file.
   For example, math.idl could produce math_sstub.c or math_sstub.o for
   the server stub.

   The idl command accepts the following input:

     +  An interface definition filename.

     +  Arguments to indicate either special actions to be performed by
        the compiler, or special properties of the input or output files.

   The IDL compiler searches through directories for any related ACF.
   For example, if you compile a file named source.idl, the compiler
   automatically searches for a file named source.acf.  The compiler
   also searches for any imported  IDL file (and its related ACF).
   The compiler searches for these files using the following order:

    1.  The current working  directory.  The compiler always searches
        this directory unless you specify the -no_def_idir and
        -Idirectory arguments together.

    2.  Any imported directory. The compiler searches each directory you
        are specifying in the -Idirectory argument.

     3.  The  system IDL directory.  The compiler automatically imports
         nbase.idl, which resides in the system IDL directory.  The
         compiler always searches this directory unless you specify the
         -no_def_idir argument.

    4.  The directory specified in the source filename.  If you
        explicitly specify a directory in the source IDL pathname,
        then that directory is searched for the corresponding ACF.
        For example,

             $ idl /path/pathname/my_source.idl

        causes the IDL compiler to look  for  /path/pathname/my_source.acf
        if my_source.acf is not found in the directories in 1,2 and 3.
        Note that this directory is not searched for any imported IDL file
        or its corresponding ACF.

   Restrictions

   The following filenames are reserved by the IDL compiler.  Naming an
   IDL file with one of these names may result in unexpected behavior.

            iovector.idl   lbase.idl      nbase.idl      ncastat.idl
            ndrold.idl     rpc.idl        rpcbase.idl    rpcpvt.idl
            rpcsts.idl     rpctypes.idl   twr.idl        uuid.idl

 CAUTIONS

   The IDL compiler generates ANSI C code. It also supports C  compilers
   that are not fully ANSI compliant although a warning message may occur
   during compilation of the stubs by the C compiler.  A C compiler that
   is not fully ANSI compliant may generate the following warning messages:

     +  warning: & before array or function: ignored

     +  warning: enumeration type clash, operator =

 FILES

   SYS$SYSTEM:DCE$IDL.EXE
                  Compiler

   SYS$COMMON:[DCE$LIBRARY]
                  System IDL directory for imported files

   SYS$COMMON:[DCE$LIBRARY]NBASE.IDL
                  Predefined IDL types

   SYS$COMMON:[DCE$LIBRARY]<file.ext>
                  All .idl or .h files that are part of DCE RPC

 RELATED INFORMATION

   Books:  OSF DCE Application Development Guide