Macros and Macro Pre-processors Quiz

A macro is a unit of specification for program generation through expansion. It consists of a name, a set of formal parameters, and a body of code. When a macro name with a set of actual parameters is used, it is replaced by code generated from its body, called macro expansion.

Positional parameters are parameters in a macro call that are matched based on their position, while keyword parameters are matched based on their names. Both types of parameters are used in macro expansion to specify the values to be substituted into the macro body.

Nested macro calls allow macros to be defined and used within the body of another macro. This enables the creation of more complex and flexible program generation facilities through macro expansion.

The purpose of a macro preprocessor is to process macro definitions and handle macro expansion. It provides a means to define macros, specify parameters, and expand macros in the code, thus enabling program generation and customization.

Lexical expansion involves the replacement of characters in the code, while token-based expansion involves the replacement of tokens or language constructs. Both types of expansion are used in macro processing to generate the final program code.