- Update docu

diff --git a/re2c/htdocs/manual.html b/re2c/htdocs/manual.html
index 7ee99c2c0770f5602455317fe60ea0ca15475313..26cd68ca1476e3ad5daaa41ea1022013acfe3608 100755 (executable)
--- a/re2c/htdocs/manual.html
+++ b/re2c/htdocs/manual.html
@@ -275,20 +275,34 @@ tweaked using inplace configurations "state:abort" and "state:nextlabel".</p>
 <h2>SCANNER WITH CONDITION SUPPORT</h2>
 <p>
 You can preceed regular-expressions with a list of condition names when using the <b>-c</b>
-switch. In this case <b>re2c</b> generates scanner blocks for each conditon. Each of the
+switch. In this case <b>re2c</b> generates scanner blocks for each conditon. Where each of the
 generated scanners has its own precondition. The precondition is given by the 
 interface define <b>YYGETCONDITON</b> and must be of type <b>YYCONDTYPE</b>.
 </p><p>
-There are two special rule types. First the rules of the condition '*' are 
+There are two special rule types. First, the rules of the condition '*' are 
 merged to all  conditions. And second the empty condition list allows to 
 provide a code block that does not have a scanner part. Meaning it does not 
 allow any regular expression. The condition value referring to this special 
-block is always the one with the enumeration value 0.
+block is always the one with the enumeration value 0. This way the code of this
+special rule can be used to initialize a scanner. It is in no way necessary to
+have these rules: but sometimes it is helpful to have a dedicated uninitialized
+condition state.
 </p><p>
 Non empty rules allow to specify the new condition, which makes them
 transition rules. Besides generating calls for the define <b>YYSETCONDTITION</b>
 no other special code is generated.
 </p>
+<p>
+There is another kind of special rules that allow to prepend code to any code
+block of all rules of a certain set of conditions or to all code blocks to all
+rules. This can be helpful when some operation is common among rules. For
+instance this can be used to store the length of the scanned string. These
+special prefix rules start with an exclamation mark followed by either a list
+of conditions <b>&lt;! condition, ... &gt;</b> or a star <b>&lt;!*&gt;</b>.
+When <b>re2c</b> generates the code for a rule whose state does not have a
+prefix rule and a star'd prefix rule is present, than that code will be used
+as prefix code.
+</p>
 <a name="lbAI" id="lbAI">&nbsp;</a>
 <h2>SCANNER SPECIFICATIONS</h2>
 <p>Each scanner specification consists of a set of <i>rules</i>, <i>named

diff --git a/re2c/re2c.1.in b/re2c/re2c.1.in
index 3c56dd52e59ccc0c0c00a9caf64fb756af668ae9..8b969d27921521ace5e9289a8c6468ad69c7d95e 100644 (file)
--- a/re2c/re2c.1.in
+++ b/re2c/re2c.1.in
@@ -317,20 +317,32 @@ tweaked using inplace configurations "\fBstate:abort\fP" and "\fBstate:nextlabel
 
 .SH "SCANNER WITH CONDITION SUPPORT"
 You can preceed \*(rxs with a list of condition names when using the \fB-c\fP 
-switch. In this case \*(re generates scanner blocks for each conditon. Each of the
+switch. In this case \*(re generates scanner blocks for each conditon. Where each of the
 generated blocks has its own precondition. The precondition is given by the 
 interface define \fBYYGETCONDITON\fP and must be of type \fBYYCONDTYPE\fP.
 .LP
-There are two special rule types. First the rules of the condition '*' are 
+There are two special rule types. First, the rules of the condition '*' are 
 merged to all  conditions. And second the empty condition list allows to 
 provide a code block that does not have a scanner part. Meaning it does not 
 allow any regular expression. The condition value referring to this special 
-block is always the one with the enumeration value 0.
+block is always the one with the enumeration value 0. This way the code of this
+special rule can be used to initialize a scanner. It is in no way necessary to
+have these rules: but sometimes it is helpful to have a dedicated uninitialized
+condition state.
 .LP
 Non empty rules allow to specify the new condition, which makes them
 transition rules. Besides generating calls for the define \fBYYSETCONDTITION\fP
 no other special code is generated.
-
+.LP
+There is another kind of special rules that allow to prepend code to any code
+block of all rules of a certain set of conditions or to all code blocks to all
+rules. This can be helpful when some operation is common among rules. For
+instance this can be used to store the length of the scanned string. These
+special prefix rules start with an exclamation mark followed by either a list
+of conditions \fB<! condition, ... >\fP or a star \fB<!*>\fP.
+When \*(re generates the code for a rule whose state does not have a
+prefix rule and a star'd prefix rule is present, than that code will be used
+as prefix code.
 
 .SH "SCANNER SPECIFICATIONS"
 Each scanner specification consists of a set of \fIrules\fP, \fInamed