+/* --- @CHECK_TYPE@ ---
+ *
+ * Arguments: @expty@ = expected type of @x@
+ * @expty x@ = some object
+ *
+ * Returns: Integer zero.
+ *
+ * Use: Cause a compile-time failure unless the type of @x@ is
+ * assignment-compatible with @expty@.
+ */
+
+#define CHECK_TYPE(expty, x) (!sizeof(*(expty *)0 = (x)))
+
+/* --- @CONVERT_CAREFULLY@ ---
+ *
+ * Arguments: @newty@ = new type for the result
+ * @expty@ = expected type of @x@
+ * @expty x@ = some object
+ *
+ * Returns: @x@, but coerced to type @newty@.
+ *
+ * Use: Like @(newty)x@, except that it checks at compile-time that
+ * @x@ is at least assignment-compatible with type @expty@
+ * before trying.
+ */
+
+#define CONVERT_CAREFULLY(newty, expty, x) \
+ (CHECK_TYPE(expty, x) + (/*unconst unvolatile*/ newty)(x))
+
+/* --- @UNCONST@, @UNVOLATILE@, @UNQUALIFY@ --- *
+ *
+ * Arguments: @type@ = a type name
+ * @type *p@ = a pointer
+ *
+ * Returns: @p@, but without @const@, @volatile@ or both qualifiers.
+ *
+ * Use: Strips qualifiers from pointer types.
+ *
+ * The @UNCONST@ macro strips @const@. It checks that @p@
+ * has type `pointer to @type@ or @const type@'; if not, a
+ * compile-time error results. Otherwise, it returns the value
+ * of @p@, converted to `pointer to (non-constant) @type@'. It
+ * will not silently strip a @volatile@ qualifier.
+ *
+ * The @UNVOLATILE@ macro is similar, except that it strips
+ * @volatile@ instead of @const@. The @UNQUALIFY@ macro strips
+ * both qualifiers.
+ */
+
+#define UNCONST(type, p) CONVERT_CAREFULLY(type *, const type *, p)
+#define UNVOLATILE(type, p) CONVERT_CAREFULLY(type *, volatile type *, p)
+#define UNQUALIFY(type, p) \
+ CONVERT_CAREFULLY(type *, const volatile type *, p)
+
+/* --- @EMPTY@ --- *
+ *
+ * Arguments: ---
+ *
+ * Returns: The empty token sequence.
+ */
+
+#define EMPTY
+