File Seeking / Overwriting bytes

[lawrence.jones]

I think you can get rid of any trace of an alternate parse simply by
putting the whence restriction sooner:

For a text stream, either offset shall be zero, or whence shall be
SEEK_SET and offset shall be a value returned by an earlier
successful call to the ftell function on a stream associated with
the same file.

That's better, but I think it would be better still to capture the "and"
between the "either" and the "or":

For a text stream, either whence shall be SEEK_SET and offset
shall be a value returned by an earlier successful call to the
ftell function on a stream associated with the same file, or
offset shall be zero.

 

[Ian Collins]

The standard does use serial commas, but the usage we're discussing
(mixed "and" and "or" clauses) isn't really serial.

Is there a standard or guidelines for the language in ISO standards?

 

[Ben Bacarisse]

That's better, but I think it would be better still to capture the "and"
between the "either" and the "or":

For a text stream, either whence shall be SEEK_SET and offset
shall be a value returned by an earlier successful call to the
ftell function on a stream associated with the same file, or
offset shall be zero.

That does not works so well to my mind -- maybe simply because of the
of two short phases with such a long one in the middle. It seems
harder to hold them meaning until it is all resolved. However, I am
biased!

 

[lawrence.jones]

Is there a standard or guidelines for the language in ISO standards?

Part 2 of the ISO/IEC Directives (Rules for the structure and drafting
of International Standard) provides some guidelines.