Optional Parameters with C++ Macros

Here's one way to do it. It uses the list of arguments twice, first to form the name of the helper macro, and then to pass the arguments to that helper macro. It uses a standard trick to count the number of arguments to a macro.

enum
{
    plain = 0,
    bold = 1,
    italic = 2
};

void PrintString(const char* message, int size, int style)
{
}

#define PRINT_STRING_1_ARGS(message)              PrintString(message, 0, 0)
#define PRINT_STRING_2_ARGS(message, size)        PrintString(message, size, 0)
#define PRINT_STRING_3_ARGS(message, size, style) PrintString(message, size, style)

#define GET_4TH_ARG(arg1, arg2, arg3, arg4, ...) arg4
#define PRINT_STRING_MACRO_CHOOSER(...) \
    GET_4TH_ARG(__VA_ARGS__, PRINT_STRING_3_ARGS, \
                PRINT_STRING_2_ARGS, PRINT_STRING_1_ARGS, )

#define PRINT_STRING(...) PRINT_STRING_MACRO_CHOOSER(__VA_ARGS__)(__VA_ARGS__)

int main(int argc, char * const argv[])
{
    PRINT_STRING("Hello, World!");
    PRINT_STRING("Hello, World!", 18);
    PRINT_STRING("Hello, World!", 18, bold);

    return 0;
}

This makes it easier for the caller of the macro, but not the writer.

With great respect to Derek Ledbetter for his answer — and with apologies for reviving an old question.

Getting an understanding of what it was doing and picking up elsewhere on the ability to preceed the __VA_ARGS__ with ## allowed me to come up with a variation...

// The multiple macros that you would need anyway [as per: Crazy Eddie]
#define XXX_0()                     <code for no arguments> 
#define XXX_1(A)                    <code for one argument> 
#define XXX_2(A,B)                  <code for two arguments> 
#define XXX_3(A,B,C)                <code for three arguments> 
#define XXX_4(A,B,C,D)              <code for four arguments>  

// The interim macro that simply strips the excess and ends up with the required macro
#define XXX_X(x,A,B,C,D,FUNC, ...)  FUNC  

// The macro that the programmer uses 
#define XXX(...)                    XXX_X(,##__VA_ARGS__,\
                                          XXX_4(__VA_ARGS__),\
                                          XXX_3(__VA_ARGS__),\
                                          XXX_2(__VA_ARGS__),\
                                          XXX_1(__VA_ARGS__),\
                                          XXX_0(__VA_ARGS__)\
                                         ) 

For non-experts like me who stumble upon the answer, but can't quite see how it works, I'll step through the actual processing, starting with the following code...

XXX();
XXX(1); 
XXX(1,2); 
XXX(1,2,3); 
XXX(1,2,3,4); 
XXX(1,2,3,4,5);      // Not actually valid, but included to show the process 

Becomes...

XXX_X(, XXX_4(), XXX_3(),  XXX_2(),    XXX_1(),      XXX_0()         );
XXX_X(, 1,       XXX_4(1), XXX_3(1),   XXX_2(1),     XXX_1(1),       XXX_0(1)          );
XXX_X(, 1,       2,        XXX_4(1,2), XXX_3(1,2),   XXX_2(1,2),     XXX_1(1,2),       XXX_0(1,2)        );
XXX_X(, 1,       2,        3,          XXX_4(1,2,3), XXX_3(1,2,3),   XXX_2(1,2,3),     XXX_1(1,2,3),     XXX_0(1,2,3)      );
XXX_X(, 1,       2,        3,          4,            XXX_4(1,2,3,4), XXX_3(1,2,3,4),   XXX_2(1,2,3,4),   XXX_1(1,2,3,4),   XXX_0(1,2,3,4)    );
XXX_X(, 1,       2,        3,          4,            5,              XXX_4(1,2,3,4,5), XXX_3(1,2,3,4,5), XXX_2(1,2,3,4,5), XXX_1(1,2,3,4,5), XXX_0(1,2,3,4,5) );

Which becomes just the sixth argument...

XXX_0(); 
XXX_1(1); 
XXX_2(1,2); 
XXX_3(1,2,3); 
XXX_4(1,2,3,4); 
5; 

PS: Remove the #define for XXX_0 to get a compile error [ie: if a no-argument option is not allowed].

PPS: Would be nice to have the invalid situations (eg: 5) be something that gives a clearer compilation error to the programmer!

PPPS: I'm not an expert, so I'm very happy to hear comments (good, bad or other)!