--- parser3/src/main/pa_common.C	2020/11/21 23:26:26	1.317
+++ parser3/src/main/pa_common.C	2020/12/15 17:10:35	1.322
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /** @file
 	Parser: commonly functions.
 
-	Copyright (c) 2000-2017 Art. Lebedev Studio (http://www.artlebedev.com)
+	Copyright (c) 2000-2020 Art. Lebedev Studio (http://www.artlebedev.com)
 	Author: Alexandr Petrosian <paf@design.ru> (http://paf.design.ru)
 */
 
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #define pa_mkdir(path, mode) mkdir(path, mode)
 #endif
 
-volatile const char * IDENT_PA_COMMON_C="$Id: pa_common.C,v 1.317 2020/11/21 23:26:26 moko Exp $" IDENT_PA_COMMON_H IDENT_PA_HASH_H IDENT_PA_ARRAY_H IDENT_PA_STACK_H; 
+volatile const char * IDENT_PA_COMMON_C="$Id: pa_common.C,v 1.322 2020/12/15 17:10:35 moko Exp $" IDENT_PA_COMMON_H IDENT_PA_HASH_H IDENT_PA_ARRAY_H IDENT_PA_STACK_H; 
 
 // some maybe-undefined constants
 
@@ -110,18 +110,16 @@ int pa_get_valid_file_options_count(Hash
 #ifndef DOXYGEN
 struct File_read_action_info {
 	char **data; size_t *data_size;
-	char* buf; size_t offset; size_t limit;
+	char* buf; uint64_t offset; size_t limit;
 }; 
 #endif
 
 static void file_read_action(struct stat& finfo, int f, const String& file_spec, void *context) {
 	File_read_action_info& info = *static_cast<File_read_action_info *>(context); 
-	size_t to_read_size = info.limit;
-	if(!to_read_size)
-		to_read_size = check_file_size(finfo.st_size, &file_spec);
+	size_t to_read_size = check_file_size(info.limit && info.limit < finfo.st_size ? info.limit : finfo.st_size, &file_spec);
 	if(to_read_size) {
 		if(info.offset)
-			lseek(f, info.offset, SEEK_SET);
+			 pa_lseek(f, info.offset, SEEK_SET); // seek never fails as POSIX allows the file offset to be set beyond the EOF
 		*info.data = info.buf ? info.buf : (char *)pa_malloc_atomic(to_read_size+1);
 		ssize_t result = read(f, *info.data, to_read_size);
 		if(result<0)
@@ -136,7 +134,7 @@ static void file_read_action(struct stat
 	}
 }
 
-File_read_result file_read_binary(const String& file_spec, bool fail_on_read_problem, char* buf, size_t offset, size_t limit) {
+File_read_result file_read_binary(const String& file_spec, bool fail_on_read_problem, char* buf, uint64_t offset, size_t limit) {
 	File_read_result result = {false, 0, 0, 0};
 	File_read_action_info info = {&result.str, &result.length, buf, offset, limit};
 
@@ -532,7 +530,7 @@ bool file_stat(const String& file_spec,
 }
 
 size_t check_file_size(uint64_t size, const String* file_spec){
-	if(size > pa_file_size_limit)
+	if(size > (uint64_t)pa_file_size_limit)
 		throw Exception(PARSER_RUNTIME, file_spec, "content size of %.15g bytes exceeds the limit (%.15g bytes)", (double)size, (double)pa_file_size_limit);
 	return (size_t)size;
 }
@@ -945,8 +943,8 @@ const char* hex_string(unsigned char* by
 	return bytes_hex;
 }
 
-int file_block_read(const int f, unsigned char* buffer, const size_t size){
-	int nCount = read(f, buffer, size);
+ssize_t file_block_read(const int f, void* buffer, const size_t size){
+	ssize_t nCount = read(f, buffer, size);
 	if (nCount < 0)
 		throw Exception("file.read", 0, "read failed: %s (%d)", strerror(errno), errno); 
 	return nCount;