How to write portable code in c++?

Question

What are the things that I should keep in mind to write portable code? Since I\'m a c++ beginner, I want to practice it since beginning.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Keep platform-specific code separate from reusable code, preferably in a different file but at least in a different function. If you start having #if WIN32 and #if CYGWIN and #if BSD all over the place you'll have a maintenance nightmare.

Then, compile on at least two different platforms early and often. Typical choices are Visual C++ on Windows and gcc on Linux. Since neither the system libraries nor the compiler is shared, you'll catch non-portable code before it becomes deeply entrenched in your design.