C++ conditional include file runtime

Question

I am working on a game that is coded in C++ and I would like to make it possible to change language at runtime. Currently, the language is chosen at compile time by includin

Answer 1

Pre-processing (#include, #ifdef, #define, etc) actually happens BEFORE compilation. You can think of pre-processing as text replacement, the output of which is the source code fed to the compiler. #defines and such occupy a separate namespace from variables in your program, and by the time your program is compiled, all of that is set in stone. In other words, what you are asking for is NOT possible.

To better understand this, look at your compiler options and look for an option that lets you keep the pre-processed output.

What you need to do instead is change how your string handling works. Instead of changing out the strings at compile time, you need to do something at runtime.

Check your platform - on most platforms there are APIs for doing localization. They vary by platform, though, so if you are doing a cross platform app, then you might have to roll your own.