header-files

You can structure a C++ program so that (almost) all the code resides in Header files. It essentially looks like a C# or Java program. However, you do need at least one .cpp file to pull in all the header files when compiling. Now I know some people would absolutely detest this idea. But I haven't found any convincing downsides of doing this. I can list some advantages: [1] Faster compile times. All header files only get parsed once, because there is only one .cpp file. Also, one header file cannot be included more than once, otherwise you will get a build break. There are other ways of

Many languages, such as Java, C#, do not separate declaration from implementation. C# has a concept of partial class, but implementation and declaration still remain in the same file. Why doesn't C++ have the same model? Is it more practical to have header files? I am referring to current and upcoming versions of C++ standard. I routinely flip between C# and C++, and the lack of header files in C# is one of my biggest pet peeves. I can look at a header file and learn all I need to know about a class - what it's member functions are called, their calling syntax, etc - without having to wade

When we design classes in Java, Vala, or C# we put the definition and declaration in the same source file. But in C++ it is traditionally preferred to separate the definition and declaration in two or more files. What happens if I just use a header file and put everything into it, like Java? Is there a performance penalty or something? The answer depends on what kind of class you're creating. C++'s compilation model dates back to the days of C, and so its method of importing data from one source file into another is comparatively primitive. The #include directive literally copies the contents

I am sending file from client to server using TCP. To mark the end of the file I like to send file size before the actual data. So I use stat system call to find the size of the file. This is of type off_t . I like to know how many bytes it occupies so that I can read it properly on the server side. It is defined in the <sys/types.h> . But I do not understand the definition. It just defines __off_t or _off64_t to be off_t . Where to look for __off_t ? Also is it convention that __ is prefixed for most of the things in header files and scares me when I read header files to understand better.

Why in a project should I include some *.lib, .h or some other files? And what are these things used for? siukurnin .h : header file, its a source file containing declarations (as opposed to .cpp, .cxx, etc. containing implementations), .lib : static library may contain code or just links to a dynamic library. Either way it's compiled code that you link with your program. The static library is included in your .exe at link time. .dll : dynamic library. Just like a static one but you need to deploy it with your .exe file because it's loaded at run time. H Declares the interface to a library -

I want to be able to create a collection of functions in a header file that I could #include in one of my C Programs. Pablo Santa Cruz Open your favorite text editor Create a new file named whatever.h Put your function prototypes in it DONE. Example whatever.h #ifndef WHATEVER_H_INCLUDED #define WHATEVER_H_INCLUDED int f(int a); #endif Note: include guards (preprocessor commands) added thanks to luke. They avoid including the same header file twice in the same compilation. Another possibility (also mentioned on the comments) is to add #pragma once but it is not guaranteed to be supported on

My very basic knowledge of C and compilation process has gone rusty lately. I was trying to figure out answer to the following question but I could not connect compilation, link and pre-processing phase basics. A quick search on the Google did not help much either. So, I decided to come to the ultimate source of knowledge :) I know: Variables should not be defined in the .h files. Its ok to declare them there. Why: Because a header file might get included from multiple places, thus redefining the variable more than one time (Linker gives the error). Possible work-around: Use header-guards in