What is C Header Linguistically? - c

I need to know what is meant by "Header" in C language? is it:
an area in the code, like header area in HTML code (a title> or declaration area? or definition area?, or kind of)?
or it is like a function (can be: function, or sub routine, or a scope, or kind of) that can be called.

A header is a convention generally accepted by C programmers.
It is a usually a .h file which is included into C source files which provides several benefits.
1.- Provides declaration of data types, global variables, constants and functions.
So you don't have to rewrite them time and again. And if they need being changed you just need to change it in a single file.
In example this program composed of two compliation units (two .c files) compiles and runs just fine.
// File funcs.c
#include <stdio.h>
struct Position {
int x;
int y;
};
void print( struct Position p ) {
printf("%d,%d\n", p.x, p.y );
}
// File main.c
struct Position {
int x;
int y;
};
int main(void) {
struct Position p;
p.x = 1; p.y = 2;
print(p);
}
But it is more mantainable to have the declaration for the struct Position in a header file and just #include it everywhere it is needed, like this :
// File funcs.h
#ifndef FUNCS_H
#define FUNCS_H
struct Position {
int x;
int y;
};
#endif // FUNCS_H
//File funcs.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include "funcs.h"
void print( struct Position p ) {
printf("%d,%d\n", p.x, p.y );
}
//File main.c
#include "funcs.h"
int main(void) {
struct Position p;
p.x = 1; p.y = 2;
print(p);
2.- Provides some type safety.
C features implicit declaration of functions. A "feature" (or rather an arguable language design mistake) which was fixed in C99.
Consider this program composed of two .c files :
//File funcs.c
#include<stdio.h>
int f(long n)
{
n = n+1;
printf("%ld\n", n );
}
// File main.c
int main(void)
{
f("a");
return 0;
}
With gcc this program compiles without warnings or errors. But does not behave as we could reasonable expect and desire :
jose#cpu ~/t/tt $ gcc -o test *.c
jose#cpu ~/t/tt $ ./test
4195930
Using a header file like this :
//File funcs.h
#ifndef FUNCS_H
#define FUNCS_H
int f(long n);
#endif // FUNCS_H
//File funcs.c
#include<stdio.h>
int f(long n) {
n = n+1;
printf("%ld\n", n );
}
// File main.c
#include"funcs.h"
int main(void) {
f("a");
return 0;
}
The program still compiles and works wrong but at least we get a warning :
jose#cpu ~/t $ gcc -o test *.c
main.c: In function 'main':
main.c:5:5: warning: passing argument 1 of 'f' makes integer from pointer without a cast
f("a");
^
In file included from main.c:2:0:
funcs.h:3:5: note: expected 'long int' but argument is of type 'char *'
int f(long n);
^
jose#cpu ~/t $ ./test
4195930
3.- Provide a public interface while letting the implementation details remain hidden.
When you design your program it is desirable to make it modular. That is to ensure that different parts of it (modules) are as independient as possible. So that when you need to make a change to one module you need not be worried about such change affecting other modules
Headers help in doing this because you put in the header of a modules the data structures, function prototypes and constants that will be needed by the users of such module.
The implementation details go into .c files.
That is how libraries work. The API interface is specified and distributed in header files. But the API code is in .c files which don't need to be distributed. As an user of the library you just need the headers and the compiled library, not its source code.

What is C header Linguistically?
Referring linguistically I'd say a C header file describes the interface as provided by a translation unit, namely the accompanying C file.
"interface" by means of
types
constants
(global) variables
functions
Not all of the above need to be part of a C header.
C headers are optional from the C language's perspective, but by convention they are expected to exist.

a header is a file with the .h extension.
It is meant to help the compiler to understand the symbol (method, function, struct, variable...) that are used within the code. See of it like an glossary at the end of a book.
It is used solely for development purpose.
It helps develloper knowing what function are available without having to look in all the implementation file. Like a man page.
A search on google? http://www.tutorialspoint.com/cprogramming/c_header_files.htm :)

Usually when talking about "headers" in C, what is meant is the files you include with the #include preprocessor directive. Those are called header files.
It could also be other things, like a comment at the top of a source (or header file) could be header. A comment before a function could be a function header.
Or when reading data files or data over the internet, many protocols have the data split into a header and the actual data (see e.g. HTTP).

Related

Macro does not reach .c file

I am trying to enable a set of functions from a header only if a macro is defined
I define the macro before including anything and it reaches the .h file and highlights the proper functions, but it does not reach the .c file so I can call the functions with the right prototypes but they have no definition since the .c file does not see I defined the macro
Is there some way to get this to work without having to stuff all of the .c code inside the .h file?
example:
test.h:
#ifdef _ENABLE_
int enabled_function(int a, int b);
#endif
test.c:
#ifdef _ENABLE_
int enabled_function(int a, int b)
{
return a + b;
}
#endif
main.c:
#define _ENABLE_
#include "test.h"
int main()
{
printf("%d", enabled_function(10, 10));
}
you need to use conditional compilation in both header and C file
in header file:
#define SOMETHING
#ifdef SOMETHING
int a(int);
int b(int);
int c(int);
#endif
In the C file:
#include "header_file_with_SOMETHING_declaration.h"
#ifdef SOMETHING
int a(int x)
{
/* ... */
}
int b(int x)
{
/* ... */
}
int b(int x)
{
/* ... */
}
#endif
Your source files test.c and main.c represent separate translation units. The macro definitions declared in one are not visible to the other.
Declarations that need to be visible across multiple translation units, whether of macros or of anything else, generally should go into header files that all translation units wanting them #include. It is possible to have a header that serves the sole purpose of defining macros that control configuration options, that you would create or update prior to compilation. There are tools that automate that sort of thing, but they are probably much heavier than you require for your purposes right now.
For macros specifically, most compilers also offer the option of specifying macro definitions via compiler command-line arguments.
Either way, no, your definition in main.c of macro _ENABLE_ will not be visible in test.c. (And no, you shouldn't merge test.c into test.h.)
But you should also consider whether you actually need any of that. Certainly there are use cases for cross-translation-unit build-time configuration, but what you present does not look like one of them. It is rarely very useful to suppress the compilation of a function just because you know you're not going to call it. it is usually better to either remove it altogether or to leave it, uncalled. In the latter case, your linker might even be smart enough to omit unused functions from the final binary.
"Is there some way to get this to work without having to stuff all of the .c code inside the .h file?"
and from comments...
"...but I wish to be able to define the macro in my main file and have it be visible from the .c file too
So, you are asking to #include one .c file into another .c file. This is doable with caution. But because a .c file containing the main() function cannot be #include into another .c file without invoking a multiply defined symbol error for main(...), it has to be the other way around. That is a dedicated .c file (eg. enabled.c) could be created that contains all of the #defines function prototypes and definitions. This .c file can then be #included into main.c to hopefully satisfy a variation of what you are looking for.
Following is tested source code that does this:
enable.c
#define _ENABLE_
//test criteria - then create prototype of enabled_function
#ifdef _ENABLE_
static int enabled_function(int a, int b);
#endif
#ifdef _ENABLE_
static int enabled_function(int a, int b)
{
return a + b;
}
#endif
static int use_enabled_function(int a, int b);
//This will be created with or without _ENABLE_, but its
//definition changes based on whether _ENABLE_ exists or not.
static int use_enabled_function(int a, int b)
{
#ifdef _ENABLE_
return enabled_function(a, b);
#elif
return -1;
#endif
}
main.c
#include "enable.c"
int main(void)
{
//test criteria - then use enabled_function
#ifdef _ENABLE_ //must include test for existence before using
printf("%d\n", enabled_function(10, 10));
#endif
//no need to test criteria here (tested internally)
printf("%d\n", use_enabled_function(10, 10));
return 0;
}

C - Include only specific function

Alongside main.c file, I have following my_custom_data_structure.c file in my project. My my_custom_data_structure.c file contains a lot of variables, functions, etc.
I am using #include "my_custom_data_structure.c" directive in main.c.
Problem
I would like to import only single function called foo from my_custom_data_structure.c. I don't need all the variables and functions, which are declared in my_custom_data_structure.c file.
Any insights appreciated.
File structure
-
|- main.c
|- my_custom_data_structure.c
Content of my_custom_data_structure.c
#include <stdio.h>
int DELAY = 20;
int SPEED = 7;
char GRANULARITY_CHAR = 'g';
unsigned int RANGE = 3;
void foo(){
// TODO: In future, this function will print SPEED.
printf("foo works!");
}
/*
The rest of this file is filled by a lot
of code, which is not needed for main.c
*/
Content of main.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include "my_custom_data_structure.c"
int DELAY = 3;
int main(){
foo();
printf("Delay is %d", DELAY);
return 0;
}
UPDATED: Added working example
The usual way is to compile them separately. So you have your main.c, and your extra.c, and you should create a extra.h (and include it in main.c).
In this extra.h, put in declarations for anything that is to be exported from your extra.c file.
For example any functions that should be available to other files. All other functions should be declared/defined only in your extra.c as static, so that they are not available as symbols to be linked when main.c is compiled.
Normally, you don't include source files (.c) inside other source files (or inside headers). It's possible (and occasionally necessary), but it isn't usual.
Unless you've designed the my_custom_data_structure.c to allow you to specify which functions are to be compiled, you get everything in the file. For example, you could use:
#ifdef USE_FUNCTION1
void function1(void *, …)
{
…
}
#endif /* USE_FUNCTION1 */
around each function, and then arrange to
#define USE_FUNCTION1
before including the source, but that's not usually a good way of working. It's fiddly. You have to know which functions you use, and which other functions those need, and so on, and it is vulnerable to changes making the lists of USE_FUNCTIONn defines inaccurate. Of course, the source code might have blocks of code like:
#ifdef USE_FUNCTION1
#define USE_FUNCTION37
#define USE_FUNCTION92
#define USE_FUNCTION102
#endif /* USE_FUNCTION1 */
so that if you say you use function1(), it automatically compiles the other functions that are required, but maintaining those lists of definitions is fiddly too, even when the definitions are USE_MEANINGFUL_NAME instead of a number.
Create a header (my_customer_data_structure.h) declaring the functions and any types needed, and split the implementation into many files (mcds_part1.c, mcds_part2.c, …).
Compile the separate implementation files into a library (e.g. libmcds.a), and then link your program with the library. If it's a static library, only those functions that are used, directly or indirectly, will be included in the executable.

Use of modifier static in c

I'm a beginner learning c. I know that use of word "static" makes a c function and variable local to the source file it's declared in. But consider the following...
test.h
static int n = 2;
static void f(){
printf("%d", n);
}
main.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include "test.h"
int main()
{
printf("%d", n);
f();
return 0;
}
My expected result was that an error message will throw up, since the function f and variable n is local to test.h only? Thanks.
But instead, the output was
2
2
EDIT:
If it only works for a compilation unit, what does that mean? And how do I use static the way I intended to?
static makes your function/variable local to the compilation unit, ie the whole set of source code that is read when you compile a single .c file.
#includeing a .h file is a bit like copy/paste-ing the content of this header file in your .c file. Thus, n and f in your example are considered local to your main.c compilation unit.
Example
module.h
#ifndef MODULE_H
#define MODULE_H
int fnct(void);
#endif /* MODULE_H */
module.c
#include "module.h"
static
int
detail(void)
{
return 2;
}
int
fnct(void)
{
return 3+detail();
}
main.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include "module.h"
int
main(void)
{
printf("fnct() gives %d\n", fnct());
/* printf("detail() gives %d\n", detail()); */
/* detail cannot be called because:
. it was not declared
(rejected at compilation, or at least a warning)
. even if it were, it is static to the module.c compilation unit
(rejected at link)
*/
return 0;
}
build (compile each .c then link)
gcc -c module.c
gcc -c main.c
gcc -o prog module.o main.o
You have included test.h in main.c.
Therefore static int n and static void f() will be visible inside main.c also.
When a variable or function is declared at file scope (not inside any other { } brace pair), and they are declared static, they are local to the translation unit they reside in.
Translation unit is a formal term in C and it's slightly different from a file. A translation unit is a single c file and all the h files it includes.
So in your case, the static variable is local to the translation unit consisting of test.h and main.c. You will be able to access it in main.c, but not in foo.c.
Meaning that if you have another .c file including test.h, you'll get two instances of the same variable, with the same name. That in turn can lead to all manner of crazy bugs.
This is one of many reasons why we never define variables inside header files.
(To avoid spaghetti program design, we should not declare variables in headers either, unless they are const qualified.)

Functions declared and defined in a .c file

As I was going through a huge source code, I came across some files where there is only one function declared in, let's say, "code.h" but in "code.c" there are many functions declared and defined.
What is the exact use of declaring and defining functions in .c files ?
How can we access one of those functions in a source file from other source file ?
It would be helpful if anyone can provide an example. Thanks
Splitting a complex routine in multiple smaller routines might make the code easier to understand and also would allow you to follow the single responsibility principle (What is an example of the Single Responsibility Principle?). By declaring and defining them only in a .c file (and declaring them static), you can hide the internal details from users.
If you, for instance, create a library, then your header could only show the public functions you'd like your users to use.
So only put your functions in a header if you'd like those functions available to anyone who includes the header.
If you'd like to keep a function internal to your .c file, seriously consider adding the static keyword as well: what is the advantage of static function?
---edit---
How can we access one of those functions in a source file from other source file ?
If the function isn't static, you could technically declare it anywhere* you'd like and use it there as well. Though, by the above argument, this would be bad practice.
Example:
a.c
int secret_a(int x)
{
return x+1;
}
main.c
#include <stdio.h>
//access a secret function from a.c
int secret_a(int);
int main()
{
printf("secret_a(3) gives: %d\n", secret_a(3));
return 0;
}
(*) anywhere allowed by the C language
How can we access one of those functions in a source file from other source file ?
That is the whole idea with defining some functions in the header, and some only in the c-file.
The functions defined in the header, can be called by other source files.
The functions only defined in the source file, can be hidden - it is a usual practice to mark functions, only declared in a source file, as static.
That makes their visibility limited to the file-scope (only code inside the same file can 'see' the functions).
The reason why this is done is to split the code into a more cleaner and sorted format so that functions concerning a particular operation can be grouped together in to one file and then called from other file. NOTE: this is not mandatory to do but a good programming practice.
Now there are two ways to do it :
1. including the files
2. Declaring the function as extern and then linking them at linking time.
1.
Including the file is the method that you are probably seeing in your code at hand. Functions are defined in one file and that file is included using #include"filename.[h/c]" and then calling the function as it were declared in the given file.
file_to_include.c
void my_func()
{
printf("Hello!\n");
}
file_that_include.c
#include<stdio.h>
#include"file_to_include.c"
int main()
{
my_func();
return 0;
}
to compile you just do
gcc file_that_include.c
using extern you can do the same but with out using the #include directive
file_to_include.c
void my_func()
{
printf("Hello!\n");
}
file_that_include.c
#include<stdio.h>
extern void my_func();
int main()
{
my_func();
return 0;
}
In this case while compiling you need to provide both files to the compiler
gcc file_that_include.c file_to_include.c
I would suggest reading up on the "extern" keyword.
From what I can understand in your question you have two files - "code.h" and "code.c". However, "code.h" only declares certain functions in "code.c":
code.h
int func1();
int func2();
code.c
int func1()
{
return 1;
}
int func2()
{
return 2;
}
int func3()
{
return 3;
}
main.c
#include "stdio.h"
#include "code.h"
extern int func3();
int main()
{
printf("%d ", func1());
printf("%d ", func2());
printf("%d ", func3());
}
Compiling using gcc:
gcc main.c code.c
yields:
main.c: In function ‘main’:
main.c:10:17: warning: implicit declaration of function ‘func3’ [-Wimplicit-function-declaration]
printf("%d ", func3());
and when executed:
1 2 3
The "extern" keyword basically tells the compiler "there is a definition for a function with this declaration" for compiling. During linking the linker will find the definition, and link to it.
This is however a clumsy way of doing it, since the caller ("main.c") needs to know what is going on in "code.c", and continually add more extern declaration, etc. etc.
So rather include functions you which to have global scope in "code.h". If there are functions in "code.c" which od not have global scope, consider making them "static".
Some more reading:
Effects of the extern keyword on C functions

Duplicate symbol in C using Clang

I am currently working on my first "serious" C project, a 16-bit vm. When I split up the files form one big source file into multiple source files, the linker (whether invoked through clang, gcc, cc, or ld) spits out a the error:
ld: duplicate symbol _registers in register.o and main.o for inferred
architecture x86_64
There is no declaration of registers anywhere in the main file. It is a uint16_t array if that helps. I am on Mac OS 10.7.3 using the built in compilers (not GNU gcc). Any help?
It sounds like you've defined a variable in a header then included that in two different source files.
First you have to understand the distinction between declaring something (declaring that it exists somewhere) and defining it (actually creating it). Let's say you have the following files:
header.h:
void printIt(void); // a declaration.
int xyzzy; // a definition.
main.c:
#include "header.h"
int main (void) {
xyzzy = 42;
printIt();
return 0;
}
other.c:
#include <stdio.h>
#include "header.h"
void printIt (void) { // a definition.
printf ("%d\n", xyzzy);
}
When you compile the C programs, each of the resultant object files will get a variable called xyzzy since you effectively defined it in both by including the header. That means when the linker tries to combine the two objects, it runs into a problem with multiple definitions.
The solution is to declare things in header files and define them in C files, such as with:
header.h:
void printIt(void); // a declaration.
extern int xyzzy; // a declaration.
main.c:
#include "header.h"
int xyzzy; // a definition.
int main (void) {
xyzzy = 42;
printIt();
return 0;
}
other.c:
#include <stdio.h>
#include "header.h"
void printIt (void) { // a definition.
printf ("%d\n", xyzzy);
}
That way, other.c knows that xyzzy exists, but only main.c creates it.

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