I have the following files:
Main.c
#include "Header.h"
#define SECRET_NUMBER_ENABLED
int main()
{
printf("Secret number = %d\n", SECRET_NUMBER);
return 0;
}
Header.h
#ifdef SECRET_NUMBER_ENABLED
#define SECRET_NUMBER 111
#else
#define SECRET_NUMBER 222
#endif
The print result is: 222
To my understanding, the Pre-Processor should scan Main.c and replace every SECRET_NUMBER with its defined number from Header.h,
And because SECRET_NUMBER_ENABLED is defined in Main.c, the Pre-processor should take the 111 definition instead of the 222.
Apparently I'm wrong, but I don't know why, and don't know how to set it correctly so only C files which have #define SECRET_NUMBER_ENABLED will use SECRET_NUMBER 111
Anything before including "stdafx.h" is assumed to have already been defined.
See Why stdfax.h should be the first include on MFC applications?
So any earlier definition gets lost.
That is why you need to define your macros
after including stdafx.h
(because otherwise they get ignored)
before including your own header
(because otherwise they wont have an effect on your header,
the #ifdef inside your header is evaluated before the definition in main.c is seen)
Related
When I include another source(I.e stdio.h) the preprocessor is smart enough to include only the functions that I am using in my code?
Example: Assuming this small program, would be ease to include only what I am using, and what the printf functions uses, including them recursively, but what about bigger programs?
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void) {
printf("Hello World\n");
return 0;
}
No. On the contrary:
#include performs textual replacement: it opens the file and copies all1 of its contents into your main C file. In the process it executes all preprocessor instructions in the included file. Amongst other things, this means that it will recursively include all files that are #included in the header.
#include does not know and does not care which part of the included file you end up using.
1 As mentioned, preprocessor instructions are executed in the included file. This can modify what gets included. For example, assume the following header file header.h:
#ifndef HEADER_H
#define HEADER_H
#ifdef NDEBUG
# define LOG(...) ((void) 0)
#else
# define LOG(...) log_message(__FILE__, __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
inline void log_message(const char* filename, int line, ...) {
// Logging code omitted for brevity.
}
#endif
// other stuff
#endif
Now, if your main.c file looks as follows:
#define NDEBUG
#include "header.h"
int main(void) {
// …
LOG("hello");
}
… then, after preprocessing, your main.c file would looks something like this (I’m omitting some irrelevant stuff):
# 1 "main.c"
# 1 "./header.h" 1
# 13 "./header.h"
// other stuff
# 3 "main.c" 2
int main(void) {
// …
((void) 0);
}
… in other words, only the part of header.h that corresponds to #ifdef NDEBUG was included, not the part in the #else clause. If we had included header.h without defining NDEBUG, then the included header code would have contained the definition of log_message.
As others have said, #include will paste verbatim the entire file you are targeting. However you normally include headers, which tend to look like
extern int a (int b);
extern char * c (void);
static inline int d (int e, int f) {
...
}
extern void * g (void * h);
...
The code above occupies exactly zero memory (unless you start using one of the inline functions), since it is entirely composed of instructions for the compiler and nothing else.
Following program compiles successfully and print 1000 without even calling a foo() function from our main() function. How is it possible?
#include<stdio.h>
void foo()
{
#define ans 1000
}
int main() {
printf("%d", ans);
return 0;
}
#defineis run by the preprocessor which is staged before the compiler. After the preprocessor is done, the code will look like this:
/* Everything that is inside stdio.h is inserted here */
void foo()
{
}
int main() {
printf("%d", 1000);
return 0;
}
And this is what actually get compiled.
The preprocessor is very important to make header files work. In them, you see this structure:
#ifndef foo
#define foo
/* The content of the header file */
#endif
Without this, the compiler would complain if a header file is included more than once. You may ask why you would want to include a header file more than once. Well, header files can include other header files. Consider this macro, which is useful for debugging. It prints the name of the variable and then the value. Note that you would have to do a separate version for different types.
#define dbg_print_int(x) fprintf(stderr, "%s = %d", #x, x)
This is pretty versatile, so you may want to include it in a header file for own use. Since it requires stdio.h, we include it.
/* debug.h */
#include <stdio.h>
#define dbg_print_int(x) fprintf(stderr, "%s = %d", #x, x)
What happens when you include this file and also include stdio.h in you main program? Well, stdio.h will be included twice. That's why debug.h should look like this:
/* debug.h */
#ifndef DEBUG_H
#define DEBUG_H
#include <stdio.h>
#define dbg_print_int(x) fprintf(stderr, "%s = %d", #x, x)
#endif
The file stdio.h has the same construct. The main thing here is that this is run before the compiler. The define is a simple replacement command. It does not know anything about scope or types. However, as you can see here, there is some basic logic built into it. Another thing that the preprocessor does is to remove all the comments.
You can read more about the C preprocessor here: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/cprogramming/c_preprocessors.htm
The #define is processed by the preprocessor before the compiler does anything. It is a simple text replacement. The preprocessor doesn't even know if the line of code is inside or outside a function, class or whatever [Ref: https://stackoverflow.com/a/36968600/5505997]. Clearly you do not need to call the function to set the value and obviously you will not get any error during compile.
As others have stated, #define is a preprocessor directive, not C source code. See Wiki here.
Point being, in your code #define ans 1000 is not a variable definition, meaning that even if you were calling foo() in the main, you would still not be setting "ans" at runtime, because it is simply not a variable. It is just telling the preprocessor what to do with the "label" "ans", when it finds it in your source code.
In this example, the main() will essentially be calling an empty foo() function:
int main()
{
foo(); // Calls an empty function
printf("%d", ans); // ans will have been substituted by 1000 by the time you start executing you code
return 0;
}
The definition of "ans" will simpy not exist anymore by the time you start executing you main(). This is what the preprocessor does (in part). It finds all the #defines declared in your entire source code and tries to find places in your code where you have used these defines. If you have not used them, it moves on (don't care), if you have, it substitutes the label by the actual defined value.
I am just starting to learn C so hopefully this isn't a dumb question. The problem I am having is regarding header files and using #define for constants. I have read that I should use the following to prevent my header from being compiled more than once.
#ifndef NAME_OF_FILE
#define NAME_OF_FILE
.
. //my header file content
.
#endif
I want to add a constant, and I believe I would also use a #define such as,
#ifndef NAME_OF_FILE
#define NAME_OF_FILE
#define NUM_CONST 5 //the constant I want in my header file
.
.
.
#endif
How does C know that #define NAME_OF_FILE is referring to the .h file while #define NUM_CONST 5 is just a constant? Is it because of the value at the end of NUM_CONST? Or do I have this all completely wrong?
There is no essential difference between the two defines. #define NAME_OF_FILE and #define NUM_CONST 5 are the same sort of thing. They define a plaintext replacement of tokens (in the first case, the replacement is nothing).
For example you could put subsequent code:
printf("%d\n", NAME_OF_FILE NUM_CONST NAME_OF_FILE);
and after the above substitutions the code would turn in to:
printf("%d\n", 5);
which is correct. There is no "magic". The compilation step that performs these substitutions is usually known as "preprocessing".
NAME_OF_FILE does not refer to the .h file, per se, but the use of the ifndef directive achieves the goal of not compiling the same code twice.
It doesn't. NAME_OF_FILE could be anything. You could have
#ifndef PRETTY_PINK_PRINCESS
#define PRETTY_PINK_PRINCESS
/* definitions */
#endif
And it would work just as well. Using NAME_OF_FILE is just a convention because it makes it likely that it's unique.
#define IDENTIFIER defines the identifier for the sakes of #ifdef, but what it is being defined to is the empty string.
So,
#define NAME_OF_FILE
int main()
{
int x = NAME_OF_FILE;
}
would resolve to
int main()
{
int x = ;
}
So there is no "knowing" involved, just a defined-but-empty.
(That is why some style guides out there recommend #define NAME_OF_FILE NAME_OF_FILE, so that if NAME_OF_FILE happens to be used in the source, it is replaced-with-self by the preprocessor.)
For the compiler both these statement are the same type a macro
#define NAME_OF_FILE
#define NUM_CONST 5
That this construct
#ifndef NAME_OF_FILE
#define NAME_OF_FILE
.
. //my header file content
.
#endif
is doing, is that the header is processed for the first time, the marco "NAME_OF_FILE" is n ot defined, hence it get defined and the whole header file content processed. The second time the compiler comes around this, because the header was included in project more than once, is that the marco is defined now and the header file doesn't get processed again.
Again, the "c-code" is not aware, that the marco __TEST_H for example has its because the header file's name is 'test.h'. What you are reffering to is probably, that your IDE auto-generated the marco then you created the header file and that the IDE called the marco after the file for the user's convenience. Like a another one here allready said, that you can rename the marco (rename it in the whole project I mean by that) and the code would compile and generally behave exactly like before.
All across our C code base, I see every macro defined the following way:
#ifndef BEEPTRIM_PITCH_RATE_DEGPS
#define BEEPTRIM_PITCH_RATE_DEGPS 0.2f
#endif
#ifndef BEEPTRIM_ROLL_RATE_DEGPS
#define BEEPTRIM_ROLL_RATE_DEGPS 0.2f
#endif
#ifndef FORCETRIMRELEASE_HOLD_TIME_MS
#define FORCETRIMRELEASE_HOLD_TIME_MS 1000.0f
#endif
#ifndef TRIMSYSTEM_SHEARPIN_BREAKINGFORCE_LBS
#define TRIMSYSTEM_SHEARPIN_BREAKINGFORCE_LBS 50.0f
#endif
What is the rationale of doing these define checks instead of just defining the macros?
#define BEEPTRIM_PITCH_RATE_DEGPS 0.2f
#define BEEPTRIM_ROLL_RATE_DEGPS 0.2f
#define FORCETRIMRELEASE_HOLD_TIME_MS 1000.0f
#define TRIMSYSTEM_SHEARPIN_BREAKINGFORCE_LBS 50.0f
I can't find this practice explained anywhere on the web.
This allows you to override the macros when you're compiling:
gcc -DMACRONAME=value
The definitions in the header file are used as defaults.
As I said in the comment, imagine this situation:
foo.h
#define FOO 4
defs.h
#ifndef FOO
#define FOO 6
#endif
#ifndef BAR
#define BAR 4
#endif
bar.c
#include "foo.h"
#include "defs.h"
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void)
{
printf("%d%d", FOO, BAR);
return 0;
}
Will print 44.
However, if the conditional ifndef was not there, the result would be compilation warnings of MACRO redefinition and it will print 64.
$ gcc -o bar bar.c
In file included from bar.c:2:0:
defs.h:1:0: warning: "FOO" redefined [enabled by default]
#define FOO 6
^
In file included from bar.c:1:0:
foo.h:1:0: note: this is the location of the previous definition
#define FOO 4
^
I do not know the context but this can be used to give the user the availability to override the values set by those macro definitions. If the user explicitly defines a different value for any of those macros it will be used instead of the values used here.
For instance in g++ you can use the -D flag during compilation to pass a value to a macro.
This is done so that the user of the header file can override the definitions from his/her code or from compiler's -D flag.
Any C project resides on multiple source files. When working on a single source file the checks seem to (and actually) have no point, but when working on a large C project, it's a good practice to check for existing defines before defining a constant. The idea is simple: you need the constant in that specific source file, but it may have been already defined in another.
You could think about a framework/library that gives to the user a default preset that allow the user to compile and work on it.
Those defines are spreaded in different files and the final user is advised to include it's config.h file where he can config its values.
If the user forgot some define the system can continue to work because of the preset.
Using
#ifndef BEEPTRIM_PITCH_RATE_DEGPS
#define BEEPTRIM_PITCH_RATE_DEGPS 0.2f
#endif
allows the user to define the value of the macro using the command line argument (in gcc/clang/VS) -DBEEPTRIM_PITCH_RATE_DEGPS=0.3f.
There is another important reason. It is an error to re-define a preprocessor macro differently. See this answer to another SO question. Without the #ifndef check, the compiler should produce an error if -DBEEPTRIM_PITCH_RATE_DEGPS=0.3f is used as a command line argument in the compiler invocation.
I have a structure defined in a header file called data.h.
I am including data.h in myfile.c.
In the structure, I have part of the variables blocked off with:
#ifndef TEST
int x;
#endif
and in myfile.c I have:
#ifdef TEST
localx++;
#else
mystruct.x++; //<-compiler complains on this line when compiling
#endif
When I try to compile with -DTEST I get a compiler complaining that mystruct type does not containing a field called x. What is up with this?
I don't have a C compiler handy, so here is what I just typed up:
in data.h
typdef struct {
#ifndef TEST
int x;
#endif
int y;
} coords;
in myfile.c
#include "data.h"
static coords coord1;
int localx;
int main( )
{
#ifdef TEST
localx = 1;
#else
coord1.x = 1;
#endif
coord1.y = 2;
printf("%i\n", coord1.x);
printf("%i\n", coord1.y);
printf("%i\n", localx);
return 0;
}
This compiles when I type cc myfile.c but not with cc myfile.c -DTEST
I am using the MIPSPro C compiler referenced here.
You most recent edit (which may well be different by the time anyone reads this) will have a problem in the section that has a bunch of printf() statements. The line:
printf("%i\n", coord1.x);
is referencing the x member of the struct regardless of the setting of the TEST preprocessor macro. It needs to be inside a conditional compilation section too in order to compile correctly (rather not compile at all) when the x member doesn't exist.
Since you are using ifndef for the field x, it is only there to use if TEST is not defined!!
#ifdef allows a section of a program to be compiled only if the macro that is specified as the parameter has been defined, no matter which its value is. For example:
#ifdef TABLE_SIZE
int table[TABLE_SIZE];
#endif
In this case, the line of code int table[TABLE_SIZE]; is only compiled if TABLE_SIZE was previously defined with #define, independently of its value. If it was not defined, that line will not be included in the program compilation.
#ifndef serves for the exact opposite: the code between #ifndef and #endif directives is only compiled if the specified identifier has not been previously defined. For example:
#ifndef TABLE_SIZE
#define TABLE_SIZE 100
#endif
int table[TABLE_SIZE];
In this case, if when arriving at this piece of code, the TABLE_SIZE macro has not been defined yet, it would be defined to a value of 100. If it already existed it would keep its previous value since the #define directive would not be executed.
From: http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/preprocessor/
Except for the typo (typdef), your example compiles fine for me using gcc.
Edit:
The new example shouldn't compile. You need to wrap every reference to "x" in #ifdef directives.
Also, gcc accepts the -D flag before the file list, but I don't have access to MIPSpro. The docs say you have the command line out of order.