Why do I have to specifically compile a C source file with:
gcc prog.c -lm
even when I have already included the specific header file with:
#include <math.h>
The #include file tells the compiler how a function looks like, as in what type it returns, how many parameters of what types it takes, but it doesn't tell the compiler the contents.
The -lm flag includes that actual math library which contains the code for the functions to be called.
It works the same way with printf(), fread() and other standard functions. When you include stdio.h, you don't actually include the code of the function but the definitions. Because the C library is implicitly linked without you having to do anything about that, you don't notice it.
Because you need to inform the compiler which math library to link with, nothing to do with the math.h inclusion.
Similarly to your own code, which should have header files (.h) for function declarations and source files (.c) for function definitions, the code for the math library is in two parts. The header file, which you include, contains the function declarations:
double sqrt(double n);
However, it doesn't contain anything about how these functions work. This code is in a separate file which you have to link in, similarly to how you link different source files to create an application.
Because in C, there is technically absoultely no connection between the header file and the library. There can be more header files than libraries, or the other way round. It's just a matter of convention (and of course it makes some sense) to have a 1:1 relation in most cases.
Related
When you include a header
#include "foo.h"
you also need a source file, foo.c, with the definitions of the prototypes in the header that you pass to the compiler when compiling: gcc main.c foo.c. Why doesn't the same have to happen for headers from the standard library? For example, say you have a main.c file with
#include <stdio.h>
when you compile, you don't have to then write gcc main.c stdio.c, you just write gcc main.c.
Why is this? Does the compiler/linker know where to look for the source files when you compile and just automatically adds them? If not, then how would the compiler know what to do with the function prototypes?
When you have a header file called foo.h it doesn't necessarily mean that the there should be a source file associated with it called the foo.c. There can be be independent source and header files.
When you do compile a simple C code, hello_world.c
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
// printf() displays the string inside quotation
printf("Hello, World!");
return 0;
}
And when you compile the code, the code is first preprocessed as part of this the header file inclusion happens and any header file that is to be included and is present within the </> (#include <stdio.h> in our case) is searched for it's definition in the current directory and a few predefined search path already know to the compiler (the preprocessor). Few of the standard header file definitions are present such as /usr/include, /usr/local/include, etc. more info
The second part of your question being as to how does the compiler know the definition of say for example printf() when we don't associate a source file at compile time that is cause when you compile any program the compilers by default links it with a std C library called the libc which contains the definition of functions such as scanf,printf,etc
When you include a header /* ... */ you also need a source file
No, you do not have to.
Your header file may contain only macro and data types declaration. No source file needed
The code was compiled before and you have only library or object files. You need to let know the linker that it has to use those files.
You use standard library files. generic linker needs to know the library locations. Many compilers pass this information on their own. for example gcc uses spec files where you may specify where your libraries are (and many more things).
Couldn't stdio functions and variables be defined in header files without having to use .c files.
If not, what are .c files used for?
The functions defined in the header file have to be implemented. The .c file contains the implementation, though these have already been compiled into a static or shared library that your compiler can use.
The header file should contain a minimal description of the function to save time when compiling. If it included the entire source it'd force the compiler to rebuild it each and every time you compile which is really wasteful since that source never changes.
In effect, the header file serves as a cheat sheet on how to interact with the already compiled library.
The reason the .c files are provided is primarily for debugging, so your debugger can step through in your debug build and show you source instead of raw machine code. In rare cases you may want to look at the implementation of a particular function in order to better understand it, or in even more rare cases, identify a bug. They're not actually used to compile your program.
In your code you should only ever reference the header file version, the .h via an #include directive.
stdio.h is a standard header, required to be provided by every conforming hosted C implementation. It declares, but does not define, a number of entities, mostly library functions like putchar and scanf.
stdio.c, if it exists, is likely to be a C source file that defines the functions declared in stdio.h. There is no requirement that an implementation must make it available. It might not even exist; for example the implementations of the functions declared in stdio.h might appear in multiple *.c files.
The declaration of putchar is:
int putchar(int c);
and that's all the compiler needs to know when it sees a call to putchar in your program. The code that implements putchar is typically provided as machine code, and the linker's job is to resolve your putchar() call so it ends up invoking that code. putchar() might not even be written in C (though it probably is).
An executable program can be built from multiple *.c source files. One and only one copy of the code that implements putchar is needed for an entire program. If the implementation of putchar were in the header file, then it would be included in each separately compiled source file, creating conflicts and, at best, wasting space. The code that implements putchar() (and all the other functions in the library) only needs to be compiled once.
The .c files has specific function for any aim. For example stdio.c files has standart input-output functions to use within C program. In stdio.h header files has function prototypes for all stdio.c functions, all defines, all macros etc. When you #include <stdio.h> in your main code.c file your main code assumes there is a " int printf(const char *format, ...)" function. Returns int value and you can pass argument ..... etc. When you call printf() function actually you use stdio.c files..
There are languages where if you want to make use of something someone else has written, you say something like
import module
and that takes care of everything.
C is not one of those languages.
You could put "library" source code in a file, and then use #include to pull it in wherever you needed it. But this wouldn't work at all, for two reasons:
If you used #include to pull it in from two different source files, and then linked the two resulting object files together, everything in the "library" would be defined twice.
You might not want to deliver your "library" code as source; you might prefer to deliver it in compiled, object form.
I got stuck trying to do Exercise 8-3 of K&R, the goal of the exercise is to rewrite some functions of stdio.h such as fopen, fclose, fillbuf and flushbuf
here's how my source files are organized:
stdio.h: contains types and macro definitions, and the declarations of some functions proper to the library. all content of the file is enclosed between #ifndef #endif lines as follows:
#ifndef STDIO_H
#define STDIO_H
/* content of stdio.h */
#endif
myfunction.c: I have a .c file per function, each file has a #include "stdio.h" line to load all needed types definitions.
main.c: where I have code to test my functions, the main.c also has a #include "stdio.h" line.
my problem is the following: when I try to compile all my files using gcc I run to the error:
multiple definition of `_iob'
on every one of my function files where my stdio.h is included, (_iob is a variable I only defined inside my stdio.h)...why is this happening ? I though the #ifndef line was to specifically prevent such errors.
more generally:
How would you go about making your own header files and library/function files and using them in your projects ?
Is there a way to make the linker figure out the position of my functions just by including the header file, the same way it does for standard functions ?
Please become aware of the difference between a library and its header files.
A library is a (collection of) binary machine code (with some additional meta-data, e.g. relocation directives to the linker).
For example, on my Linux system, dynamic libraries are generally shared objects (e.g. /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgmp.so) and it makes absolutely no sense to try some preprocessor directive like #include "libgmp.so" //wrong.
But a library has some API. That API is given by some documentation and by some header file(s), e.g. gmp.h and you should #include "gmp.h" in any C code (your C translation unit) which uses it.
myfunction.c: I have a .c file per function
Having one file per function is often poor taste. You generally can group related functions. For example, in your case, you probably want to define your myfopen and myfclose functions in the same myopenclose.c translation unit (even if you don't have to) because these two functions are intimately related. As a rule of thumb, I prefer having source files of one or a few thousand lines each (but that is really a matter of taste, and some people like having many small files).
Remember that what the compiler really sees is the preprocessed form of code. Consider asking your compiler to produce that form (e.g. from foo.c you can get its preprocessed form foo.i with gcc -C -E -Wall foo.c > foo.i on my Linux desktop) and look into it. Try that on your own files (e.g. your myopenclose.c if you have one).
If you have many small files, the compiler is probably including the same headers in each of them, and these included declarations gets compiled every time. BTW, notice that gcc is only a driver program. Use it with -v flag. You'll see that it is running cc1 (the C compiler proper), as (the assembler), ld (the linker), etc.
I run to the error:
multiple definition of `_iob'
on every one of my function files where my stdio.h is included, (_iob is a variable I only defined inside my stdio.h).
You probably should declare extern your _iob global variable in your stdio.h and define a global _iob in only one implementation file (perhaps myopenclose.c, if it is relevant) of your library.
Don't confuse definition and declaration (of variables, functions, types, etc.). Spend some time reading the C11 standard n1570. These words are defined there. As a rule of thumb, declarations should go into header .h files, definitions (of variables and functions) in implementation .c files (of course details are much more complex, you often but not always define types and struct in header files).
I strongly recommend using some Linux distribution (it is very developer- and student- friendly) and studying the source code of some existing free software C standard library (like musl-libc, whose code is quite readable). More generally, study the source code of existing free software projects (e.g. on github). They will inspire you.
Is there a way to make the linker figure out the position of my functions just by including the header file, the same way it does for standard functions ?
This shows a lot of confusion (the above question does not make any sense). Read more about compilers (your cc1 program -started by gcc- is translating a .c file into some object file .o) and about linkers (your ld, generally started by gcc, is agglomerating several object files, processing relocations inside them, and producing an ELF library or an executable). The preprocessing (e.g. of #include directive) is done at compile time by cc1. The linker cannot see any header files (it only deals with object files or libraries).
If you rewrite some of the system declarations and functions, while at the same time including the system declarations, you can expect some collisions.
Header files (.h) contain code (usually only declarations) and the mechanism you describe (#ifndef STDIO_H) is to prevent multiple inclusions of the same header file - mainly because another include file (header) that has already been loaded might also include it. That result in the same kind of collision as you had.
In C, you could, for instance
make a new header file that contain your own declarations + the stdio ones that don't collide with yours
use the stdio declarations, and only write new functions that use the same structures, defines, enums etc... as stdio
rewrite the necessary declarations and code that allows you not to include the system headers anymore
use another naming convention, like my_iob in both your header file, and in your code.
The two last ones are probably the best in your case, since you still have some collisions coming from a header file.
For instance, your code might not include stdio.h, but another header file you include might do it, indirectly...
Suposse I coded a C library which provides a bunch of "public" functions, declared in a mylib.h header file. Those functions are supposedly implemented in (say) a mylib.c file which is compiled to a (say) static lib mylib.c -> mylib.o -> mylib.a.
Is there some way to detect that I forgot to provide the implementation of some declared function in mylib.h? (Yes, I know about unit testing, good practices, etc - and, yes, I understand the meaning of a plain function declaration in C).
Suppose mylib.h declares a void func1(); and this function was not coded in the provided library. This will trigger an error only if the linker needs to use that function. Otherwise, it will compile ok and even without warnings - AFAIK. Is there a way (perhaps compiler dependent) to trigger a warning for declared but not implemented functions, or there is any other way to deal with this issue?
BTW: nm -u lists not all undefined declared functions, but only those "used" by the library, i.e., those functions that will trigger an error in the linking phase if not declared somewhere. (Which makes sense, the library object file does not know about header files, of course.)
Basically, the most reliable way is to have a program (or possibly a series of programs) which formally exercise each and every one of the functions. If one of the programs fails to link because of a missing symbol, you've goofed.
I suppose you could try to do something by editing a copy of the header into a source file (as in, file ending .c), converting the function declarations into dummy function definitions:
Original:
extern int somefunc(void);
Revised:
extern int somefunc(void){}
Then compile the modified source with minimum warnings - and ignore anything to do with "function that is supposed to return a value doesn't". Then compare the defined symbols in the object file from the revised source with the defined symbols in the library (using nm -g on Unix-like systems). Anything present in the object file that isn't present in the library is missing and should be supplied.
Note: if your header includes other headers of your own which define functions, you need to process all of those. If your header includes standard headers such as <stdio.h>, then clearly you won't be defining functions such as fopen() or printf() in the ordinary course of events. So, choose the headers you reprocess into source code carefully.
There's no easy way.
For example, you can analyse the output of clang -Xclang -ast-print-xml or gcc-xml and filter out declarations with no implementations for a given .h file.
You could grep for signatures of exported function in both .h and .c, and compare the lists.
Use wc -l for counting matches, Both numbers should be equal.
Another thought, just came to my mind. It is ihmo not possible to handle it using compiler. it is not always the case, that function declares in mylib.h is implemented in mylib.c
Is there some way to detect that I forgot to provide the implementation of some declared function in mylib.h?
Write the implementation first, then worry about header contents -- because that way, it can be flagged.
I have two semi-related questions.
My first question: I can call functions in the standard library without compiling the entire library by just:
#include <stdio.h>
How would I go about doing the same thing with my header files? Just "including" my plaintext header files obviously does not work.
#include "nameofmyheader.h"
Basically, how can I create a library that other files can call?
Second question: Suppose I have a program that is split into 50 c files and a header file. What is the proper way to compile it besides:
cc main.c 1.h 1.c 2.c 3.c 4.c 5.c 6.c 7.c /*... and so on*/
Please correct any misconceptions I am having. I'm totally lost here.
First, you're a bit confused as to what happens with an #include. You never "compile" the standard library. The standard library is already compiled and is sitting in library files (.dll and .lib files on Windows, .a and .so on Linux). What the #include does is give you the declarations needed to link to the standard library.
The first thing to understand about #include directives is that they are very low-level. If you have programmed in Java or Python, #includes are much different from imports. Imports tell the compiler at a high level "this source file requires the use of this package" and the compiler figures out how to resolve that dependency. An #include in C directive says "take the entire contents of this file and literally paste it in right here when compiling." In particular, #include <stdio.h> brings in a file that has the forward declarations for all of the I/O functions in the standard library. Then, when you compile your code, the compiler knows how to make calls to those functions and check them for type-correctness.
Once your program is compiled, it is linked to the standard library. This means that your linker (which is automatically invoked by your compiler) will either cause your executable to make use of the shared standard library (.dll or .so), or will copy the needed parts of the static standard library (.lib or .a) into your executable. In neither case does your executable "contain" any part of the standard library that you do not use.
As for creating a library, that is a bit of a complicated topic and I will leave that to others, particularly since I don't think that's what you really want to do based on the next part of your question.
A header file is not always part of a library. It seems that what you have is multiple source files, and you want to be able to use functions from one source file in another source file. You can do that without creating a library. All you need to do is put the declarations for things foo.c that you want accessible from elsewhere into foo.h. Declarations are things like function prototypes and "extern" variable declarations. For example, if foo.c contains
int some_global;
void some_function(int a, char b)
{
/* Do some computation */
}
Then in order to make these accessible from other source files, foo.h needs to contain
extern int some_global;
void some_function(int, char);
Then, you #include "foo.h" wherever you want to use some_global or some_function. Since headers can include other headers, it is usual to wrap headers in "include guards" so that declarations are not duplicated. For example, foo.h should really read:
#ifndef FOO_H
#define FOO_H
extern int some_global;
void some_function(int, char);
#endif
This means that the header will only be processed once per compilation unit (source file).
As for how to compile them, never put .h files on the compiler command line, since they should not contain any compile-able code (only declarations). In most cases it is perfectly fine to compile as
cc main.c 1.c 2.c 3.c ... [etc]
However if you have 50 source files, it is probably a lot more convenient if you use a build system. On Linux, this is a Makefile. On windows, it depends what development environment you are using. You can google for that, or ask another SO question once you specify your platform (as this question is pretty broad already).
One of the advantages of a build system is that they compile each source file independently, and then link them all together, so that when you change only one source file, only that file needs to be re-compiled (and the program re-linked) rather than having everything re-compiled including the stuff that didn't get changed. This makes a big time difference when your program gets large.
You can combine several .c files to a library. Those libraries can be linked with other .c files to become the executable.
You can use a makefile to create a big project.
The makefile has a set of rules. Each rule describes the steps needed to create one piece of the program and their dependencies with other pieces or source files.
You need to create a shared library, the standard library is a shared library that is implicitly linked in your program.
Once you have your shared library you can use the .h files and just compile the program with -lyourlib wich is implicit for the libc
Create one using:
gcc -shared test.c -o libtest.so
And then compile your program like:
gcc myprogram.c -ltest -o myprogram
For your second question I advise you to use Makefiles
http://www.gnu.org/software/make/
The standard library is already compliled and placed on your machine ready to get dynamically linked. This means that the library is dynamically loaded when needed by a program. Compare this to a static library which gets compiled INTO your program when you run the compiler/linker.
This is why you need to compile your code and not the standard library code. You could build a dynamic (shared) library yourself.
For reference, #include <stdio.h> does not IMPORT the standard library. It just allows the compile and link to see the public interface of the library (To know what functions are used, what parameters they take, what types are defined, what sizes they are, etc).
Dynamic Loading
Shared Library
You could split your files up into modules, and create shared libraries. But generally as projects get bigger you tend to need a better mechanism to build your program (and libraries). Rather than directly calling the compiler when you need to do a rebuild you should use a make program or a complete build system like the GNU Build System.
If you really want it to be as simple as just including a .h file, all of your "library" code needs to be in the .h file. However, in this scenario, someone can only include your .h file into one and only one .c file. That may be ok, depending on how someone will use your "library".