>> 2. A header file is what defines what can be accessed from outside a 
>> given source file. Without a header file, how do you determine what's 
>> supposed to be public and what isn't?
> 
> No. You're thinking that header files are part of the language or 
> something. It's just a convention.  If you're accessing something 
> outside of the file you're compiling, you declare it "extern". It's 
> convenient to put the "externs" in a separate files, but it isn't 
> necessary.

I see...

I know a header file can theoretically contain anything. But I always 
thought that the idea was to put only public things in a header file, 
because if it's not in the header file, other files can't know it exists 
so it can't be accessed.

>> (C is a lot simpler, it's just astonishingly easy to shoot yourself in 
>> the foot with it.)
> 
> Yes. Maybe you should try something intermediary first, like C# or Java 
> or Pascal or some such.

Java and Pascal I already have quite extensive experience with. 
(Although I imagine since the last time I touched Java the APIs have 
been changed *again*. Oh, and I hear they kludged in generics?) Both of 
these languages know the difference between a pointer and an array, however.

Post a reply to this message