CS102: Introduction to Computer Science II

It's important to understand the difference between declarations and definitions because these terms will be used precisely throughout the book. Essentially all C and C++ programs require declarations. Before you can write your first program, you need to understand the proper way to write a declaration.

A declaration introduces a name – an identifier – to the compiler. It tells the compiler "This function or this variable exists somewhere, and here is what it should look like". A definition, on the other hand, says: "Make this variable here" or "Make this function here". It allocates storage for the name. This meaning works whether you're talking about a variable or a function; in either case, at the point of definition the compiler allocates storage. For a variable, the compiler determines how big that variable is and causes space to be generated in memory to hold the data for that variable. For a function, the compiler generates code, which ends up occupying storage in memory.

You can declare a variable or a function in many different places, but there must be only one definition in C and C++ (this is sometimes called the ODR: one-definition rule). When the linker is uniting all the object modules, it will usually complain if it finds more than one definition for the same function or variable.

A definition can also be a declaration. If the compiler hasn't seen the name x before and you define int x;, the compiler sees the name as a declaration and allocates storage for it all at once.

Function declaration syntax

A function declaration in C and C++ gives the function name, the argument types passed to the function, and the return value of the function. For example, here is a declaration for a function called func1( ) that takes two integer arguments (integers are denoted in C/C++ with the keyword int) and returns an integer:

int func1(int,int);
The first keyword you see is the return value all by itself: int. The arguments are enclosed in parentheses after the function name in the order they are used. The semicolon indicates the end of a statement; in this case, it tells the compiler "that's all – there is no function definition here!"

C and C++ declarations attempt to mimic the form of the item's use. For example, if a is another integer the above function might be used this way:

a = func1(2,3);
Since func1( ) returns an integer, the C or C++ compiler will check the use of func1( ) to make sure that a can accept the return value and that the arguments are appropriate.

Arguments in function declarations may have names. The compiler ignores the names but they can be helpful as mnemonic devices for the user. For example, we can declare func1( ) in a different fashion that has the same meaning:

int func1(int length, int width);

A gotcha

There is a significant difference between C and C++ for functions with empty argument lists. In C, the declaration:

int func2();
means "a function with any number and type of argument". This prevents type-checking, so in C++ it means "a function with no arguments".

Function definitions

Function definitions look like function declarations except that they have bodies. A body is a collection of statements enclosed in braces. Braces denote the beginning and ending of a block of code. To give func1( ) a definition that is an empty body (a body containing no code), write:

int func1(int length, int width) { }
Notice that in the function definition, the braces replace the semicolon. Since braces surround a statement or group of statements, you don't need a semicolon. Notice also that the arguments in the function definition must have names if you want to use the arguments in the function body (since they are never used here, they are optional).

Variable declaration syntax

The meaning attributed to the phrase "variable declaration" has historically been confusing and contradictory, and it's important that you understand the correct definition so you can read code properly. A variable declaration tells the compiler what a variable looks like. It says, "I know you haven't seen this name before, but I promise it exists someplace, and it's a variable of X type".

In a function declaration, you give a type (the return value), the function name, the argument list, and a semicolon. That's enough for the compiler to figure out that it's a declaration and what the function should look like. By inference, a variable declaration might be a type followed by a name. For example:

int a;
could declare the variable a as an integer, using the logic above. Here's the conflict: there is enough information in the code above for the compiler to create space for an integer called a, and that's what happens. To resolve this dilemma, a keyword was necessary for C and C++ to say "This is only a declaration; it's defined elsewhere". The keyword is extern. It can mean the definition is external to the file, or that the definition occurs later in the file.

Declaring a variable without defining it means using the extern keyword before a description of the variable, like this:

extern int a;
extern can also apply to function declarations. For func1( ), it looks like this:

extern int func1(int length, int width);
This statement is equivalent to the previous func1( ) declarations. Since there is no function body, the compiler must treat it as a function declaration rather than a function definition. The extern keyword is thus superfluous and optional for function declarations. It is probably unfortunate that the designers of C did not require the use of extern for function declarations; it would have been more consistent and less confusing (but would have required more typing, which probably explains the decision).

Here are some more examples of declarations:

//: C02:Declare.cpp
// Declaration & definition examples
extern int i; // Declaration without definition
extern float f(float); // Function declaration

float b;  // Declaration
    & definition
float f(float a) {  // Definition
  return a + 1.0;
}

int i; // Definition
int h(int x) { // Declaration & definition
  return x + 1;
}

int main() {
  b = 1.0;
  i
    = 2;
  f(b);
  h(i);
} ///:~

In the function declarations, the argument identifiers are optional. In the definitions, they are required (the identifiers are required only in C, not C++).

Including headers

Most libraries contain significant numbers of functions and variables. To save work and ensure consistency when making the external declarations for these items, C and C++ use a device called the header file. A header file is a file containing the external declarations for a library; it conventionally has a file name extension of ‘h', such as headerfile.h. (You may also see some older code using different extensions, such as .hxx or .hpp, but this is becoming rare.)

The programmer who creates the library provides the header file. To declare the functions and external variables in the library, the user simply includes the header file. To include a header file, use the #include preprocessor directive. This tells the preprocessor to open the named header file and insert its contents where the #include statement appears. A #include may name a file in two ways: in angle brackets (< >) or in double quotes.

File names in angle brackets, such as:

#include <header>
cause the preprocessor to search for the file in a way that is particular to your implementation, but typically there's some kind of "include search path" that you specify in your environment or on the compiler command line. The mechanism for setting the search path varies between machines, operating systems, and C++ implementations, and may require some investigation on your part.

File names in double quotes, such as:

#include "local.h"
tell the preprocessor to search for the file in (according to the specification) an "implementation-defined way". What this typically means is to search for the file relative to the current directory. If the file is not found, then the include directive is reprocessed as if it had angle brackets instead of quotes.

To include the iostream header file, you write:

#include <iostream>
The preprocessor will find the iostream header file (often in a subdirectory called "include") and insert it.

Standard C++ include format

As C++ evolved, different compiler vendors chose different extensions for file names. In addition, various operating systems have different restrictions on file names, in particular on name length. These issues caused source code portability problems. To smooth over these rough edges, the standard uses a format that allows file names longer than the notorious eight characters and eliminates the extension. For example, instead of the old style of including iostream.h, which looks like this:

#include <iostream.h>
you can now write:

#include <iostream>
The translator can implement the include statements in a way that suits the needs of that particular compiler and operating system, if necessary truncating the name and adding an extension. Of course, you can also copy the headers given you by your compiler vendor to ones without extensions if you want to use this style before a vendor has provided support for it.

The libraries that have been inherited from C are still available with the traditional ‘.h' extension. However, you can also use them with the more modern C++ include style by prepending a "c" before the name. Thus:

#include <stdio.h>

#include <stdlib.h>

become:

#include <cstdio>
#include <cstdlib>

And so on, for all the Standard C headers. This provides a nice distinction to the reader indicating when you're using C versus C++ libraries.

The effect of the new include format is not identical to the old: using the .h gives you the older, non-template version, and omitting the .h gives you the new templatized version. You'll usually have problems if you try to intermix the two forms in a single program.