As a rule, I always use *.hpp for C++ header files. It's not uncommon to find a mixture of C and C++ within a repository, and the difference in filename helps clarify that.
To put that another way:
*.h: C header file
*.c: C implementation file
*.hpp: C++ header file
*.cpp: C++ implementation file
See how clear that is?
Building on that, once you start including multiple files in your project, you should have some sort of directory structure. Here is what I use; it's far from the only way to do it, but in my experience, it seems to be one of the most effective.
As a last note, use Makefiles for building most simple projects. However, as soon as you get into anything more complicated, take a look at CMake (instead of Autotools, which is far harder to learn).
Hi Jason! Is there any good resources you'd recommend on creating makefiles? I just learned about this today and I am fascinated by it! However, based on your suggested structure for a project, I don't know really know how to write rules in the makefile for grabbing files that are in include and src.
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated! I am a beginner in c++.
Lily
Afraid I don't have anything formal. I've kinda figured out Makefiles by experimentation and fragments of examples over the years.
If you want, you can take a look at MousePaw Media's documentation on our C/C++ build system, which combines CMake and Makefiles. The system is a bit unconventional, but it works extraordinarily well.
As a rule, I always use
*.hppfor C++ header files. It's not uncommon to find a mixture of C and C++ within a repository, and the difference in filename helps clarify that.To put that another way:
*.h: C header file*.c: C implementation file*.hpp: C++ header file*.cpp: C++ implementation fileSee how clear that is?
Building on that, once you start including multiple files in your project, you should have some sort of directory structure. Here is what I use; it's far from the only way to do it, but in my experience, it seems to be one of the most effective.
As a last note, use Makefiles for building most simple projects. However, as soon as you get into anything more complicated, take a look at CMake (instead of Autotools, which is far harder to learn).
Hi Jason! Is there any good resources you'd recommend on creating makefiles? I just learned about this today and I am fascinated by it! However, based on your suggested structure for a project, I don't know really know how to write rules in the makefile for grabbing files that are in include and src.
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated! I am a beginner in c++.
Lily
Afraid I don't have anything formal. I've kinda figured out Makefiles by experimentation and fragments of examples over the years.
If you want, you can take a look at MousePaw Media's documentation on our C/C++ build system, which combines CMake and Makefiles. The system is a bit unconventional, but it works extraordinarily well.
mousepawmedia.net/rmd/buildsystem/...
NOTE: The information on that link is a draft, and is subject to change.
Thank you for the reply Jason!! Really appreciated! I'll take a look at what you suggested :)