What is extern "C" ?

[Vijay Kumar Zanvar]

Hello

I have seen in many source files the usage of extern +ACI-C+ACI-.
What is its purpose?

Thanks

VRZ

[Ben Pfaff]

"Vijay Kumar Zanvar" <vi*****@hotpop.com> writes:

I have seen in many source files the usage of extern "C".
What is its purpose?

That's a C++ construct, so you should ask about it in
comp.lang.c++, after checking their FAQ.
--
"Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place.
Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are,
by definition, not smart enough to debug it."
--Brian Kernighan

[Tim Prince]

Vijay Kumar Zanvar wrote:

Hello

I have seen in many source files the usage
What is its purpose?

Should not appear in C code. Declares a symbol in C++ to have C compatible
linkage.

--
Tim Prince

[Glen Herrmannsfeldt]

"Ben Pfaff" <bl*@cs.stanford.edu> wrote in message
news:87************@pfaff.stanford.edu...

(snip)

"Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place.
Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are,
by definition, not smart enough to debug it."
--Brian Kernighan

It seems that according to Brooks' law it is the same.

Brooks law goes something like: "Writing the code takes the first 90% of the
time, and debugging takes the second 90%."

(See the book "Mythical Man Month")

-- glen

[Christian Bau]

In article <bi************@ID-203837.news.uni-berlin.de>,
"Vijay Kumar Zanvar" <vi*****@hotpop.com> wrote:

Hello

I have seen in many source files the usage of extern "C".
What is its purpose?

It is part of the C++ language. It tells a C++ compiler that a function
is written in C. Don't use this in C programs, your C compiler will just
barf on you.

[Jack Klein]

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 09:22:53 +0100, Christian Bau
<ch***********@cbau.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in comp.lang.c:

In article <bi************@ID-203837.news.uni-berlin.de>,
"Vijay Kumar Zanvar" <vi*****@hotpop.com> wrote:

Hello

I have seen in many source files the usage of extern "C".
What is its purpose?

It is part of the C++ language. It tells a C++ compiler that a function
is written in C. Don't use this in C programs, your C compiler will just
barf on you.

While C++ is off-topic here, your answer is incorrect. It tells a C++
compiler that a function has C linkage, not that it is written in C.

--
Jack Klein
Home: http://JK-Technology.Com
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