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changed "for two purposes" to "for at least two purposes"
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user21037
user21037

Often you will want to have a definition of an interface without having to ship the entire code. For example, if you have a shared library, you would ship a header file with it which defines all the functions and symbols used in the shared library. Without header files, you would need to ship the source.

Within a single project, header files are used, IMHO, for at least two purposes:

  • Clarity, that is, by keeping the interfaces separate from the implementation, it is easier to read the code
  • Compile time. By using only the interface where possible, instead of the full implementation, the compile time can be reduced because the compiler can simply make a reference to the interface instead of having to parse the actual code (which, idealy, would only need to be done a single time).

Often you will want to have a definition of an interface without having to ship the entire code. For example, if you have a shared library, you would ship a header file with it which defines all the functions and symbols used in the shared library. Without header files, you would need to ship the source.

Within a single project, header files are used, IMHO, for two purposes:

  • Clarity, that is, by keeping the interfaces separate from the implementation, it is easier to read the code
  • Compile time. By using only the interface where possible, instead of the full implementation, the compile time can be reduced because the compiler can simply make a reference to the interface instead of having to parse the actual code (which, idealy, would only need to be done a single time).

Often you will want to have a definition of an interface without having to ship the entire code. For example, if you have a shared library, you would ship a header file with it which defines all the functions and symbols used in the shared library. Without header files, you would need to ship the source.

Within a single project, header files are used, IMHO, for at least two purposes:

  • Clarity, that is, by keeping the interfaces separate from the implementation, it is easier to read the code
  • Compile time. By using only the interface where possible, instead of the full implementation, the compile time can be reduced because the compiler can simply make a reference to the interface instead of having to parse the actual code (which, idealy, would only need to be done a single time).
Source Link
user21037
user21037

Often you will want to have a definition of an interface without having to ship the entire code. For example, if you have a shared library, you would ship a header file with it which defines all the functions and symbols used in the shared library. Without header files, you would need to ship the source.

Within a single project, header files are used, IMHO, for two purposes:

  • Clarity, that is, by keeping the interfaces separate from the implementation, it is easier to read the code
  • Compile time. By using only the interface where possible, instead of the full implementation, the compile time can be reduced because the compiler can simply make a reference to the interface instead of having to parse the actual code (which, idealy, would only need to be done a single time).
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