Compilation of a C++ program goes through an initial phase, called preprocessing, where some replacements are made in the text of the program. The preprocessor makes those changes, and preprocessor directives tell the preprocessor what to do.
Strictly speaking, preprocessor directives are not part of C++, but part of what the preprocessor understands. They tend to look very different from C++. For example, although C++ is free form, a preprocessor directive is one line long, and begins with a # sign. Where a C++ statement, type definition, etc. typically ends with a semicolon, the preprocessor uses the end of a line to signal the end of the directive.
It is still possible to break up long lines in preprocessor directives. If the last character in a line is \ (a backslash), then both the backslash and the newline character that follows it are ignored. So just put a \ at the end of each line but the last, and it is all read by the preprocessor as a single line.
Directives
#include <file>and
#include "file"tell the preprocessor to insert the contents of file file into the program at this point. The file is expanded as if it had been typed here (except that a message to the compiler is added, telling it where the text came from, so that it can know what to say if there is an error).
The first form, with <file>, tells the preprocessor to search for the file in the directory that holds header files for the standard library (by default). The second form, with "file", tells the preprocessor to look for the file in the current directory (by default).
You can tell the preprocessor to perform substitutions. For example,
#define SHORT_MAX 0xfffftells the preprocessor to replace SHORT_MAX by 0xffff. Notice that there is no = sign and no semicolon. It is just a textual substution. For example,
short n = SHORT_MAX;is replaced by
short n = 0xffff;The preprocessor only does substitions of full words. For example, directive
#define FOG (backup * 3)causes line
int i = FOG + DEFOG;to be replaced by
int i = (backup * 3) + DEFOG;
By convention, symbols defined in preprocessor directives are written in all upper case letters, so that someone reading the program can recognize them. The convention is not always followed, however, and you can define any symbol that would be an allowed C++ variable name.
If you want to remove a preprocessor definition, use #undef. For example,
#undef FOGremoves the definition of FOG.
You can define preprocessor symbols with parameters. For example,
#define MUNCH(x,y) x = crunch(y)causes
MUNCH(fork, 2*w+1);to be replaced by
fork = crunch(2*w+1);Similarly,
#define MAX(a,b) (((a) > (b)) ? (a) : (b))causes
int n = MAX(y*z, x);to be replaced by
int n = (((y*z) > (x)) ? (y*z) : (x));Notice the parentheses. The preprocessor does a textual substitution, and you do not want to find that the substitution causes expressions to be reparsed. For example, if you define
#define SUM(x,y) x + ythen expression
ostrich = sparrow * SUM(2, trex);is replaced by
ostrich = sparrow * 2 + trexwhich calls for multiplying sparrow by 2 and then adding trex. A correct definition of SUM is
#define SUM(x,y) ((x) + (y))
The value of symbol defined by the preprocessor can refer to other symbols that are also defined by the preprocessor. For example,
#define MAX_NUM_VERTICES 1000 #define MAX_NUM_NODES MAX_NUM_VERTICEScauses both MAX_NUM_VERTICES and MAX_NUM_NODES to be replaced by 1000.
Sometimes you want part of a program to be compiled only in certain circumstances. You can do that using #if or #ifdef or #ifndef. For example,
#ifdef DEBUG printf("debugging print"); #endiftells the preprocess to put the printf line into the program if preprocessor symbol DEBUG is defined, and to leave it out if DEBUG is not defined.
#ifndef asks if a preprocessor symbol is not defined, and #if asks if an expresion is a nonzero integer. For #if, the expression must yield an integer after replacements done by the preprocessor. You can also use operators +, −, *, /, >, <, >=, <=, &&, || and ! in those expressions, and you can parenthesise. For example,
#if MAX_NUM_VERTICES < 1000tests if MAX_NUM_VERTICES is less than 1000. The preprocessor must be able to answer the question on its own.
You can have an else-part for any of these. For example,
#if MAX_NUM_VERTICES < 1000 Vertex verts[MAX_NUM_VERTICES]; #else Vertex* verts = new Vertex[MAX_NUM_VERTICES]; #endifputs one of the two lines into the program, depending on the value of preprocessor symbol MAX_NUM_VERTICES.