Including a .c file in a c++ program

Question

I am working on a project where half my code is in c and half is in c++.

Now I want to include the cprogram.c in my cppprogram.cpp.

When including a c file inside a c program you can use

#include "cprogram.c"

Anyways to do that in c++ for including a c program.

You should never #include a *.c file. Doing it across languages is even worse. — William Pursell
– William Pursell, Commented Mar 16, 2021 at 18:14
You can do that, if and only if the code in that file can be compiled as C++ (the compiler doesn't care about the .c extension). So, in other words, it must be valid C++ as well. However, normally you don't mix things like that and if you mix C and C++ you compile them separately. All that said, you don't ask a question. Please, as a new user here, start with the tour and read How to Ask. — Ulrich Eckhardt
– Ulrich Eckhardt, Commented Mar 16, 2021 at 18:15
"When including a c file inside a c program" - that's not how one normally includes a .c file in a C program. It is normally part of the compile source files list that are individually built, usually as part of a build pattern such as a Makefile, a CMakeLists.txt, a visual studio project file, etc. And #include-ing a .c file in a c++ source file (.cpp/.cxx) is at best a gamble. C and C++ are different languages. There is a chance it will "work" (term used very loosely). You're probably better off incorporating the file properly as a C source, compiled as C target in your build system. — WhozCraig
– WhozCraig, Commented Mar 16, 2021 at 18:16

TheEagle · Accepted Answer · 2021-03-16 18:22:50Z

2

Besides from that you normally don't include .c files, but .h files instead, and that the following is bad practice, you can include C files into .cpp / .hpp files by wrapping the include into an extern "C":

cppprogram.cpp

extern "C" {
#include "cprogram.c"
}

See here for some examples.

edited Mar 16, 2021 at 18:22

answered Mar 16, 2021 at 18:17

TheEagle

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Владимир Кравченко · Accepted Answer · 2021-03-16 19:13:05Z

0

As long as you are using Make or Cmake, you can just add it with #include "cprogram.c". C++ is also compatiable with C so you can just add it.

answered Mar 16, 2021 at 19:13

Владимир Кравченко

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