Subj : Re: Not using .cpp files when programming...
To   : comp.programming
From : alfps
Date : Wed Jul 20 2005 01:55 am

* robertwessel2@yahoo.com:
> * Eric Fortier:
> >
> > When I'm writing a C++ class, I've built up this habit of putting all my code
> > right in the .H header file with the class definition. I'm not doing that with
> > 100% of my code, of course, only when I make a utility class (CRC, string,
> > loader, etc).
> >
> > I know this can't be good practice, but as of yet I never had any problems. I
> > find it a lot easier to maintain too, and I don't have to keep adding .CPP to
> > the projects I work on; I just add the header and I'm done.
> >
> > In the interest of searching for non-existent problems, can anyone tell me what
> > is wrong with this? ;)
> 
> Your compiles will be slower.

Generally correct.


> You'll have routines multiply defined
> when you include the same .h in multiple programs that are linked together.

Sorry, that's incorrect: it's not programs that are linked together, it's
compilation units.


> Or, if you make the member
> functions static or inline in the class to avoid the name space problems,

Sorry, that's incorrect: neither 'inline' nor 'static' is used to avoid name
space problems.


> you'll make a larger executable because all the code is duplicated in each
> compiled program, perhaps many times.

Sorry, that's incorrect: the main feature of 'inline' is the acceptance &
removal of multiple definitions.


> In the later case you may also have difficulty with any
> globals you may need.

There are techniques to deal with that.  Template programming still requires
doing mostly everything in header files (in practice; in theory there is
'export' which 1 compiler implements).  The language has special support for
defining, not just declaring, globals in headers, although there are also
features that make globals technically unnecessary.

-- 
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