Thread: C compiler accepting c++ code!!

I used many compilers like turboc ,gcc ,borland c,microsoft c terminal,,to test this problem.
In c programming, there are many syntaxes different from their c++ counterpart,and i have seen that the above PURE C COMPILERS are accepting c++ syntaxes in betwen c code in a .c file, without any warning.

One example is commenting:
in c, we use

Code:

/*comment*/

as the syntax.
but i see that the compilers accept c++ syntax within c code,as well:

Code:

//comment

Another example is that some compilers accept

Code:

#include <iostream.h>

which is used in c++, in c code whereas it should be

Code:

#include <stdio.h>

similarly,i have seen in many places that many people use the c++command cout to print statements instead of printf and it works!

Why is this so??Suppose that a compiler can also compile c++.Then also,the code is in a .c file.Then,why is the c++ code being accepted flawlessly?

Originally Posted by suryap.kv1bbsr

Why is this so??Suppose that a compiler can also compile c++.Then also,the code is in a .c file.Then,why is the c++ code being accepted flawlessly?

Because there is probably an additional compiler switch that sets it for C or CPP mode... Look in your documentation.

If you are looking for a compiler that is pure C (C-99, to be exact) try Pelles C It will very nicely puke on C++ syntax for you.

The // commenting style is not necessarily C++; this is also known as C99-style commenting.

thanks for your satisfying replies.