Thread: Multiple Classes And Header Files error does not name a type

When ever I try to program programs with a few classes and headers in different files sometimes it gives me

error: some_class does not name a type

for example I have the following classes in different files:

Canimatedtile
Clayer
Cmap

and map is declared some what like this (Please excuse some of the syntax errors in my real files there are no syntax errors)

Code:

#include "layer.h"

class Cmap
{
public:
    Clayer layer[6]; //6 tile layers
}

and layer is declared like this

Code:

#include "animatedtile.h"
class Clayer
{
public:
    int tiles[256][256]; //256*256 tile map
    Canimatedtiles animatedtiles[20];
}

It will give me this error in map.h:

Code:

error: Clayer does not name a type

It happens with other things that I try to program that also have multiple classes; I get simular results with those. I am using an IDE. I know very little about makefiles, but my guess is that the makefile the IDE is generating is in the wrong order.

What I am basically asking is what should I do to avoid and fix these types of errors?

Thank you for suggestions and help.

Always add header include guards to your header files.

Be careful of recursive dependencies. In your example it should be ok, but those might be causing that error in your real code. You cannot have a class with a member variable of one type, and have that type have a member variable of the first class. If you need that to happen, use some sort of indirection, like a pointer, or instead of a static array use a vector or dynamic array. Then you don't have to #include the other header file and you can use a forward declaration instead.