multiple include of header file gives compile errors

Hi All

I need some guidance with header files because I can't solve the following compile error:

Code:

---

make
gcc -I./lib  -c file1.c  -o file1.o
gcc -I./lib  -c file2.c  -o file2.o
gcc -I./lib  -c file.c  -o file.o
gcc -Wall -g -fast -o stats file1.o file2.o file.o -L./lib -lmyconfig
ld: duplicate symbol _default_keys in file.o and file1.o
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make: *** [stats] Error 1

---

Both file.c and file1.c include libmyconfig.h and file.c includes file1.h.
libmyconfig.h looks (simplyfied) like

Code:

---

void check_config_file(char *file) ;
int load_config_file(char *filename) ;
struct CONFIG
 {
    int  *var1 ;
    char *var2 ;
 } ;
char *default_keys[]  =  {"var1", "var2"} ;
char *default_values[] =  {"10", "20"} ;

---

So, default_keys is included twice. I tried to solve this by adding ifndef .... endif:

Code:

---

#ifndef BLA
#define BLA
.....
#endif

---

Unfortunately it didn't change anything :( Any suggestions why?

Because those two lines don't belong in a header file. If all these other files need to know about that variable, then you should put "extern char * default_keys[]" in the header, and one file needs to define them.

Define default keys and default_values in a source file instead. If their declaration is needed, declare them as extern in the header.

Ok, make sense!, but then I have one last question, if I have a header file like

Code:

---

void check_config_file(char *file) ;
int load_config_file(char *filename) ;
struct CONFIG
 {
    int  *var1 ;
    char *var2 ;
 } ;

---

why would one use #ifndef FOO ..... #endif, because it will not give compile errors!

Try to include that header twice in the same source file, or more likely in practice, include that header in two other headers, then include those two other headers in the same source file.

check, thnx