using relative file paths..?

Hi

I've got an include statement such as:

Code:

---

#include "c:\object.h"

---

My question is that can I use relative file paths, so that if my source code is in another folder it can find the header by using a relative path such as: ../../object.ch?

I have tried this, but it doesn't seem to work. Is there a particular way to do this?

Thank you.

Well, it's a backslash ..\ , not a forward-slash ../ to go up one level. A backslash without the .. should take you down from the curent path. But, since this does not change the default directory, the .h file won't find the associated .cpp or .lib file.

Also, using relative directories (or any specific directory) will make your code less portable.

You can add a directory to the default path, using the DOS path command. The system will look in all those places for the file. Type path at the command prompt to see the current paths. I dunno where the path is set-up in WinXP. In Win98 it's in the autoexec.bat file. And, you would edit the autoexec.bat file, adding your path to the statement. Don't just type PATH C:\MyPath, or you will wipe-out the current paths

Should work, providing you get the / or \ right (as per your OS)

Also, you need to be sure of what your compiler thinks is the current directory.

The usual way is to

Code:

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#include "other.h"

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And compile with
gcc -I../h prog.c

That is, you tell the compiler on the command line where all the relative directories to your header files are.

Rather than

Code:

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#include "../h/other.h"

---

And compile with
gcc prog.c

In say vc++, you specify additional include directories in the project's compiler settings.


Relative paths in #include's can be problematic when porting code from one system to another, and they reduce your ability to re-arrange your project as the code base grows (imagine editing a load of files to change some paths).


> You can add a directory to the default path, using the DOS path command
No - that is the program search path, not the compiler include path.

If it exists at all, it is usually called INCLUDE (or perhaps INC)

But since it (as an environment variable) affects everything you compile, it's usually reserved for all the system include directories.