[RESOLVED] Impossible? - #include and #define

[wossname]

OK this is going so sound weird but bear with me, there is a very good reason for wanting to do this...

#define PREFIX myfolder/proto_

//this one is defined elsewhere... and will be redefined several times during the app
#define MIDDLE http

#define SUFFIX .h

How is it possible to get the precompiler to generate this...

//desired result...
#include "myfolder/proto_http.h"

If it makes any difference, I'm using gcc (version 4.0.0 20050519 running on Red Hat Linux 4.0.0-8).

I have fairly strong suspicions that this is not possible without using an external process during the makefile but I wanted to do it all within the C files.

The main problem I'm having is getting around the strictness of the #include directive which won't let you "cat" "strings" "together" "like" "this".

It would save me a huge load of maintenance time if I could get this working because it lets me reduce 99% of a very large switch{} block into about 5 lines in a header file.

[Kal-El]

Dude...I think that's impossible

[sunburnt]

This is the closest I was able to get...

#define MY_PATH <hello
#define MY_FILENAME world
#define MY_EXTENSION h>

#include MY_PATH/MY_FILENAME.MY_EXTENSION

I wasn't able to come up with anything to use the ## operator or to enclose the path in quotes instead of brackets...

[wossname]

Solved

sunburnt's <blah> idea works just fine if you make a minor modification to how gcc is called (by adding a -Ifoldername switch) and omitting the full path from the prefix.



You've got to be a bit cunning with the naming convention of your header files though.

[chemicalNova]

Dear god.

Thats one of the ugliest things I've seen!

chem

[wossname]

Thanks I do try.

Extremely useful though. Can't really say why because it's for work Trust me though this tangled web of macros is totally awesome.

[chemicalNova]

Haha. I'm sure its identical to why the PS2 header files are useful.. dear god those things are a mess.. but they get the job done

chem