What does Header file and Libraries contains in c ?
What Does a Header File and Libraries Contain in C Programming?
Header files in C contain declarations for functions, macros, and data types. They are used to make code more readable and reusable. Header files are typically named with a .h extension.
Libraries in C are collections of object files that contain precompiled code. They are used to provide common functionality to programs. Libraries are typically named with a .a or .so extension.
Here are some examples of header files and libraries in C:
- Header files:
- stdio.h: This header file contains declarations for functions such as printf() and scanf(), which are used for input and output.
- stdlib.h: This header file contains declarations for functions such as malloc() and free(), which are used for memory management.
- math.h: This header file contains declarations for functions such as sin() and cos(), which are used for mathematical operations.
- Libraries:
- libc.a: This library contains the standard C library functions.
- libm.a: This library contains mathematical functions.
- libpthread.a: This library contains functions for multithreading.
To use a header file or library, we need to include it in our program. We can do this using the #include directive. For example, the following code includes the stdio.h header file:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Hello, world!\n");
return 0;
}Once we have included a header file or library, we can use the functions, macros, and data types that it defines. For example, the following code uses the printf() function from the stdio.h header file to print the message "Hello, world!" to the console:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Hello, world!\n");
return 0;
}
Header files and libraries are an essential part of C programming. They allow us to write more readable, reusable, and efficient code.
Further Reading:
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