Question

can anyone tell me the significance of "dot" in #include

Answer 1

if its CSS i tmight indicate a 'class'

Answer 2

From what I know, the "dot" separates the file name from the file extension/type. It's like notepad.txt where "txt" is the file type.

Answer 3

yeah, in any event, it would appear to act as a flag for parsing the instruction.

Answer 4

i agree with nadineplusv it is used for an extension

Answer 5

Hi, I think you're talking about C language.

In C we can use any file for header but we use the extensio .h for standard. The dot is used to separe the name and extension type... That info is used by the Operational System (OS) to know what program will open the file, got it?

Answer 6

http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/cpp/Include-Syntax.html

Answer 7

No siglem, this is for C++. In this language the .h is not necessary.

Answer 8

the reference I gave is for the C Preprocessor. "The C preprocessor implements the macro language used to transform C, C++, and Objective-C programs before they are compiled."

Answer 9

the . is there because in its specification the file extension must be indicated, the header file can be of other kinds of extensions as long as they are text
example as long as the compiler doesn't bother you try #include "lib.txt" to see if it works
the extension signifies that its a header file, i.e., a file that provides the available functions or macros for a specific library
in C++ the compiler can use the C libraries but the extension is not required most of the times because C++ was built most on top of C there are specific versions of libraries such as for example <cstdio> instead of <stdio.h>.