Hello,
I'm wanting to have multiple .cpp files in one project. I have three files:
"Main.cpp"
"Secondary.cpp"
"Main.h"
This is the content of Main.cpp:

#include "Main.h"
#include <iostream>
void Engine();

int main()
{
    b = 10;
    a = 5;
    std::cout << a << b;
    Engine();
}

This is the content of Secondary.cpp:

#include "Main.h"
#include <iostream>

void Engine()
{
    std::cout << std::endl << a;
}

This is the content of Main.h:

int a;
int b;

When I attempt to compile the project, it opens another file, called "locale_facets.tcc". It gives an error on line 2497: "multiple definition of `a'" as well as "multiple definition of `b'".

What did I do wrong?

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All 5 Replies

I would think that "locale_facets.tcc" also uses two variables called a and b. Try changing a and b in Main.h to something else and see if that corrects the problem.

Nope. I changed the names to "George" and "Washington" and I get the same error.

EDIT: If it helps, I'm using Windows 7 on an HP Laptop, and I'm using Code::Blocks to compile this.

If you mean that you get the same error for a and b, then it has nothing to do with YOUR a and b. There must be an a and b in iostream, since you include that twice. Try knocking out one of the iostream includes.

What is happening is that, because the header file is being included in both of the compiled files, the two globals are indeed being re-declared, once in each file. You need to change the header so that both are declared as extern :

#ifndef MAIN_H
#define MAIN_H 1

extern int a;
extern int b;

#endif

Then you need to actually declare the variables in either main.cpp or secondary.cpp (but not both):

#include "Main.h"
#include <iostream>
void Engine();

int a;
int b;

int main()
{
    b = 10;
    a = 5;
    std::cout << a << b;
    Engine();
}

The declaration in main.cpp is the actual declaration; the one in the header is just to allow other files to know that they exist.

Note also the use of include guards, which are to prevent a different sort of redefinition issue.

Ah, I see. Thank you.
Would the extern work for other data types, classes, functions, etc.?

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