C++ Programming/Compiler/Linker/Libraries

Libraries Libraries allow existing code to be reused in a program. Libraries are like programs except that instead of relying on main() to do the work you call the specific functions provided by the library to do the work. Functions provide the interface between the program being written and the library being used. This interface is called Application Programming Interface or API. Libraries should and tend to be domain specific as to permit greater mobility across applications, and provide extended specialization. Libraries that are not, are often header only distribution, intended for static linking as to permit the compiler and the application, only to use the needed bits of code. As seen in the File organization Section, compiled libraries consists in C++ headers files that are included by the preprocessor and binary library files which are used by the linker to generate the resulting compilation. For a dynamically linked library, only the loading code is added to the compilation that uses them, the actual loading of the library is done in the memory at run-time. Programs can make use of libraries in two forms, as static or dynamic depending on how the programmer decides to distribute its code or even due to the licensing used by third party libraries, the static and dynamic libraries section of this book will cover in depth this subject. As we will see when covering multi-threading when selecting libraries. Remember to verify if they conform to the your requirements on that area. Third party libraries Additional functionality that goes beyond the standard libraries (like garbage collection) are available (often free) by third party libraries, but remember that third party libraries do not necessarily provide the same ubiquitous cross-platform functionality or an API style conformant with as standard libraries. The main motivation for their existence is to avoid having to reinvent the wheel and to make efforts converge; too much energy has been spent by generations of programmers to write safe and "portable" code. There are several libraries a programmer is expected to know about or have at least a passing idea of what they are. Time, consistency and extended references will make a few libraries pop-out from the rest. One notable example is the highly respected collection of Boost libraries that we will examine ahead. Licensing on third party libraries The programmer may also be limited by the requirements of the license used on external libraries that he has no direct control, for instance the use of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) code in closed source applications isn't permitted to address this issue the FSF provides an alternative in the form of the GNU LGPL license that permits such uses but only in the dynamically linked form, this is mirrored by several other legal requirements a programmer must attend and comply to. Libraries come in two forms, either in source form or in compiled/binary form. Libraries in source-form must first be compiled before they can be included in another project. This will transform the libraries' cpp-files into a lib-file. If a program must be recompiled to run with a new version of a library, but does not need any further changes, the library is said to be source compatible. If a program does not need to be modified and recompiled to use a new version of a library, the library is then classified as being binary compatible. header-only libraries Another distinction that is commonly made about libraries are on how they are distributed (regarding structure and use). A library that is contained only on header files is considered header-only library. Often this means that they are simpler and easy to use, however this will not be the ideal solution for complex code, it will not only hamper readability but result in larger compile times. Also depending on the compiler and it's optimizing capabilities (or options) can, due to the resulting inlining, generate larger binaries. This may not be as important in libraries mostly implemented with templates. Header-only libraries will always contain the source code to the implementation, commercial is rare.