7.5. #pragma interface and implementation
#pragma interface and #pragma implementation provide the
user with a way of explicitly directing the compiler to emit entities
with vague linkage (and debugging information) in a particular
Note: As of GCC 2.7.2, these #pragmas are not useful in
most cases, because of COMDAT support and the "key method" heuristic
mentioned in Section 7.4 Vague Linkage. Using them can actually cause your
program to grow due to unnecesary out-of-line copies of inline
functions. Currently the only benefit of these #pragmas is
reduced duplication of debugging information, and that should be
addressed soon on DWARF 2 targets with the use of COMDAT sections.
- #pragma interface, #pragma interface "subdir/objects.h"
Use this directive in header files that define object classes, to save
space in most of the object files that use those classes. Normally,
local copies of certain information (backup copies of inline member
functions, debugging information, and the internal tables that implement
virtual functions) must be kept in each object file that includes class
definitions. You can use this pragma to avoid such duplication. When a
header file containing #pragma interface is included in a
compilation, this auxiliary information will not be generated (unless
the main input source file itself uses #pragma implementation).
Instead, the object files will contain references to be resolved at link
The second form of this directive is useful for the case where you have
multiple headers with the same name in different directories. If you
use this form, you must specify the same string to #pragma
- #pragma implementation, #pragma implementation "objects.h"
Use this pragma in a main input file, when you want full output from
included header files to be generated (and made globally visible). The
included header file, in turn, should use #pragma interface.
Backup copies of inline member functions, debugging information, and the
internal tables used to implement virtual functions are all generated in
If you use #pragma implementation with no argument, it applies to
an include file with the same basename as your source
file. For example, in allclass.cc, giving just
by itself is equivalent to #pragma implementation "allclass.h".
In versions of GNU C++ prior to 2.6.0 allclass.h was treated as
an implementation file whenever you would include it from
allclass.cc even if you never specified #pragma
implementation. This was deemed to be more trouble than it was worth,
however, and disabled.
Use the string argument if you want a single implementation file to
include code from multiple header files. (You must also use
#include to include the header file; #pragma
implementation only specifies how to use the file--it doesn't actually
There is no way to split up the contents of a single header file into
multiple implementation files.
#pragma implementation and #pragma interface also have an
effect on function inlining.
If you define a class in a header file marked with #pragma
interface, the effect on an inline function defined in that class is
similar to an explicit extern declaration--the compiler emits
no code at all to define an independent version of the function. Its
definition is used only for inlining with its callers.
Conversely, when you include the same header file in a main source file
that declares it as #pragma implementation, the compiler emits
code for the function itself; this defines a version of the function
that can be found via pointers (or by callers compiled without
inlining). If all calls to the function can be inlined, you can avoid
emitting the function by compiling with -fno-implement-inlines.
If any calls were not inlined, you will get linker errors.