what is std_lib_facilities.h

icecubeflower · 04-02-2009, 04:38 AM

I'm working through the new Stroustrup book, front to back. His hello world program won't compile.

Code:

#include "std_lib_facilities.h"

int main()
{
   cout<<"Hello, World!\n";
   return 0;
}

Code:

icecube@inferno:~/bjarne$ g++ hello.cpp -o hello
hello.cpp:1:32: error: std_lib_facilities.h: No such file or directory
hello.cpp: In function 'int main()':
hello.cpp:9: error: 'cout' was not declared in this scope
icecube@inferno:~/bjarne$

That header file is in quotes, not these: <> So it's supposed to be in the same directory as my .cpp file? Why would I have that header file there?

I did this:
root@inferno:/home/icecube# find / -name std_lib_facilities.h
root@inferno:/home/icecube#

I don't think that header file even exists on my system. I don't get it, he acts like that header is standard on every system.

icecubeflower · 04-02-2009, 04:45 AM

I found this on his website, I think it's std_lib_facilities.h

Code:

//
// This is a standard library support code to the chapters of the book
// "Programming -- Principles and Practice Using C++" by Bjarne Stroustrup
//

#ifndef STD_LIB_FACILITIES_GUARD
#define STD_LIB_FACILITIES_GUARD 1

#include <cmath>
#include <cstring>
#include <fstream>
#include <stdexcept>
#include <string>
#include <sstream>
#include <vector>

using namespace std;

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

// Helper function to show an error message
inline void error(const string& errormessage)
{
    throw runtime_error(errormessage);
}

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

inline void error(string s1, string s2)
{
    error(s1+s2);
}

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#endif // STD_LIB_FACILITIES_GUARD

That still wouldn't make my program compile, it doesn't have #include <iostream> in it. What the hell.

Udi · 04-02-2009, 04:51 AM

Go back to the web site: http://www.stroustrup.com/Programming/

There is a link that is called "Standard library access header" which you can find right near the quote that you provided in your first post. It points to the header file.

If you still can't find it: http://www.stroustrup.com/Programmin...b_facilities.h

icecubeflower · 04-02-2009, 05:10 AM

Oh. Oops. For some reason it didn't dawn on me that that was a link to a file. I was looking at it like it was the title of the next three lines. I must be tired.

Yeah on page 46 he says: "We wrote that file to simplify use of the facilities available in all implementations of C++"

I wish he would have just said, "HEY! You gotta go download this .h file and stick in the same directory as your .cpp file!"

icecubeflower · 04-02-2009, 07:38 AM

Hey once you get to page 53 he does tell you to download it and he tells you where to get it. I guess I wasn't supposed to try to compile his program until he told me too, oops.

There's a terrible typo on page 53, though, he tells you to go to Appendix D to set up a project but Appendix D is about FLTK. I went and set up FLTK and made a "hello world" window but the code he has next doesn't even use FLTK. I think he meant Appendix C?

dagiffy · 07-19-2010, 08:07 PM

I've been having some problems with this and found this fine forum with Google. I am going through the same text as the OP. In appendix C, the author states:

"Place a copy of it (which I have found via the above posts) in the directory you chose (for your project). (Note: save as text, not HTML.) To use it, you need the line

#include "../../std_lib_facilities.h"

in your program. The "../../" tells the compiler that you placed the header in C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name\My Documents\Visual Studio 2xxx\Projects where it can be used with all your projects, rather than right next to your source file in a project where you would have to copy it for each project."

Well, I've done that. Or so I think. I copy/pasted the std_lib_facilities.h program into a text file and saved it in the Projects folder. I named it std_lib_facilities.h, for lack of a better idea. My compiler still can't open it or access it? Any ideas?

dagiffy · 07-19-2010, 09:13 PM

My error apparently was that compilers don't open text documents when they are looking for headers. I r-clicked on the link and saved in Projects, now everything works fine.