*.h or *.hpp for your class definitions
c++, header
Solution
Here are a couple of reasons for having different naming of C vs C++ headers:
- Automatic code formatting, you might have different guidelines for formatting C and C++ code. If the headers are separated by extension you can set your editor to apply the appropriate formatting automatically
- Naming, I've been on projects where there were libraries written in C and then wrappers had been implemented in C++. Since the headers usually had similar names, i.e. Feature.h vs Feature.hpp, they were easy to tell apart.
- Inclusion, maybe your project has more appropriate versions available written in C++ but you are using the C version (see above point). If headers are named after the language they are implemented in you can easily spot all the C-headers and check for C++ versions.
Remember, C is not C++ and it can be very dangerous to mix and match unless you know what you are doing. Naming your sources appropriately helps you tell the languages apart.
Problem
I've always used a `*.h` file for my class definitions, but after reading some boost library code, I realised they all use `*.hpp`. I've always had an aversion to that file extension, I think mainly because I'm not used to it. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using `*.hpp` over `*.h`?