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Does C++20 mandate source code being stored in files?


Is it possible to get gcc to read from a pipe?How to make GCC output to stdout?Storing C++ template function definitions in a .CPP fileC++ code file extension? .cc vs .cppUsing Unicode in a C++ source fileDoes the C++ standard mandate poor performance for iostreams, or am I just dealing with a poor implementation?How do I achieve the theoretical maximum of 4 FLOPs per cycle?Why does GCC generate 15-20% faster code if I optimize for size instead of speed?Replacing a 32-bit loop counter with 64-bit introduces crazy performance deviationsDoes C++20 well-define left shift for signed integers that “overflow”?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








8















A slightly strange question, however, if I remember correctly , c++ source code doesn't require a file system to store it's files.



Having a compiler that scans handwritten papers via a camera would be a conforming implementation. Although practically not making that much sense.



However c++20 now adds source_location with file_name. Does this now imply that source code should always be stored in a file?










share|improve this question





















  • 1





    This has been in C since forever - __FILE__. Class source_location just allows you to get it at function call site.

    – StaceyGirl
    8 hours ago












  • Can't you give filename to your handwritten papers?

    – Jarod42
    8 hours ago






  • 3





    I think it is an implementation detail whether the source code is in files, or something else. If the compiler can be fed source code through stdin, the source could be in a database.

    – Eljay
    8 hours ago






  • 2





    My example may be a bit off, but if you use some on-the-fly compiler, such as TCC you can always supply some human readable source name for the sake of error reporting even though you compile directly from memory. That is having a "file name" does not imply being stored as a file at all.

    – VTT
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    Surely it's the implementation files such as <iostream> that may not be files (if you see what I mean), not the files written by developers?

    – Neil Butterworth
    8 hours ago


















8















A slightly strange question, however, if I remember correctly , c++ source code doesn't require a file system to store it's files.



Having a compiler that scans handwritten papers via a camera would be a conforming implementation. Although practically not making that much sense.



However c++20 now adds source_location with file_name. Does this now imply that source code should always be stored in a file?










share|improve this question





















  • 1





    This has been in C since forever - __FILE__. Class source_location just allows you to get it at function call site.

    – StaceyGirl
    8 hours ago












  • Can't you give filename to your handwritten papers?

    – Jarod42
    8 hours ago






  • 3





    I think it is an implementation detail whether the source code is in files, or something else. If the compiler can be fed source code through stdin, the source could be in a database.

    – Eljay
    8 hours ago






  • 2





    My example may be a bit off, but if you use some on-the-fly compiler, such as TCC you can always supply some human readable source name for the sake of error reporting even though you compile directly from memory. That is having a "file name" does not imply being stored as a file at all.

    – VTT
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    Surely it's the implementation files such as <iostream> that may not be files (if you see what I mean), not the files written by developers?

    – Neil Butterworth
    8 hours ago














8












8








8








A slightly strange question, however, if I remember correctly , c++ source code doesn't require a file system to store it's files.



Having a compiler that scans handwritten papers via a camera would be a conforming implementation. Although practically not making that much sense.



However c++20 now adds source_location with file_name. Does this now imply that source code should always be stored in a file?










share|improve this question
















A slightly strange question, however, if I remember correctly , c++ source code doesn't require a file system to store it's files.



Having a compiler that scans handwritten papers via a camera would be a conforming implementation. Although practically not making that much sense.



However c++20 now adds source_location with file_name. Does this now imply that source code should always be stored in a file?







c++ language-lawyer c++20 std-source-location






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 8 hours ago









einpoklum

42.3k28 gold badges147 silver badges292 bronze badges




42.3k28 gold badges147 silver badges292 bronze badges










asked 8 hours ago









JVApenJVApen

6,6661 gold badge15 silver badges45 bronze badges




6,6661 gold badge15 silver badges45 bronze badges










  • 1





    This has been in C since forever - __FILE__. Class source_location just allows you to get it at function call site.

    – StaceyGirl
    8 hours ago












  • Can't you give filename to your handwritten papers?

    – Jarod42
    8 hours ago






  • 3





    I think it is an implementation detail whether the source code is in files, or something else. If the compiler can be fed source code through stdin, the source could be in a database.

    – Eljay
    8 hours ago






  • 2





    My example may be a bit off, but if you use some on-the-fly compiler, such as TCC you can always supply some human readable source name for the sake of error reporting even though you compile directly from memory. That is having a "file name" does not imply being stored as a file at all.

    – VTT
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    Surely it's the implementation files such as <iostream> that may not be files (if you see what I mean), not the files written by developers?

    – Neil Butterworth
    8 hours ago













  • 1





    This has been in C since forever - __FILE__. Class source_location just allows you to get it at function call site.

    – StaceyGirl
    8 hours ago












  • Can't you give filename to your handwritten papers?

    – Jarod42
    8 hours ago






  • 3





    I think it is an implementation detail whether the source code is in files, or something else. If the compiler can be fed source code through stdin, the source could be in a database.

    – Eljay
    8 hours ago






  • 2





    My example may be a bit off, but if you use some on-the-fly compiler, such as TCC you can always supply some human readable source name for the sake of error reporting even though you compile directly from memory. That is having a "file name" does not imply being stored as a file at all.

    – VTT
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    Surely it's the implementation files such as <iostream> that may not be files (if you see what I mean), not the files written by developers?

    – Neil Butterworth
    8 hours ago








1




1





This has been in C since forever - __FILE__. Class source_location just allows you to get it at function call site.

– StaceyGirl
8 hours ago






This has been in C since forever - __FILE__. Class source_location just allows you to get it at function call site.

– StaceyGirl
8 hours ago














Can't you give filename to your handwritten papers?

– Jarod42
8 hours ago





Can't you give filename to your handwritten papers?

– Jarod42
8 hours ago




3




3





I think it is an implementation detail whether the source code is in files, or something else. If the compiler can be fed source code through stdin, the source could be in a database.

– Eljay
8 hours ago





I think it is an implementation detail whether the source code is in files, or something else. If the compiler can be fed source code through stdin, the source could be in a database.

– Eljay
8 hours ago




2




2





My example may be a bit off, but if you use some on-the-fly compiler, such as TCC you can always supply some human readable source name for the sake of error reporting even though you compile directly from memory. That is having a "file name" does not imply being stored as a file at all.

– VTT
8 hours ago






My example may be a bit off, but if you use some on-the-fly compiler, such as TCC you can always supply some human readable source name for the sake of error reporting even though you compile directly from memory. That is having a "file name" does not imply being stored as a file at all.

– VTT
8 hours ago





2




2





Surely it's the implementation files such as <iostream> that may not be files (if you see what I mean), not the files written by developers?

– Neil Butterworth
8 hours ago






Surely it's the implementation files such as <iostream> that may not be files (if you see what I mean), not the files written by developers?

– Neil Butterworth
8 hours ago













2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















7














Even before c++20, the standard has had:




__FILE__


The presumed name of the current source file (a character string literal).




The definition is same for source_location::file_name.



As such, there has not been a change in regard to support for filesystemless implementations in c++20.



The standard doesn't exactly define what "source file" means, so whether it refers to a file system may be up to interpretation. Presumably, it could be conforming for an implementation to produce "the handwritten note that you gave to me just then" if that indeed identifies the "source file" in that implementation of the language.




In conclusion: Yeah, sources are referred to as "files" by the standard, but what a "file" is and whether a file system is involved is unspecified.






share|improve this answer



























  • What does "presumed" mean in this context? Can there be an ambiguity?

    – Yksisarvinen
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    #line can update the name

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago











  • I'm wondering, does my initial claim (not stored in file) contain a mistake, or is there a behavior for that case?

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Yksisarvinen I don't know exactly the intention of the "presumption" qualification of the rule, but I presume :) that it is an clarification that the file name doest need to be absolute or canonical, but rather a relative name from perspective of the compiler is sufficient. I could be wrong.

    – eerorika
    8 hours ago



















4














No, source code doesn't have to come from a file.



Yo can compile C++ completely within a pipe, putting your compiler in the middle, e.g.



generate_source | g++ -o- -xc++ - | do_something_with_the_binary


(See also:



  • Is it possible to get gcc to read from a pipe?

  • How to make GCC output to stdout?

) and the introduction of std::source_location in C++20 doesn't change that. It's just that some code will not have a well-defined source location. Actually, I'd say that the insistence on defining source_location using files is somewhat short-sighted or myopic... although in fairness, it's just a macro-less equivalent of __FILE__ and __LINE__ which already exist in C++ (and C), and have for decades.



Are you a language lawyer? Ok, so let's consult the standard..



The question of whether C++ program sources need to come from files is not answered clearly in the language standard. Looking at a draft of the C++17 standard (n4713), section 5.1 [lex.separate] reads:




  1. The text of the program is kept in units called source files in this document. A source file together with all the headers (20.5.1.2) and source files included (19.2) via the preprocessing directive #include, less any source lines skipped by any of the conditional inclusion (19.1) preprocessing directives, is called a translation unit.



So, the source code is not necessarily kept in a file per se, but in a "unit called a file". But then, where do the includes come from? One would assume they come from files... but that to is not mandated.



At any rate, std::source_location does not seem to change that in C++20 (AFAICT).






share|improve this answer






















  • 2





    That pipe is a "source file" for the purposes of the standard.

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago











  • @melpomene: 1. Reference please. 2. But it's not a bona fide file...

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago






  • 2





    I'm looking at the C standard, which defines: "The text of the program is kept in units called source files, (or preprocessing files) in this International Standard." So wherever the code is stored, that's a "source file" in Standardese. (Addendum: Similar language is found in the C++ standard under [lex].)

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago







  • 1





    @melpomene: The units are just called source files, it doesn't say that they actually have to be source files. But I'll edit the answer to include this.

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago













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2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









7














Even before c++20, the standard has had:




__FILE__


The presumed name of the current source file (a character string literal).




The definition is same for source_location::file_name.



As such, there has not been a change in regard to support for filesystemless implementations in c++20.



The standard doesn't exactly define what "source file" means, so whether it refers to a file system may be up to interpretation. Presumably, it could be conforming for an implementation to produce "the handwritten note that you gave to me just then" if that indeed identifies the "source file" in that implementation of the language.




In conclusion: Yeah, sources are referred to as "files" by the standard, but what a "file" is and whether a file system is involved is unspecified.






share|improve this answer



























  • What does "presumed" mean in this context? Can there be an ambiguity?

    – Yksisarvinen
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    #line can update the name

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago











  • I'm wondering, does my initial claim (not stored in file) contain a mistake, or is there a behavior for that case?

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Yksisarvinen I don't know exactly the intention of the "presumption" qualification of the rule, but I presume :) that it is an clarification that the file name doest need to be absolute or canonical, but rather a relative name from perspective of the compiler is sufficient. I could be wrong.

    – eerorika
    8 hours ago
















7














Even before c++20, the standard has had:




__FILE__


The presumed name of the current source file (a character string literal).




The definition is same for source_location::file_name.



As such, there has not been a change in regard to support for filesystemless implementations in c++20.



The standard doesn't exactly define what "source file" means, so whether it refers to a file system may be up to interpretation. Presumably, it could be conforming for an implementation to produce "the handwritten note that you gave to me just then" if that indeed identifies the "source file" in that implementation of the language.




In conclusion: Yeah, sources are referred to as "files" by the standard, but what a "file" is and whether a file system is involved is unspecified.






share|improve this answer



























  • What does "presumed" mean in this context? Can there be an ambiguity?

    – Yksisarvinen
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    #line can update the name

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago











  • I'm wondering, does my initial claim (not stored in file) contain a mistake, or is there a behavior for that case?

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Yksisarvinen I don't know exactly the intention of the "presumption" qualification of the rule, but I presume :) that it is an clarification that the file name doest need to be absolute or canonical, but rather a relative name from perspective of the compiler is sufficient. I could be wrong.

    – eerorika
    8 hours ago














7












7








7







Even before c++20, the standard has had:




__FILE__


The presumed name of the current source file (a character string literal).




The definition is same for source_location::file_name.



As such, there has not been a change in regard to support for filesystemless implementations in c++20.



The standard doesn't exactly define what "source file" means, so whether it refers to a file system may be up to interpretation. Presumably, it could be conforming for an implementation to produce "the handwritten note that you gave to me just then" if that indeed identifies the "source file" in that implementation of the language.




In conclusion: Yeah, sources are referred to as "files" by the standard, but what a "file" is and whether a file system is involved is unspecified.






share|improve this answer















Even before c++20, the standard has had:




__FILE__


The presumed name of the current source file (a character string literal).




The definition is same for source_location::file_name.



As such, there has not been a change in regard to support for filesystemless implementations in c++20.



The standard doesn't exactly define what "source file" means, so whether it refers to a file system may be up to interpretation. Presumably, it could be conforming for an implementation to produce "the handwritten note that you gave to me just then" if that indeed identifies the "source file" in that implementation of the language.




In conclusion: Yeah, sources are referred to as "files" by the standard, but what a "file" is and whether a file system is involved is unspecified.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 8 hours ago

























answered 8 hours ago









eerorikaeerorika

103k6 gold badges82 silver badges157 bronze badges




103k6 gold badges82 silver badges157 bronze badges















  • What does "presumed" mean in this context? Can there be an ambiguity?

    – Yksisarvinen
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    #line can update the name

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago











  • I'm wondering, does my initial claim (not stored in file) contain a mistake, or is there a behavior for that case?

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Yksisarvinen I don't know exactly the intention of the "presumption" qualification of the rule, but I presume :) that it is an clarification that the file name doest need to be absolute or canonical, but rather a relative name from perspective of the compiler is sufficient. I could be wrong.

    – eerorika
    8 hours ago


















  • What does "presumed" mean in this context? Can there be an ambiguity?

    – Yksisarvinen
    8 hours ago







  • 2





    #line can update the name

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago











  • I'm wondering, does my initial claim (not stored in file) contain a mistake, or is there a behavior for that case?

    – JVApen
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Yksisarvinen I don't know exactly the intention of the "presumption" qualification of the rule, but I presume :) that it is an clarification that the file name doest need to be absolute or canonical, but rather a relative name from perspective of the compiler is sufficient. I could be wrong.

    – eerorika
    8 hours ago

















What does "presumed" mean in this context? Can there be an ambiguity?

– Yksisarvinen
8 hours ago






What does "presumed" mean in this context? Can there be an ambiguity?

– Yksisarvinen
8 hours ago





2




2





#line can update the name

– JVApen
8 hours ago





#line can update the name

– JVApen
8 hours ago













I'm wondering, does my initial claim (not stored in file) contain a mistake, or is there a behavior for that case?

– JVApen
8 hours ago





I'm wondering, does my initial claim (not stored in file) contain a mistake, or is there a behavior for that case?

– JVApen
8 hours ago




1




1





@Yksisarvinen I don't know exactly the intention of the "presumption" qualification of the rule, but I presume :) that it is an clarification that the file name doest need to be absolute or canonical, but rather a relative name from perspective of the compiler is sufficient. I could be wrong.

– eerorika
8 hours ago






@Yksisarvinen I don't know exactly the intention of the "presumption" qualification of the rule, but I presume :) that it is an clarification that the file name doest need to be absolute or canonical, but rather a relative name from perspective of the compiler is sufficient. I could be wrong.

– eerorika
8 hours ago














4














No, source code doesn't have to come from a file.



Yo can compile C++ completely within a pipe, putting your compiler in the middle, e.g.



generate_source | g++ -o- -xc++ - | do_something_with_the_binary


(See also:



  • Is it possible to get gcc to read from a pipe?

  • How to make GCC output to stdout?

) and the introduction of std::source_location in C++20 doesn't change that. It's just that some code will not have a well-defined source location. Actually, I'd say that the insistence on defining source_location using files is somewhat short-sighted or myopic... although in fairness, it's just a macro-less equivalent of __FILE__ and __LINE__ which already exist in C++ (and C), and have for decades.



Are you a language lawyer? Ok, so let's consult the standard..



The question of whether C++ program sources need to come from files is not answered clearly in the language standard. Looking at a draft of the C++17 standard (n4713), section 5.1 [lex.separate] reads:




  1. The text of the program is kept in units called source files in this document. A source file together with all the headers (20.5.1.2) and source files included (19.2) via the preprocessing directive #include, less any source lines skipped by any of the conditional inclusion (19.1) preprocessing directives, is called a translation unit.



So, the source code is not necessarily kept in a file per se, but in a "unit called a file". But then, where do the includes come from? One would assume they come from files... but that to is not mandated.



At any rate, std::source_location does not seem to change that in C++20 (AFAICT).






share|improve this answer






















  • 2





    That pipe is a "source file" for the purposes of the standard.

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago











  • @melpomene: 1. Reference please. 2. But it's not a bona fide file...

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago






  • 2





    I'm looking at the C standard, which defines: "The text of the program is kept in units called source files, (or preprocessing files) in this International Standard." So wherever the code is stored, that's a "source file" in Standardese. (Addendum: Similar language is found in the C++ standard under [lex].)

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago







  • 1





    @melpomene: The units are just called source files, it doesn't say that they actually have to be source files. But I'll edit the answer to include this.

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago















4














No, source code doesn't have to come from a file.



Yo can compile C++ completely within a pipe, putting your compiler in the middle, e.g.



generate_source | g++ -o- -xc++ - | do_something_with_the_binary


(See also:



  • Is it possible to get gcc to read from a pipe?

  • How to make GCC output to stdout?

) and the introduction of std::source_location in C++20 doesn't change that. It's just that some code will not have a well-defined source location. Actually, I'd say that the insistence on defining source_location using files is somewhat short-sighted or myopic... although in fairness, it's just a macro-less equivalent of __FILE__ and __LINE__ which already exist in C++ (and C), and have for decades.



Are you a language lawyer? Ok, so let's consult the standard..



The question of whether C++ program sources need to come from files is not answered clearly in the language standard. Looking at a draft of the C++17 standard (n4713), section 5.1 [lex.separate] reads:




  1. The text of the program is kept in units called source files in this document. A source file together with all the headers (20.5.1.2) and source files included (19.2) via the preprocessing directive #include, less any source lines skipped by any of the conditional inclusion (19.1) preprocessing directives, is called a translation unit.



So, the source code is not necessarily kept in a file per se, but in a "unit called a file". But then, where do the includes come from? One would assume they come from files... but that to is not mandated.



At any rate, std::source_location does not seem to change that in C++20 (AFAICT).






share|improve this answer






















  • 2





    That pipe is a "source file" for the purposes of the standard.

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago











  • @melpomene: 1. Reference please. 2. But it's not a bona fide file...

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago






  • 2





    I'm looking at the C standard, which defines: "The text of the program is kept in units called source files, (or preprocessing files) in this International Standard." So wherever the code is stored, that's a "source file" in Standardese. (Addendum: Similar language is found in the C++ standard under [lex].)

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago







  • 1





    @melpomene: The units are just called source files, it doesn't say that they actually have to be source files. But I'll edit the answer to include this.

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago













4












4








4







No, source code doesn't have to come from a file.



Yo can compile C++ completely within a pipe, putting your compiler in the middle, e.g.



generate_source | g++ -o- -xc++ - | do_something_with_the_binary


(See also:



  • Is it possible to get gcc to read from a pipe?

  • How to make GCC output to stdout?

) and the introduction of std::source_location in C++20 doesn't change that. It's just that some code will not have a well-defined source location. Actually, I'd say that the insistence on defining source_location using files is somewhat short-sighted or myopic... although in fairness, it's just a macro-less equivalent of __FILE__ and __LINE__ which already exist in C++ (and C), and have for decades.



Are you a language lawyer? Ok, so let's consult the standard..



The question of whether C++ program sources need to come from files is not answered clearly in the language standard. Looking at a draft of the C++17 standard (n4713), section 5.1 [lex.separate] reads:




  1. The text of the program is kept in units called source files in this document. A source file together with all the headers (20.5.1.2) and source files included (19.2) via the preprocessing directive #include, less any source lines skipped by any of the conditional inclusion (19.1) preprocessing directives, is called a translation unit.



So, the source code is not necessarily kept in a file per se, but in a "unit called a file". But then, where do the includes come from? One would assume they come from files... but that to is not mandated.



At any rate, std::source_location does not seem to change that in C++20 (AFAICT).






share|improve this answer















No, source code doesn't have to come from a file.



Yo can compile C++ completely within a pipe, putting your compiler in the middle, e.g.



generate_source | g++ -o- -xc++ - | do_something_with_the_binary


(See also:



  • Is it possible to get gcc to read from a pipe?

  • How to make GCC output to stdout?

) and the introduction of std::source_location in C++20 doesn't change that. It's just that some code will not have a well-defined source location. Actually, I'd say that the insistence on defining source_location using files is somewhat short-sighted or myopic... although in fairness, it's just a macro-less equivalent of __FILE__ and __LINE__ which already exist in C++ (and C), and have for decades.



Are you a language lawyer? Ok, so let's consult the standard..



The question of whether C++ program sources need to come from files is not answered clearly in the language standard. Looking at a draft of the C++17 standard (n4713), section 5.1 [lex.separate] reads:




  1. The text of the program is kept in units called source files in this document. A source file together with all the headers (20.5.1.2) and source files included (19.2) via the preprocessing directive #include, less any source lines skipped by any of the conditional inclusion (19.1) preprocessing directives, is called a translation unit.



So, the source code is not necessarily kept in a file per se, but in a "unit called a file". But then, where do the includes come from? One would assume they come from files... but that to is not mandated.



At any rate, std::source_location does not seem to change that in C++20 (AFAICT).







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 7 hours ago

























answered 7 hours ago









einpoklumeinpoklum

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  • 2





    That pipe is a "source file" for the purposes of the standard.

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago











  • @melpomene: 1. Reference please. 2. But it's not a bona fide file...

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago






  • 2





    I'm looking at the C standard, which defines: "The text of the program is kept in units called source files, (or preprocessing files) in this International Standard." So wherever the code is stored, that's a "source file" in Standardese. (Addendum: Similar language is found in the C++ standard under [lex].)

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago







  • 1





    @melpomene: The units are just called source files, it doesn't say that they actually have to be source files. But I'll edit the answer to include this.

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago












  • 2





    That pipe is a "source file" for the purposes of the standard.

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago











  • @melpomene: 1. Reference please. 2. But it's not a bona fide file...

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago






  • 2





    I'm looking at the C standard, which defines: "The text of the program is kept in units called source files, (or preprocessing files) in this International Standard." So wherever the code is stored, that's a "source file" in Standardese. (Addendum: Similar language is found in the C++ standard under [lex].)

    – melpomene
    7 hours ago







  • 1





    @melpomene: The units are just called source files, it doesn't say that they actually have to be source files. But I'll edit the answer to include this.

    – einpoklum
    7 hours ago







2




2





That pipe is a "source file" for the purposes of the standard.

– melpomene
7 hours ago





That pipe is a "source file" for the purposes of the standard.

– melpomene
7 hours ago













@melpomene: 1. Reference please. 2. But it's not a bona fide file...

– einpoklum
7 hours ago





@melpomene: 1. Reference please. 2. But it's not a bona fide file...

– einpoklum
7 hours ago




2




2





I'm looking at the C standard, which defines: "The text of the program is kept in units called source files, (or preprocessing files) in this International Standard." So wherever the code is stored, that's a "source file" in Standardese. (Addendum: Similar language is found in the C++ standard under [lex].)

– melpomene
7 hours ago






I'm looking at the C standard, which defines: "The text of the program is kept in units called source files, (or preprocessing files) in this International Standard." So wherever the code is stored, that's a "source file" in Standardese. (Addendum: Similar language is found in the C++ standard under [lex].)

– melpomene
7 hours ago





1




1





@melpomene: The units are just called source files, it doesn't say that they actually have to be source files. But I'll edit the answer to include this.

– einpoklum
7 hours ago





@melpomene: The units are just called source files, it doesn't say that they actually have to be source files. But I'll edit the answer to include this.

– einpoklum
7 hours ago

















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