The #include directive tells the preprocessor to treat the contents of a
specified file as if those contents had appeared in the source program at
the point where the directive appears. You can organize constant and macro
definitions into include files and then use #include directives to add these
definitions to any source file. Include files are also useful for
incorporating declarations of external variables and complex data types. You
need to define and name the types only once in an include file created for
that purpose.
#include "path-spec"
#include <path-spec>
The path-spec is a filename optionally preceded by a directory
specification. The filename must name an existing file. The syntax of the
path-spec depends on the operating system on which the program is compiled.
Both syntax forms cause replacement of that directive by the entire contents
of the specified include file. The difference between the two forms is the
order in which the preprocessor searches for header files when the path is
incompletely specified.
Syntax Form Action
Quoted form This form instructs the preprocessor to look for include
files in the same directory of the file that contains the #include
statement, and then in the directories of any files that include (#include)
that file. The preprocessor then searches along the path specified by the /I
compiler option, then along paths specified by the INCLUDE environment
variable.
Angle-bracket form This form instructs the preprocessor to search for
include files first along the path specified by the /I compiler option,
then, when compiling from the command line, along the path specified by the
INCLUDE environment variable.