2.16.1 Using the -I- Option to Change the Search Algorithm

The -I- option gives more control over the default search rules. Only the first -I- option on the command line works as described in this section.

include files of the form #include "foo.h", search the directories in the following order:

1. The directories named with -I options (both before and after -I- )

2. The directories for compiler-provided C++ header files, ANSI C header files, and special-purpose files

3. The /usr/include directory

include files of the form #include <foo.h>, search the directories in the following order:

1.The directories named in the -I options that appear after -I-

2. The directories for compiler-provided C++ header files, ANSI C header files, and special-purpose files

3. The /usr/include directory

The following example shows the results of using -I- when compiling prog.c.

prog.c
#include "a.h"

#include <b.h>

#include "c.h"


c.h
#ifndef _C_H_1

#define _C_H_1

int c1;

#endif


int/a.h
#ifndef _A_H

#define _A_H

#include "c.h"

int a;

#endif


int/b.h
#ifndef _B_H

#define _B_H

#include <c.h>

int b;

#endif
int/c.h
#ifndef _C_H_2

#define _C_H_2

int c2;

#endif

The following command shows the default behavior of searching the current directory (the directory of the including file) for include statements of the form #include "foo.h". When processing the #include "c.h" statement in inc/a.h, the preprocessor includes the c.h header file from the inc subdirectory. When processing the #include "c.h" statement in prog.c, the preprocessor includes the c.h file from the directory containing prog.c. Note that the -H option instructs the compiler to print the paths of the included files.

example% cc -c -Iinc -H prog.c
inc/a.h
            inc/c.h
inc/b.h
            inc/c.h
c.h

The next command shows the effect of the -I- option. The preprocessor does not look in the including directory first when it processes statements of the form #include "foo.h". Instead, it searches the directories named by the -I options in the order that they appear in the command line. When processing the #include "c.h" statement in inc/a.h, the preprocessor includes the ./c.h header file instead of the inc/c.h header file.

example% cc -c -I. -I- -Iinc -H prog.c
inc/a.h
            ./c.h
inc/b.h
            inc/c.h
./c.h

2.16.1.1 Warnings

Never specify the compiler installation area, /usr/include, /lib, or /usr/lib, as search directories.

For more information, see -I[-|dir].