Lesson plan

Translation unit (programming)

In C and C++ programming language terminology, a translation unit (or more casually a compilation unit) is the ultimate input to a C or C++ compiler from which an object file is generated. A translation unit roughly consists of a source file after it has been processed by the C preprocessor, meaning that header files listed in #include directives are literally included, sections of code within #ifndef may be included, and macros have been expanded. A C++ module also comprises a single translation unit, though while in a module #include directives will be expanded, import statements do not undergo expansion and thus are not.

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Article summary

In C and C++ programming language terminology, a translation unit (or more casually a compilation unit) is the ultimate input to a C or C++ compiler from which an object file is generated. A translation unit roughly consists of a source file after it has been processed by the C preprocessor, meaning that header files listed in #include directives are literally included, sections of code within #ifndef may be included, and macros have been expanded. A C++ module also comprises a single translation unit, though while in a module #include directives will be expanded, import statements do not undergo expansion and thus are not.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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