# SDL headers

**URL:** <https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348>\
**Category:** SDL Development\
**Created:** [December 9, 1999, 6:26pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348 "1999-12-09T18:26:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![slouken](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@slouken](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/slouken)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 6:26pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/1 "1999-12-09T18:26:54Z")

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Well, the #include \<SDL/SDL.h\> syntax doesn’t work on MacOS because  
the Macintosh filesystem uses the ‘:’ directory separator character.

I’m thinking about moving the include syntax from \<SDL/SDL.h\> to "SDL.h"  
Old code would of course work properly on UNIX, because the sdl-config  
script will output the proper include directories, but code intended to  
be portable to other OS’s should use the new convention.

Comments?  
-Sam Lantinga (slouken at [devolution.com](http://devolution.com))

Lead Programmer, Loki Entertainment Software–  
“Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature”  
– Rich Kulawiec

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**Author:** ![Kevin\_Holbrook](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kevin\_Holbrook](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/Kevin_Holbrook)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 8:19pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/2 "1999-12-09T20:19:15Z")

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Sam Lantinga wrote:

> Well, the #include \<SDL/SDL.h\> syntax doesn’t work on MacOS because  
> the Macintosh filesystem uses the ‘:’ directory separator character.
> 
> I’m thinking about moving the include syntax from \<SDL/SDL.h\> to “SDL.h”  
> Old code would of course work properly on UNIX, because the sdl-config  
> script will output the proper include directories, but code intended to  
> be portable to other OS’s should use the new convention.
> 
> Comments?

Who told you that?

CodeWarrior has an option “Interpret DOS and UNIX paths” which works.

Then again, the docs only show this working  
#include “dir/header.h”  
and not  
#include \<dir/header.h\>

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**Author:** ![slouken](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@slouken](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/slouken)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 8:26pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/3 "1999-12-09T20:26:22Z")

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> Sam Lantinga wrote:
> 
> > Well, the #include \<SDL/SDL.h\> syntax doesn’t work on MacOS because  
> > the Macintosh filesystem uses the ‘:’ directory separator character.
> > 
> > I’m thinking about moving the include syntax from \<SDL/SDL.h\> to “SDL.h”  
> > Old code would of course work properly on UNIX, because the sdl-config  
> > script will output the proper include directories, but code intended to  
> > be portable to other OS’s should use the new convention.
> > 
> > Comments?

> Who told you that?

> CodeWarrior has an option “Interpret DOS and UNIX paths” which works.

> Then again, the docs only show this working  
> #include “dir/header.h”  
> and not  
> #include \<dir/header.h\>

I’m using Apple MPW.

```
-Sam Lantinga (slouken at devolution.com)

```

Lead Programmer, Loki Entertainment Software–  
“Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature”  
– Rich Kulawiec

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**Author:** ![Kevin\_Holbrook](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kevin\_Holbrook](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/Kevin_Holbrook)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 8:38pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/4 "1999-12-09T20:38:02Z")

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Sam Lantinga wrote:

> I’m using Apple MPW.

Oh, one of those people. 😉

Any particular reason you are using MPW? (Not that it is bad)

Well in that case what you propose is the best solution most likely.

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**Author:** ![Matt\_Slot](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Matt\_Slot](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/Matt_Slot)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 8:42pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/5 "1999-12-09T20:42:30Z")

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> Any particular reason you are using MPW? (Not that it is bad)
> 
> Well in that case what you propose is the best solution most likely.

I think it’s reasonable to get SDL working with both MPW and CodeWarrior.

Matt±-------------------------±----------------------------------+  
| Matt Slot | Ambrosia Software, Inc. |  
| Bitwise Operator | [http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/](http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/) |  
±-------------------------±----------------------------------+

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**Author:** ![Pierre\_Phaneuf](https://discourse.libsdl.org/user_avatar/discourse.libsdl.org/pierre_phaneuf/32/94_2.png) [@Pierre\_Phaneuf](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/Pierre_Phaneuf)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 9:13pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/6 "1999-12-09T21:13:30Z")

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Sam Lantinga wrote:

> Well, the #include \<SDL/SDL.h\> syntax doesn’t work on MacOS because  
> the Macintosh filesystem uses the ‘:’ directory separator character.

Macs really don’t support / in #include??? Windows supports / even  
though its separator is .…–  
Pierre Phaneuf  
Ludus Design, [http://ludusdesign.com/](http://ludusdesign.com/)  
“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you.  
Then they fight you. Then you win.” – Gandhi

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**Author:** ![slouken](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@slouken](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/slouken)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 9:27pm UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/7 "1999-12-09T21:27:59Z")

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> Sam Lantinga wrote:
> 
> > I’m using Apple MPW.

> Oh, one of those people. 😉

> Any particular reason you are using MPW? (Not that it is bad)

I don’t have a recent version of CodeWarrior, so I’m using MPW  
for primary development, and other people (better Mac coders 😉  
are submitting Codewarrior projects.

> Well in that case what you propose is the best solution most likely.

Thanks.  
-Sam Lantinga (slouken at [devolution.com](http://devolution.com))

Lead Programmer, Loki Entertainment Software–  
“Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature”  
– Rich Kulawiec

---

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**Author:** ![Max\_Watson](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@Max\_Watson](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/Max_Watson)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 1999, 6:13am UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/sdl-headers/1348/8 "1999-12-10T06:13:27Z")

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Sam Lantinga wrote:

> I don’t have a recent version of CodeWarrior, so I’m using MPW  
> for primary development, and other people (better Mac coders 😉  
> are submitting Codewarrior projects.

I really like MPW. It is free (in cost), always a plus. And Apple  
actively maintains it, with regular updates. It is much more unixish  
than CodeWorrier. If you also install perl (of course), dmake (more  
“conventional” than MPW make), gcc (really!), and a handful of GNU  
utilities (grep, m4, awk, whatever you use) you have an environment that  
is VERY friendly to cross-platform development. The same reason I use  
mingw32.  
Unless, of course, you use CodeWarrior on Linux and Windows. :)–  
Max Watson \<@Max\_Watson\>  
Resident Cartographer and Code Guy