C++ : data file has error: Expected unqualified-id - c++

Question

SIMPLY PUT Why does my text data file myData.cpp get the error Expected unqualified-id before '{' token? The file alone gives rise to this error and has been reproduced here http://coliru.stacked-crooked.com/a/7f32b5e643fb4d52
// ***** myData.cpp ******
{ // <---- error occurs here
{ "*****", "Error" },
{ "00-01", "Instructional exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.)" },
{ "00-02", "Research exposition (monographs, survey articles)" },
{ "00A05", "General mathematics" }
}
MORE DETAIL. Potentially helpful, but not necessary to reproduce error.
Right now, with 2 files main.cpp and myFunctions.cpp, everything works. But when I split it into 3 files main.cpp, myFunctions.cpp, and myData.cpp, I get the error Expected unqualified-id before '{' token.
I want to make it 3 files, because the text data for myData.cpp is pretty long and I don't want it to clutter myFunctions.cpp.
This is what I have as 2 files that compiles.
// ***** main.cpp *****
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <assert.h>
#include <limits.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
extern size_t msc_get_no(const char*);
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
assert(argc >= 0);
return (int)msc_get_no(argv[1]);
}
// ****** myFunctions.cpp *****
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <assert.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>
extern size_t msc_get_no(const char*);
struct msc_data
{
const char* code;
const char* desc;
};
typedef struct msc_data MSCDat;
static const MSCDat mscdat[] =
{
{ "*****", "Error" },
{ "00-01", "Instructional exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.)" },
{ "00-02", "Research exposition (monographs, survey articles)" },
{ "00A05", "General mathematics" }
}
;
static const size_t msccnt = sizeof(mscdat) / sizeof(mscdat[0]);
static int msc_cmp(const void* a, const void* b)
{
const char* msc_code = static_cast<const char*>(a);
const MSCDat* p = static_cast<const MSCDat*>(b);
return strcmp(msc_code, p->code);
}
size_t msc_get_no(const char* msc_code)
{
MSCDat* p;
p = (MSCDat*) bsearch(msc_code, &mscdat[0], msccnt, sizeof(mscdat[0]), msc_cmp);
return p - &mscdat[0];
}
This is what I have as 3 files that does not compile, because of the Expected unqualified-id error in myData.cpp. The only difference is with myFunctions.cpp, so I have excluded main.cpp and myData.cpp.
// ***** myFunctions.cpp *****
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <assert.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>
extern size_t msc_get_no(const char*);
struct msc_data
{
const char* code;
const char* desc;
};
typedef struct msc_data MSCDat;
static const MSCDat mscdat[] =
#include "myData.cpp" //<------ only here is different
;
static const size_t msccnt = sizeof(mscdat) / sizeof(mscdat[0]);
static int msc_cmp(const void* a, const void* b)
{
const char* msc_code = static_cast<const char*>(a);
const MSCDat* p = static_cast<const MSCDat*>(b);
return strcmp(msc_code, p->code);
}
size_t msc_get_no(const char* msc_code)
{
MSCDat* p;
p = (MSCDat*) bsearch(msc_code, &mscdat[0], msccnt, sizeof(mscdat[0]), msc_cmp);
return p - &mscdat[0];
}
THANK YOU

Answer 1

Your IDE tries to compile myData.cpp by itself. But this file is only an include file. If you rename it to myData.h (or even
myData.dat) everthing should be fine.