Implementing a Skip List, syntax error : missing ')' before ';' - c++

Question

I'm having this problem, where I get weird syntax errors in my skip list implementation and seriously have no clue what could cause this.
This is the code:
skipnode.h:
template <typename T>
class SkipNode
{
public:
T data;
SkipNode<T> **next;
SkipNode(T d, int level);
~SkipNode();
};
skipnode.cpp
#include "skipnode.h"
template<typename T>
SkipNode<T>::SkipNode(T d, int level)
{
data = d;
next = new SkipNode<T>*[level];
for (int i = 0; i <= level; i++)
next[i] = 0;
}
template<typename T>
SkipNode<T>::~SkipNode()
{
delete [] next;
}
Skiplist.h
#include "skipnode.cpp"
#define MAXLEVEL 4;
template<typename T>
class SkipList
{
public:
SkipList();
~SkipList();
int randLvl(int max);
T search(T);
void insert(T);
private:
SkipNode<T> *root;
};
Skiplist.cpp
#include "skiplist.h"
template<typename T>
SkipList<T>::SkipList()
{
root = new SkipNode<T>(0,MAXLEVEL);
}
When I declare root in Skiplist() I get the following error:
error C2143: syntax error : missing ')' before ';'
Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance.
Edit: Fixed code, so show includes

Answer 1

The root cause of your problem is here:
#define MAXLEVEL 4;
The semicolon is present in the macro expansion, so after the preprocessor pass you end up with:
root = new SkipNode<T>(0, 4;);
Which is a syntax error (extra semicolon before the closing parenthesis).
To fix it, omit the semicolon in your macro definition:
#define MAXLEVEL 4

Answer 2

You need to include skipnode.h, or at least declare
template <typename T> class SkipNode;
before you can use the name SkipNode in the definition of SkipList.
You'll also (almost certainly) need to define the template member functions in your headers, not source files, as explained here.
You also have a problem with
#define MAXLEVEL 4;
which will expand to 4;, inserting a rogue ; in the middle of an expression. Use a less broken macro
#define MAXLEVEL 4
or, better still, a language-level constant
const int max_level = 4;