Conditional preprocessing puzzle - c++

Question

I have a problem where I can't seem to get conditional #define preprocessors to work correctly. For example:
#define WIN32_BUILD
#ifdef WIN32_BUILD
#define PCH "stdafx.h"
#else
#define PCH "xyz.h"
#endif
#include PCH
If I use this form, the compiler tells me that it can't find 'stdafx.h'. OK, that seems odd, so if I change the code to....
#define WIN32_BUILD
#ifdef WIN32_BUILD
#define PCH "xyz.h"
#else
#define PCH "stdafx.h"
#endif
#include PCH
Then the file defined in PCH gets picked up and everything compiles fine. This seems odd to me, almost like the preprocessor is ignoring the #if directives and just using all the #defines that it encounters.
Obviously I am doing something wrong, and I was hoping that someone could help me understand this.

Answer 1

When a project has the precompiled header feature turned on the preprocessor ignores everything that comes before #include "stdafx.h"
So your #define statements are ignored.

Answer 2

TL:DR; #define defines the symbol, #ifdef tests if the symbol is defined not whether it has a value.
#define WIN32_BUILD
This defines a pre-processor token, WIN32_BUILD. The token has no value. Anywhere you use the token 'WIN32_BUILD' the pre-processor will substitute the empty string, i.e. nothing.
#ifdef WIN32_BUILD
This checks if the pre-processor token WIN32_BUILD is defined. It is, you just defined it.
#ifdef WIN32_BUILD
// true - this code is included.
#define PCH "stdafx.h"
This defines the pre-processor token, PCH, and assigns it the value "stdafx.h"
#else
#define PCH "xyz.h"
#endif
This code is ignored, because WIN32_BUILD was defined.
It looks as though you were expecting 'ifdef' to only evaluate to true if the expression was not defined /to/ something.
#define a
#define b SOMETHING
#ifdef a
// you are expecting this to be ignored
#endif
#ifdef b
// and expecting this not to be ignored
#endif
#ifdef and #if defined(...) do the same thing.
#define a
#define b SOMETHING
#if defined(a) && defined(b)
// this code will be evaluated, both tokens are defined.
#endif
This feature of pre-processor tokens is often used to support conditional functionality:
#if HAVE_CPP11_OVERRIDE_KEYWORD
#define OVERRIDE_FN override
#else
#define OVERRIDE_FN
#endif
struct A {
virtual void foo() {}
};
struct B : public A {
void foo() OVERRIDE_FN {}
};
In the above code, the override keyword is only added if the system supports it (determined outside of the code).
So a compiler with override sees
struct B : public A {
void foo() override {}
};
a compiler without it sees
struct B : public A {
void foo() {}
};
Note: The opposite of "ifdef" is "ifndef":
#define a
#define b SOMETHING
#undef c
//#define d // << we didn't define it.
int main() {
#ifdef a
#pramga message("a is defined")
#else
#pramga message("a is UNdefined")
#endif
#ifdef b
#pragma message("b is defined")
#else
#pramga message("b is UNdefined")
#endif
#ifdef c
#pramga message("c is defined")
#endif
#else
#pramga message("c is UNdefined")
#endif
#ifdef d
#pramga message("d is defined")
#endif
#else
#pramga message("d is UNdefined")
#endif
#ifndef d
#pragma message("d is not defined")
#endif
#ifndef a
#pragma message("a is not defined")
#endif
return 0;
}
You can assign a pre-processor token numeric values and test them with #if
#if _MSC_VER
#define WIN32_BUILD 1
#else
#define WIN32_BUILD 0
#endif
#if WIN32_BUILD
#include <Windows.h>
#endif
But, especially when doing cross-platform programming, people tend to use ifdef variants rather than numeric checks, because the value checks require you to explicitly ensure all of the tokens are defined with a value. It's a lot easier just to only define them when you need them.