MISRA C++:2008 Rule 16-2-5

The \ character should not occur in a header file name

Description

Rule Definition

The \ character should not occur in a header file name.¹

Rationale

You include header files in a source file by enclosing its name between the delimiters <> or "". Using the character \between the delimiters < and > or between the delimiters " is undefined behavior. Using / in a header file name might result in unexpected behavior.

Some environments use the character \ as a file name delimiter, for instance, when describing paths. Compilers for these environments might support the use of \ in an #include directive.

Polyspace Implementation

Polyspace^® raises a violation of this rule if the character \ occurs in a header file name.

Troubleshooting

If you expect a rule violation but Polyspace does not report it, see Diagnose Why Coding Standard Violations Do Not Appear as Expected.

Examples

Avoid Using \ in Header File Name

#include"incguard\5\.h" //Noncompliant
#include"inc\\guard.h" //Noncompliant

In this example, Polyspace flags the #include statements that have header file names where the \ character occurs.

Check Information

Group: Preprocessing Directives

Category: Advisory

Version History

Introduced in R2013b