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old code compile errors

Started by Mortizar Aug 13, 2006 at 8:29 PM 3 replies 850+ views

Original Post

Aug 13, 2006 at 8:29 PM

Ok this may have been asked befor but i couldn't find it though a search. I moved some old code to a new project and i get compile errors from some ms headers. I am using Visual Studio 2005 and the errors i get are:



c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4026) : error C2059: syntax error : 'constant'
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4026) : error C2238: unexpected token(s) preceding ';'
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4027) : error C2059: syntax error : 'constant'
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4027) : error C2238: unexpected token(s) preceding ';'
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4028) : error C2059: syntax error : 'constant'
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4028) : error C2238: unexpected token(s) preceding ';'
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4029) : error C2059: syntax error : 'constant'
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio 8\vc\platformsdk\include\commctrl.h(4029) : error C2238: unexpected token(s) preceding ';'

any clue as to what could be causeing this? The code worked with VS 6.

LessBread

558

LessBread

Aug 13, 2006 at 9:41 PM

The keyword is 'const' not 'constant'.

You could add

#define constant const

before including that header file.

NUCLEAR RABBIT

123

NUCLEAR RABBIT

Aug 13, 2006 at 9:45 PM

Quote:
Original post by LessBread
The keyword is 'const' not 'constant'.

You could add

#define constant const

before including that header file.

couldnt of said it better myself [lol]

yadango

Aug 14, 2006 at 12:21 AM

actually, doing something like this "class object { something so(12); };" generates a similar error. looking at those 4 lines in commctrl.h (4026-4029), i see UINT Left; UINT Top; UINT Right; and UINT Bottom;. Do you have any macros defined for Left, Top, Right, and/or Bottom before you include commctrl.h?

Zahlman

257

Zahlman

Aug 14, 2006 at 2:30 AM

LessBread, 'constant' never was the keyword, and apparently this code "used to" work... IIRC, this error means that there is a constant (i.e. an integer, character or string literal) in a place that's unexpected by the grammar.

I think yadango hit it: if you had some other source file with #define Top 0, for example (defining bounds of some screen rectangle), and you include the commctrl.h header after that, then the line becomes "UINT 0;", which at top level makes no sense.

This is one of the many reasons you should not use #defines for constant values, but (ironically enough) const identifiers.

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