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What is the difference between the #include "file.h" and the #include <file.h>? Surely they mean the exact same thing, because I have a file that has something like this:

#include <file1.h>
#include <file2.h>
#include "file3.h"
#include "file3.h"
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closed as off topic by jw013, manatwork, rahmu, warl0ck, Ulrich Dangel Sep 12 '12 at 15:34

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1 Answer

up vote 5 down vote accepted

This has more to do with C and C++ than Unix, and as such belongs to SO.

To answer your question, the <> indicates headers in the standard library and "" the libraries written specifically for the project.

From the K&R:

Any source line of the form

#include "filename"

or

#include <filename>

is replaced by the contents of the file filename. If the filename is quoted, searching for the file typically begins where the source program was found; if it is not found there, or if the name is enclosed in < and >, searching follows an implementation-defined rule to find the file. An included file may itself contain #include lines

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