Include a file as a string [duplicate]

Question

Is there a preprocessor trick that allows me to "include" a file as a string in a header?

Something like this:

a.txt

lorem ipsum dolorem
sit amet

and the "magic" include call similar to this:

header.h

MAGICINCLUDE(a.txt, atxt)

As a result, the preprocessor does tricks and the above line is equivalent to this:

const char* atxt = "lorem ipsum dolorem\n\
sit amet";

No external tool shall be used, just the preprocessor: I am trying to get rid of my python scripts that do this.

No, it can't be done solely with the preprocessor. It would not be difficult to write a simple C or C++ program that reads the text file, and outputs a header containing the required string with suitable formatting. — Peter
– Peter, Commented Apr 6, 2017 at 13:31
Also may be of interest stackoverflow.com/questions/4864866/… — Alex Che
– Alex Che, Commented Apr 6, 2017 at 13:32
static const std::string vertex_shader_text { #include "glmain.vert" }; — x4444
– x4444, Commented Jun 30, 2023 at 0:16

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 12:32:17Z

2

No, there isn't.

You will need external tools:

CommunityBot

11 silver badge

answered Apr 6, 2017 at 13:41

387k77 gold badges670 silver badges1.1k bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Answer 1