Python note: the main entry of a python file

In a python module we could write

if __name__ == "__main__":
# the main program entry
...

and this is often taken as the main entry of the module. The fact may be misleading for C++ programmers, because python doesn't actually need a main entry when running a module.

Unlike C++, each python module is treated as a sequence of executable commands. No matter when it is imported or run as a program, python always executes the python file from the first line to the end. This is also the reason why python is called a script language. Generally, there are three types of commands in python

1. import commands: when python meets these commands, it checks sys.modules to see if the imported module is already in the list. If it is, python bypasses this command. Otherwise, python goes into the imported module and runs every command in it.

2. definition commands: these commands include "class" and "def"; when python meets them it doesn not do anything, but remembers the definitions in the corresponding place (normally in the __dir__ of the current module).

3. execution commands: all the other commands, including assignments, conditions and branching statements, function calls etc; python runs them according to their semantics.

When a module is loaded into python as the main program, python gives the module name __name__ the special value "__main__". The condition check for __name__ == "__main__" is used to make sure that the commands below are executed only when the module is run as the main program, but not as an inmported module. There can be as many such conditions as possible, and they can occur anywhere in a python module. There is not a particular function or statement that python takes as the main entry of modules.

C++ Makefile case study: incorrect dependencies cause unexpected errors

Incorrect dependencies in Makefiles can cause not only timestamp confusion, but also unexpected errors and segmentation faults after compiling.

Suppose that there are three files: header.h, module1.cpp and module2.cpp. Both cpp files include the h file for the definition of common structures. module1 generates module1.o and module2 generates module2.o, which will be linked together.

Now in the make file, suppose header.h was missing from the dependencies of module1.o and module2.o. An immediate problem that arises is that a "make" command won't compile the program if only header.h is modified after the last build. But this is not the worst problem. Suppose both header.h and module1.cpp are modified, and the common structure is touched. Now when "make" is executed, it's possible that nothing happens at compile time, but various strange bugs or unexpected results come out later at runtime. The reason is that module2 is still using the out dated version of data structure. Such a case can be confirmed by running "make clean" and then compile again to see if the unexpected errors go away.

C++ question - linker failed

I defined a constant boolean in an external header file:
const bool CONDITION = false ;

Then I wrote in a function the following line:
void func(...) {
...
if (cond) {
   if (CONDITION) {
      ...
   }
   else
      ...
...
}

Then g++ couldn't compile the code, reporting that the linker couldn't find the function.

I haven't figured out why it happended, but a solution is changing the if statement and constant bool value into a #ifdef directive and a macro.