Compiler error when using "near" as a variable name

Question

I get a very weird error in my code. I created this class in C++:

class Tester{
    float f;
    Tester(float,float);
};

and i implemented it like this:

Tester::Tester(float near,float a){
    this->f=near/a;
}

i get the following error:

..\src\Tester.cpp: In constructor 'Tester::Tester(float, float)':
..\src\Tester.cpp:4:14: error: expected primary-expression before '/' token
  this->f=near/a;
              ^

when i rename near to something else the error disappears. thats not a big deal of course because i can rename the variable, but i was just curious if someone of you knows the reason.

Update:

The reason is the inlusion of windef.h. it was included by windows.h via wglext.h.

You may want to mention the platform and toolchain you're using. It is likely going to matter. — WhozCraig, Apr 03 '14 at 20:59
maybe try also making constructor public. for me [it works](http://ideone.com/IHzBDX) — 4pie0, Apr 03 '14 at 21:00
These are hangovers from the bad old days of near and far memory addressing http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3869830/near-and-far-pointers — StuartLC, Apr 03 '14 at 21:00
thanks, i just found it, #undef worked fine too. i didnt know about the memory keywords. — tly, Apr 03 '14 at 21:02
as far as i know gcc 4.8.1. and i think i found the culprit: it was `windows.h` wglext.h included it. — tly, Apr 03 '14 at 21:15

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 03 '14 at 20:58

4

It seems that near is defined as a macro by the compiler in some header. Usually this macro is used with "near" pointers.

answered Apr 03 '14 at 20:58

Vlad from Moscow

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Compiler error when using "near" as a variable name

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