modernize-deprecated-headers¶

Some headers from C library were deprecated in C++ and are no longer welcome in C++ codebases. Some have no effect in C++. For more details refer to the C++ 14 Standard [depr.c.headers] section.

This check replaces C standard library headers with their C++ alternatives and removes redundant ones.

// C++ source file...
#include <assert.h>
#include <stdbool.h>

// becomes

#include <cassert>
// No 'stdbool.h' here.

Important note: the Standard doesn’t guarantee that the C++ headers declare all the same functions in the global namespace. The check in its current form can break the code that uses library symbols from the global namespace.

• <assert.h>
• <complex.h>
• <ctype.h>
• <errno.h>
• <fenv.h> // deprecated since C++11
• <float.h>
• <inttypes.h>
• <limits.h>
• <locale.h>
• <math.h>
• <setjmp.h>
• <signal.h>
• <stdarg.h>
• <stddef.h>
• <stdint.h>
• <stdio.h>
• <stdlib.h>
• <string.h>
• <tgmath.h> // deprecated since C++11
• <time.h>
• <uchar.h> // deprecated since C++11
• <wchar.h>
• <wctype.h>

If the specified standard is older than C++11 the check will only replace headers deprecated before C++11, otherwise – every header that appeared in the previous list.

These headers don’t have effect in C++:

• <iso646.h>
• <stdalign.h>
• <stdbool.h>

The checker ignores include directives within extern “C” { … } blocks, since a library might want to expose some API for C and C++ libraries.

// C++ source file...
extern "C" {
#include <assert.h>  // Left intact.
#include <stdbool.h> // Left intact.
}