fatal error: file.h: No such file or directory

Here is a potential error message:

make -C library-application install
make[1]: Entering directory '/home/runner/actions-runner-07/student-work/cs3005-202520-proj-xyz/cs3005-202520-proj-xyz/library-application'
g++ -o ApplicationData.o -c ApplicationData.cpp
In file included from ApplicationData.cpp:1:
ApplicationData.h:7:10: fatal error: AudioTrack.h: No such file or directory
    7 | #include "AudioTrack.h"
      |          ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.
make[1]: *** [Makefile:8: ApplicationData.o] Error 1

Notice that build is happening in the library-application directory. In trying to fulfill the install target, make is tyring to compile ApplicationData.cpp into ApplicationData.o. ApplicationData.cpp includes ApplicationData.h which includes AudioTrack.h. However, AudioTrack.h is not found.

Why? AudioTrack.h is not located in the library-application directory. Its source is in another library directory. When that library directory is installed, it should copy AudioTrack.h to the include folder we install all header files in. So, we should be trying to find the AudioTrack.h in the include directory, which has the relative path of ../include from inside library-application.

How? The compiler command should be told to look for ../include in the include directory. This can be done by adding -I ../include to the compiler command. My Makefiles use a compile command that looks like this: g++ -I ../include -o $@ -c $<.

Last Updated 02/05/2025