Define Advantages of Multi File Program?
The main merits of spreading a program across several files are:
• Teams of programmers able to work on programs. Every programmer works on a different file.
• An object oriented style can be used. Every file defines a particular type of object as an operations and datatype on that object as functions. The implementation of the object is able to be kept private from the rest of the program. This build for well structured programs which are easy to maintain.
• Files able to contain all functions from a related group. For instance all matrix operations. These able to then be accessed like a function library.
• Well implemented function or objects definitions can be re-used in other programs reducing development time.
• In very large programs each major function able to occupy a file to itself. Any lower level functions used to implement them able to be kept in the same file. Then programmers who call the major function requires not be distracted by all the lower level work.
• When changes are made to a file only that file requires being re-compiled to rebuild the program. The UNIX make facility is extremely useful for rebuilding multi-file programs in this way.