Stddef h file not found windows

When I was incorporating a software library written in C into an existing demo project(used a C++ mbed library) I encountered this problem. The demo project would compile just fine, but after I replaced the existing main file by my own, this error occurred.

At this point I hadn’t yet thought about the fact that the mbed library that I needed was written in C++. My own main file was a .c file that #include the mbed header file. As a result I used my normal C source as if it was a C++ source. Therefore the compiler that was used to compile my main file was the C compiler.
This C compiler then encountered a #include of a module that actually does not exist (within its scope), as it’s not a C++ compiler.

Only after I inspected the output of the build log I realised the various source C and C++ files were compiled by more that 1 compiler(the c++ compiler). The project used used compilers arm-none-eabi-c++ and arm-none-eabi-gcc (for embedded systems) as seen below.

Compile log:

Building file: ../anyfile.cpp
Invoking: MCU C++ Compiler
arm-none-eabi-c++ <A lot of arguments> "../anyfile.cpp"
Finished building: ../anyfile.cpp

Building file: ../main.c
Invoking: MCU C Compiler
arm-none-eabi-gcc <A lot of arguments> "../main.c"
In file included from <Project directory>mbed/mbed.h:21:0,
                 from ../main.c:16:
<Project directory>mbed/platform.h:25:19: fatal error: cstddef: No such file or directory
compilation terminated.

Of course in a C++ environment cstddef exists, but in a C environment cstddef doesn’t exist, in stead it’s just C’s implementation of stddef.

In other words, cstddef does not exist in the C compiler.
I resolved this problem by renaming my main.c file to main.cpp and the rest of the code compiled smoothly too.

TLDR/Conclusion: When building a C++ project, avoid mixing C files with C++ files(sources and headers). If possible rename .c files to .cpp files to use the C++ compiler in stead of the C compiler where required.

1. 
   Home

2. 
   Qt Development

3. 
   Installation and Deployment

4. 
   c1083: cannot open include file: ‘stddef.h’:No such file or directory

⚠️ Forum Maintenance: Feb 6th, 8am — 14pm (UTC+2)

Last Updated: 07/02/2022
[Time Needed for Reading: ~4-6 minutes]

C/C++/Objective-C Header files such as stddef.h utilize the H file extension. This file is considered a Developer (C/C++/Objective-C Header) file, and was first created by Program Arts for the C-Free 5.0 Pro software package.

The first version of stddef.h for Orwell Dev-C++ 5.11 was seen on 04/27/2015 in Windows 10.

On 01/04/2010, version 5.0 Pro was released for C-Free 5.0 Pro.

Stddef.h is packaged with C-Free 5.0 Pro, MATLAB R2009a, and Orwell Dev-C++ 5.11.

Please continue reading to find your correct stddef.h file version download (free), detailed file information, and H file troubleshooting instructions.

What are stddef.h Error Messages?

Most H errors are due to missing or corrupt files. Your stddef.h file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with C-Free), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, stddef.h file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading C-Free, system crash while loading or saving stddef.h, bad sectors on your storage media (usually your primary hard drive), or malware infection. Thus, it’s critical to make sure your anti-virus is kept up-to-date and scanning regularly.

How to Fix stddef.h Errors in 3 Steps (Time to complete: ~5-15 minutes)

If you’re encountering one of the error messages above, follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve your stddef.h issue. These troubleshooting steps are listed in the recommended order of execution.

Step 1: Restore your PC back to the latest restore point, «snapshot», or backup image before error occurred.

Step 2: If recently installed C-Free (or related software), uninstall then try reinstalling C-Free software.

Step 3: Perform a Windows Update.

If Those Steps Fail: Download and Replace Your stddef.h File (Caution: Advanced)

If none of the previous three troubleshooting steps have resolved your issue, you can try a more aggressive approach (Note: Not recommended for amateur PC users) by downloading and replacing your appropriate stddef.h file version. We maintain a comprehensive database of 100% malware-free stddef.h files for every applicable version of C-Free. Please follow the steps below to download and properly replace you file:

1. Locate your Windows operating system version in the list of below «Download stddef.h Files».
2. Click the appropriate «Download Now» button and download your Windows file version.
3. Copy this file to the appropriate C-Free folder location:
   

   Windows 10: C:Program FilesMATLABR2019bpolyspaceverifiercxxincludeinclude-libcxx
   Windows 10: C:Program FilesMATLABR2019bsyslcc64lcc64include64
   Windows 10: C:Program FilesMATLABR2019bsyslccinclude
   Windows 10: C:Program Files (x86)Dev-CppMinGW64libgccx86_64-w64-mingw324.9.2include
   Windows 10: C:Program Files (x86)C-Free 5mingwinclude
   
   Show 4 more directories +

   Windows 10: C:Program Files (x86)Dev-CppMinGW64x86_64-w64-mingw32include
   Windows 10: C:Program Files (x86)C-Free 5mingwlibgccmingw323.4.5include
   Windows 10: C:Program Files (x86)C-Free 5mingwlibgccmingw323.4.5install-toolsinclude
   Windows 10: C:Program FilesMATLABR2019bpolyspaceverifiercxxincludeinclude-libc

4. Restart your computer.

If this final step has failed and you’re still encountering the error, you’re only remaining option is to do a clean installation of Windows 10.

GEEK TIP : We must emphasize that reinstalling Windows will be a very time-consuming and advanced task to resolve stddef.h problems. To avoid data loss, you must be sure that you have backed-up all of your important documents, pictures, software installers, and other personal data before beginning the process. If you are not currently backing up your data, you need to do so immediately.

Download stddef.h Files (Malware-Tested 100% Clean)

CAUTION : We strongly advise against downloading and copying stddef.h to your appropriate Windows system directory. Program Arts typically does not release C-Free H files for download because they are bundled together inside of a software installer. The installer’s task is to ensure that all correct verifications have been made before installing and placing stddef.h and all other H files for C-Free. An incorrectly installed H file may create system instability and could cause your program or operating system to stop functioning altogether. Proceed with caution.

You are downloading trial software. The purchase of a one-year software subscription at the price of $39.95 USD is required to unlock all software features. Subscription auto-renews at the end of the term (Learn more). By clicking the «Start Download» button above and installing «Software», I acknowledge I have read and agree to the Solvusoft End User License Agreement and Privacy Policy.

Когда я включил библиотеку программного обеспечения, написанную на C, в существующий демонстрационный проект (использовала библиотеку С++ mbed), я столкнулся с этой проблемой. Демо-проект будет компилироваться просто отлично, но после того, как я заменил существующий основной файл самостоятельно, произошла эта ошибка.

В этот момент я еще не думал о том, что библиотека mbed, в которой я нуждалась, была написана на С++. Мой собственный основной файл был .c файлом, который #include mbed заголовочный файл. В результате я использовал свой обычный источник C, как если бы это был источник С++. Поэтому компилятором, который использовался для компиляции моего основного файла, был компилятор C.
Затем этот компилятор C встретил #include модуля который на самом деле не существует (в пределах его области действия), поскольку он не является компилятором С++.

Только после того, как я проверил вывод журнала построения, я понял, что различные исходные файлы C и С++ были скомпилированы более чем одним компилятором (компилятором С++). В проекте использовались компиляторы arm-none-eabi-С++ и arm-none-eabi-gcc (для встроенных систем), как показано ниже.

Скомпилировать журнал:

Building file: ../anyfile.cpp
Invoking: MCU C++ Compiler
arm-none-eabi-c++ <A lot of arguments> "../anyfile.cpp"
Finished building: ../anyfile.cpp

Building file: ../main.c
Invoking: MCU C Compiler
arm-none-eabi-gcc <A lot of arguments> "../main.c"
In file included from <Project directory>mbed/mbed.h:21:0,
                 from ../main.c:16:
<Project directory>mbed/platform.h:25:19: fatal error: cstddef: No such file or directory
compilation terminated.

Конечно, в среде С++ cstddef существует, но в среде C cstddef не существует, вместо того, чтобы просто реализовать C stddef.

Другими словами, cstddef не существует в компиляторе C.
Я решил эту проблему, переименовав файл main.c в main.cpp, а остальная часть кода тоже была скомпилирована.

TL;DR/Заключение. При создании проекта на С++ избегайте смешивания файлов C с файлами С++ (источники и заголовки). Если возможно, переименуйте файлы .c в файлы .cpp, чтобы использовать компилятор С++ вместо компилятора C, где это необходимо.

So I just did a clean install of Win10 64bit on my computer and have downloaded and installed Visual Studio 2017 Enterprise with several Workloads, namely Universal Windows Platform development, Desktop development with C++ and Game development with C++. A several light programs were installed as well, but they should have no effect on SDKs or any of this (7z, MPC-HC and the like)

I have cloned my repository that have worked on my previous install (which was about the same, maybe few minor versions older).

I tired to build the solution and wxWidgets complained about missing 8.1 SDK so I installed that with the VS provided configurator. The Windows 10 SDK (10.0.16299.0) (all variants) were already installed.

And now I’m stumped. wxWidgets is telling me it cannot find stddef.h, which should be a pretty standard C++ file that should come with any of the workloads I mentioned above.

The important thing to note here is that I use wxWidgets as a submodule in my project, so I can’t modify any wxWidgets files to get it to work (I technically could but it would get very messy, unless there is a official way to set it up (is there?)).

How do I make my project work at all, and how do I make it work «out of the box», meaning that if someone who has all the required components installed can clone and build my project without any additional fuss of messing with the project setup.

Please help me, I have know idea how to approach this problem. This doesn’t make any sense.
Thank you.