How Does stdafx.h Accelerate Compilation in Visual Studio?

stdafx.h: Precompiled Headers for Swift Compilation

The concept of precompiled headers centers around stdafx.h, a file automatically generated by Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE wizards. Its purpose lies in reducing overall compilation times by containing frequently used yet rarely modified include files.

For instance, stdafx.h typically includes standard system and project-specific header files that are constantly utilized but rarely undergo changes. By precompiling these files into stdafx.h, compatible compilers like Visual C 6.0 and later can significantly speed up compilation processes.

By convention, Visual C compilers skip compilation before encountering the #include "stdafx.h" directive in the source file, unless the /Yu'stdafx.h' compile option is disabled. This approach assumes that all code prior to that line, including the include itself, has already been precompiled.

As illustrated by the provided Wikipedia reference, precompiled headers like stdafx.h play a crucial role in enhancing the performance of Visual Studio development environments.

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