extern "C" linkage inside C++ namespace?

Question

namespace someNameSpace {     extern "C" void doSomething()         {              someOperations();         } } 

I want to run doSomething() in both C++ and C environment.

Is someNameSpace still encapsulating doSomething() if I expose it to extern "C" linkage?

Is there a good way to share functions between C++ and C while avoiding polluting global namespace on C++ side?

Edit: Because this code is primarily used in C++ mode, while the C linkage is for test use only, I guess this is a better way to do it.

namespace someNameSpace {     #ifdef COMPILE_FOR_C_LINKAGE     extern "C"     #else     extern "C++"     #endif     {          void doSomething()             {                  someOperations();             }     } } 

Answer 1

Your code works, but you should beware that all functions that have extern "C" linkage share the same space of names, but that is not to be confused with the C++ notion of "namespace": Your function is really someNameSpace::doSomething, but you cannot have any other extern "C" function with unqualified name doSomething in any other namespace.

See 7.5/6:

At most one function with a particular name can have C language linkage. Two declarations for a function with C language linkage with the same function name (ignoring the namespace names that qualify it) that appear in different namespace scopes refer to the same function. Two declarations for a variable with C language linkage with the same name (ignoring the namespace names that qualify it) that appear in different namespace scopes refer to the same variable. An entity with C language linkage shall not be declared with the same name as a variable in global scope, unless both declarations denote the same entity; no diagnostic is required if the declarations appear in different translation units. A variable with C language linkage shall not be declared with the same name as a function with C language linkage (ignoring the namespace names that qualify the respective names); no diagnostic is required if the declarations appear in different translation units. [Note: Only one definition for an entity with a given name with C language linkage may appear in the program (see 3.2); this implies that such an entity must not be defined in more than one namespace scope. — end note]

Your company's or project's global style arbiters should be able to advise you on a suitable naming policy for your code base.