Visual Studio doesn't allow me to use certain variable names

Question

I'm using Visual Studio 2010 Express. When I use certain variable names, like "near, "far", "IN", "OUT", I can't compile: I get syntax errors located after the variable name used. Example:

z = 1.0/(far - near);

Error:

error C2059: syntax error : ')'

How can I disable this "feature"?

Answer 1

far and near were built-in compiler keywords back in the 16-bit days. They no longer exist and they no longer have any meaning, but they're still defined as macros in the Windows headers for backwards compatibility reasons.

If you don't want them, just undefine them (or don't include the Windows headers):

#undef far
#undef near