What is "minmax.h" in C++?

Question

I've been using #include <minmax.h> in my scripts and using min() and max() as expected. I showed this to someone and they had never seen it before, said it wasn't working for them and asked me why I wasn't including <algorithm> and calling std::min() or std::max().

So my question is basically, why aren't I? I found this in a book on C++: "C++ Design Patterns and Derivatives Pricing". Googling "minmax.h", I find a reference to that very book in the top result, so that even more so makes me think it's something abnormal.

Is anyone able to tell me what this is?

Answer 1

The C++ programming language is accompanied by the C++ Standard Library. There is no <minmax.h> header in the C++ Standard Library. No header in the standard-library has the .h extension. Furthermore, the header is not part of the ported C standard library either, as those headers have the c prefix, like <cmath> (which replaces the C standard-library <math.h> header), <ctime>(which replaces the <time.h> header) when used from the C++ Standard Library.

The std::min and std::max functions are declared inside the <algorithm> header.

^{That being said, there indeed appears to be some MS header called <minmax.h> inside the C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Include\10.0.18362.0\ucrt folder which defines min and max macros, not functions. But, that is some implementation specific header, and you should be using the standard <algorithm> header instead.}