How is external library connected to your project?

Connecting an external library in C/C++ usually involves several steps:

1. Adding header files — include the necessary library header files in your source code using the #include directive.

#include <library.h> // or "library.h" for local files

2. Linking binary files of the library — specify to the linker where to find the compiled library files (.lib, .a, .dll, .so) during compilation.

Example for gcc compiler:

gcc main.cpp -L/path/to/lib -lname

where -L specifies the path to the library, and -l is the library name without the lib prefix and extension.

3. Project configuration — in IDE or build system (Makefile, CMake), specify the paths to header files and libraries.

Example in CMake:

include_directories(/path/to/include)
target_link_libraries(myapp /path/to/lib/libname.a)

Thus, connecting involves adding headers in the code and instructing the linker where to find and how to use the library's binary files.