Unresolved external symbol in object files

Question

During coding in Visual Studio I got an unresolved external symbol error and I've got no idea what to do. I don't know what's wrong. Could you please decipher me? Where should I be looking for what kind of errors?

1>Form.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "public: class Field * __thiscall Field::addField(class Field *)" (?addField@Field@@QAEPAV1@PAV1@@Z) referenced in function "public: void __thiscall Form::parse(class std::basic_stringstream<char,struct std::char_traits<char>,class std::allocator<char> > &)" (?parse@Form@@QAEXAAV?$basic_stringstream@DU?$char_traits@D@std@@V?$allocator@D@2@@std@@@Z)
1>Form.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual void __thiscall Field::parse(class std::basic_stringstream<char,struct std::char_traits<char>,class std::allocator<char> > &)" (?parse@Field@@UAEXAAV?$basic_stringstream@DU?$char_traits@D@std@@V?$allocator@D@2@@std@@@Z) referenced in function "public: __thiscall InputField::InputField(class std::basic_stringstream<char,struct std::char_traits<char>,class std::allocator<char> > &)" (??0InputField@@QAE@AAV?$basic_stringstream@DU?$char_traits@D@std@@V?$allocator@D@2@@std@@@Z)
1>Form.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual void __thiscall Field::prompt(void)" (?prompt@Field@@UAEXXZ)
1>Form.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual class std::basic_string<char,struct std::char_traits<char>,class std::allocator<char> > __thiscall Field::getName(void)" (?getName@Field@@UAE?AV?$basic_string@DU?$char_traits@D@std@@V?$allocator@D@2@@std@@XZ)
1>Form.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual class std::basic_string<char,struct std::char_traits<char>,class std::allocator<char> > __thiscall Field::getType(void)" (?getType@Field@@UAE?AV?$basic_string@DU?$char_traits@D@std@@V?$allocator@D@2@@std@@XZ)
1>Form.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual void __thiscall Field::describe(void)" (?describe@Field@@UAEXXZ)
1>C:\Users\tomy\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\zapoctovkac++\Debug\zapoctovkac++.exe : fatal error LNK1120: 6 unresolved externals

Answer 1

I've just seen the problem I can't call a function from main in .cpp file, correctly declared in .h file and defined in .c file. Encountered a linker error. Meanwhile I can call function from usual .c file. Possibly it depends on call convention. Solution was to add following preproc lines in every .h file:

#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C"
{
#endif

and these in the end

#ifdef __cplusplus
}
#endif

Answer 2

It looks to be missing a library or include, you can try to figure out what class of your library that have getName, getType etc ... and put that in the header file or using #include.

Also if these happen to be from an external library, make sure you reference to them on your project file. For example, if this class belongs to an abc.lib then in your Visual Studio

1. Click on Project Properties.
2. Go to Configuration Properties, C/C++, Generate, verify you point to the abc.lib location under Additional Include Directories. Under Linker, Input, make sure you have the abc.lib under Additional Dependencies.

Answer 3

One possible cause of this linker error can also be inline functions that are declared but not defined in a header file that is then included somewhere else. Inline functions have to be defined in every translation unit they are used in.

Answer 4

Just spent a couple of hours to find that the issue was my main file had extension .c instead of .cpp

:/

Answer 5

I had the same link errors, but from a test project which was referencing another dll. Found out that after adding _declspec(dllexport) in front of each function which was specified in the error message, the link was working well.

Answer 6

My issue was a sconscript did not have the cpp file defined in it. This can be very confusing because Visual Studio has the cpp file in the project but something else entirely is building.