What do you call a single header whose purpose is to include other header files?

Question

I've seen this done before in various C++ libraries - namely Qt (QtCore, QtGui, etc.) and Irrlicht (irrlicht.h):

// file - mylibrary.h

#include "someclass1.h"
#include "someclass2.h"
#include "someclass3.h"
// and so on...

Obviously this exists for convenience - a programmer wishing to use the library only has to include one header instead of lots of different ones. My question is, is there a special name for this type of header file? Even if there's not an "official" name, what you you refer to it as? A "convenience header" or "module header" or something?

---

Names given so far (with sources):

• Convenience header (Boost)
• Master header (Apple Official Documentation, An MSDN blog)
• Meta-header (The Game Programming Wiki)

User contributions (no sources):

• Header header (Larry Watanabe)
• Umbrella header (Chuck)

Answer 1

It's called an "include guard", and that's an official name.

Answer 2

I don't know if there's any official name, but the only one I've heard is "umbrella."

Answer 3

That's a nice question :)

I've found some sources that call it master header file, e.g:

• Apple Official Documentation
• An MSDN blog

When it is used to host headers for the header precompiler, it could be called precompiler global header:

• http://www.rfoinc.com/docs/qnx/watcom/compiler-tools/cpheader.html

However I don't think that there's a single widespread way to call it.

Answer 4

convenience header

I have seen them referred to as convenience header files. Here is one example from boost that I pull up with a quick google search.

---

meta-header

Never actually heard/seen someone call it a meta-header but the idea fits and is much easier to say than umbrella or convenience. I even found a reference to that name with a google search.

Answer 5

I like "meta-header" (which I just this second invented :-)

Answer 6

how about

header header?

:)