A lot C programmers prefer to keep structures within the C source file ("module"), as a poor man's encapsulation. For example: component.h: struct obj; typedef struct obj obj_t; obj_t *obj_create(void); // .. the rest of the API component.c: struct obj { int status; // .. whatever else }; obj_t * obj_create(void) { return calloc(1, sizeof(obj_t)); } However, as the component grows in complexity, it often becomes nece…
I am sorry I do not have an answer to your question. It's a very valid one and I would be interested in any pointer to an answer. What I can say while we are on the subject, is that I have seen C code (most often C code that started its life in the 1990s, to be fair) that instead of showing an abstract struct in the public interface, showed a different struct definition. Please don't do this. Yes, when compiling nowa…
struct obj_impl {
// real members
...
};
In public API header:
struct obj {
unsigned char _private[N]; // -- where N is the size of obj_impl
};