What is a .INL file?
The file extension .INL stands for a C++ Inline File. This type of file is a source code file that is specifically used by Microsoft C++ compilers. What makes .INL files special is that they contain inline functions. Inline functions are pieces of code that can be inserted, or "inlined", directly into the places where the functions are called in a C++ program. This can help make the program run faster in some cases because it can eliminate the need for some function calls during execution.
.INL files are useful because they allow programmers to store these inline functions in a separate file, making them reusable for different parts of a program or even for different projects. This is a way to keep your code organized and avoid duplicating the same code in multiple places.
You can think of .INL files as an alternative to using header files, which have the extensions .H or .HPP. Both .INL files and header files can be included in C++ program code with the help of the #include directive. This directive tells the compiler to include the content of the specified file at the point where the directive appears in the code.
To open and work with .INL files, you can use Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 or later versions. Microsoft Visual Studio is a popular integrated development environment (IDE) that provides tools for writing, debugging, and compiling programs in C++ and other programming languages. When you open an .INL file in Visual Studio, you can edit the inline functions it contains and then include those functions in your C++ programs by using the #include directive. This makes it easier to manage and reuse your code efficiently.
Verification
Our goal is to help people find the most up-to-date information about file extensions for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. We researched over 10,000 file extensions and their respective programs that open those files. If you want to suggest edits or updates about .INL file formats, example files, or programs that are compatible. Please contact us.