Inline Functions in C and C++
Inline functions are a notable feature of both C and C++. By exposing the source file to the implementation of a function, they allow a variety of optimization techniques that wouldn’t be possible if it had to call out to a subroutine in a different file (at least without link-time optimization).
However, despite the common syntax, the C and C++ languages implement them in very different ways.
While C++ takes a “user friendly” approach and automatically manages the manipulation of multiple implementations, C requires a more manual approach.
As a result, inline functions are less common in C and mixed language code, generally using the nuclear option of declaring them static.