Includebestanden

Includebestanden is a Dutch term used in information technology to describe files that are included by a primary file during processing. Such includebestanden can contain source code, configuration data, templates, or content that is reused across multiple documents or programs.

In software development and document preparation, includebestanden are brought into a main file through include mechanisms. Common examples include C/C++ with #include, PHP with include or require, and TeX with \input and \include commands. Web templates and content management systems also support including partials or snippets to promote reuse and maintain consistency.

Managing includebestanden involves tracking dependencies, inclusion order, and avoiding circular inclusions. Build systems like make or CMake, and templating engines in web development, resolve these dependencies and produce a single consolidated artifact or document. It is also important to handle versioning and change propagation to ensure that updates to an includebestand correctly affect all dependent files.

Security and licensing are important considerations when working with includebestanden. Including external content can introduce risks if sources are untrusted or incompatible licenses are used. Practices such as verifying sources, using checksums or version tags, and adhering to licensing terms help mitigate these concerns. Some workflows prefer vendoring or sandboxing included files to maintain control over the build and distribution.

The term is primarily used in Dutch-language contexts but reflects a universal concept found in many ecosystems under terms like included files, includes, or imports. See also include directive, header file, preprocessor, and templating dependencies.