Why can't devices be global?

[Nosvera2]

This has been frustrating me for the longest time and no one seems able to answer my question. Why can't I declare Irrlicht devices to be global?
The code: IrrlichtDevice* device;
returns the error: [Linker Error] undefined reference to '_imp_createDevice' [Build Error]
but no one can explain why or how to fix it. I just want to be able to access the device, driver, and environment in my outlying functions through main(). Can anyone help cuz this defies the syntax of C++?

[freetimecoder]

This seems to be a linking error. What ide/compiler do you use?
You have to link the irrlicht.lib or irrlicht.a into your project.

greetings

[Acki]

This seems to be a linking error.

right, but to be more precise: it doesn't seem to be a linker error, it is a linker error:

[Linker Error] undefined reference to '_imp_createDevice'

also it's not related to the global IrrlichtDevice, it tells you that it's related to createDevice !!!

like freetimecoder said, check if you linked against the right lib (or against the lib at all) !!!

[Nosvera2]

Thank you all for the help...I am using Dev-C++ and I was including the "lib" folder in the directory but not including the linker to libirrlicht.a. I have corrected it and everything seems to be working now.