Question

Sometimes, 3rd party libraries cause havoc when they change their interface. In some languages, it even happens on the language level.

Is it possible to write our code in a way that will prevent it?

For instance, I can think of one way – writing your own wrapper functions.
In that way, the changes will be localized to one function. But then again, it creates a large overhead.

Do you have any ideas?

Answer 1

Apple suggests to its developers the idea that your code can check for versions; then you can update your code as needed when a version changes. Here’s a link to their more thorough discussion:

Mac OS X Developer Release Note

Basically, they provide markers that can be used in header files to indicate the max version in which a component is meant to be used or is known to work.