extern char* array in header throws error: expected identifier or ‘(’ before ‘[’ token

I have this header that contains an array that I need in multiple places in my code:

protected_dirs.h

#ifndef PROTECTED_DIRS
#define PROTECTED_DIRS

extern int PROTECTED_DIRS_COUNT;

extern char* PROTECTED_DIRS[];
extern char* PROTECTED_DIRS_PASSWORDS[];

#endif

I additionally have this file to initialize the values:

protected_dirs.c

#include <protected_dirs.h>

const int PROTECTED_DIRS_COUNT = 2;

const char* PROTECTED_DIRS[] = {"target", "IOS_Project"};
const char* PROTECTED_DIRS_PASSWORDS[] = {"1234", "1111"};

I then try to use the code in a file called ios_cd.c:

int checkPasswordForRoom(char* targetDir, char* password){
    int accessGranted = 0;
    int directoryRestricted = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < PROTECTED_DIRS_COUNT; i++) {
        if (strcmp(PROTECTED_DIRS[i], targetDir) == 0) {
            directoryRestricted = 1;
            if (strcmp(PROTECTED_DIRS_PASSWORDS[i], password) == 0) {
                accessGranted = 1;
            }
        }
    }

    if (directoryRestricted) {
        return accessGranted;
    } else {
        return 1;
    }

}

This seemed very straightforward to me, but then I got this error, which confused me a lot. At the beginning I had a local variable in my checkPasswordForRoom function, but then realized I would need the list of protected directories elsewhere as well. I created a header with a small c file to initialize the values, but all of a sudden my code will not compile anymore.

This is the output I get from the compiler which makes no sense to me at all:

gcc -Iutils -Imodules -Wall -Wextra -c utils/ios_cd.c -o build/utils/ios_cd.o
In file included from utils/ios_cd.c:10:
utils/protected_dirs.h:6:28: error: expected identifier or ‘(’ before ‘[’ token
    6 | extern char* PROTECTED_DIRS[];
      |                            ^
utils/ios_cd.c: In function ‘checkPasswordForRoom’:
utils/ios_cd.c:45:34: error: expected expression before ‘[’ token
   45 |         if (strcmp(PROTECTED_DIRS[i], targetDir) == 0) {
      |                                  ^
make: *** [Makefile:11: build/utils/ios_cd.o] Error 1

It almost seems as if the compiler expected a function definion, since it wants an identifier or a (... What is wrong here, how can I fix this?

EDIT:

This is funny... I tried changing the name, and now the compilation error disappears. What is special about the PROTECTED_DIR name, a quick ddg search didn't show me anything meaningful except my own question...

I am sorry. I was not attentive. There is the directive

#define PROTECTED_DIRS

with the same name as the name of the array that produces the error.

Either rename the defined name in the directive or the name of the array.

Also you need in all declarations of the variables either to use the qualifier const or to remove it.