Thread: stdint: no love for C++?

  1. #1
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    stdint: no love for C++?

    So stdint and exact-width types are part of the new C standard, but not C++. Fortunately, I can still #include <stdint.h> (although not portably); however what makes least sense is that, although the XintN_t types are made available, their counterpart max sizes, XINTN_MAX defines, are being held back by an "#if !defined ( __cplusplus) || defined (__STDC_LIMIT_MACROS)"

    Why is this? Why allow C++ to include the types, but not their max sizes? What would be the danger in removing the ifdef from the header? Or re-defining the macro in my own code?

  2. #2
    Banned master5001's Avatar
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    Because C++ has its own way of handling limits. Its nothing personal, just an attempt to maintain uniformity within C++. Not uniformity across the two languages.

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    I've heard that the next C++ standard aims to aspire to the very same... but in either case, how do I go about this:
    Code:
    uint64_t max_val = UINT64_MAX
    in C++?

  4. #4
    and the Hat of Guessing tabstop's Avatar
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    Since you know by definition this had better be a 64-bit type, 0xffffffffffffffffull?

    Or (and also I didn't try this one either) maybe numeric_limits<unsigned long long>.max?
    Last edited by tabstop; 10-22-2008 at 04:25 PM.

  5. #5
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    1) Boost contains <boost/cstdint.hpp>. It includes <stdint.h> where available, emulates it where the underlying types are available, and you're screwed elsewhere anyway.

    2) Use std::numeric_limits. <stdint.h> only contains typedefs for types that the compiler supports anyway, and thus there's a very good chance that numeric_limits is specialized for them. (By the way, max is a function. Thus, std::numeric_limits<uint64_t>::max(). Also, beware of the min() and max() macros in windows.h.)

    Why is this? Why allow C++ to include the types, but not their max sizes?
    Interesting question - but one better asked at the support forum of whatever compiler does this.
    All the buzzt!
    CornedBee

    "There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
    - Flon's Law

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    Thanks, I'm using "std::numeric_limits<uint64_t>::max()" now.

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