Thread: Does your computer set aside storage for the variables in the order in which they wer

Does your computer set aside storage for the variables in the order in which they were declared?

Code:

#include <iostream.h>
using namespace std;

int main(){
	short int shorty;     
	int num, count;
	long date;
	float yield;
	double price;
	
	cout << "Address of shorty: " << &shorty << endl << "\tSize in bytes: " << sizeof(shorty) << endl;
	cout << "Address of num: " << &num << endl << "\tSize in bytes: " << sizeof(num) << endl;
	cout << "Address of count: " << &count << endl << "\tSize in bytes: " << sizeof(count) << endl;
	cout << "Address of date: " << &date << endl << "\tSize in bytes: " << sizeof(date) << endl;
	cout << "Address of yield: " << &yield << endl << "\tSize in bytes: " << sizeof(yield) << endl;
	cout << "Address of price: " << &price << endl << "\tSize in bytes: " << sizeof(price) << endl;
	
    return 0;
}


/*

	    *OUTPUT OF PROGRAM*
	
	Address of shorty: 0012FF8A
	        Size in bytes: 2
	Address of num: 0012FF84
	        Size in bytes: 4
	Address of count: 0012FF80
	        Size in bytes: 4
	Address of date: 0012FF7C
	        Size in bytes: 4
	Address of yield: 0012FF78
	        Size in bytes: 4
	Address of price: 0012FF70
	        Size in bytes: 8
		
*/

So what does this mean?

>Does your computer set aside storage for the variables in the order in which they were declared?
Maybe, but you can't be sure. I wouldn't rely on it for anything in your programs if I were you.

-Prelude

your system will most likely be reserving memory for your variables from a big stack. what really counts is how your compiler works - it could decided that all variables must come from a huge blob of memory at some random location. but most likely it will just reserve x bytes by pushing down the stack pointer... and while the compiler could reorder how the variables are declared, again it might not.

edit:
to actually answer your question, your variables are being allocated in sequential order for the output you give, and it does look like they're being placed on a stack. for some odd reason (alignment?!) the first (supposedly 2 byte) int looks like it takes 6 bytes. maybe i just don't know what i'm talking about :>