Thread: Passing Bit Fields

Is there a way to return bit fields via class methods? ..Or even typedef them?...Or maybe even (void) pointers to them?

example:

Code:

 
class BitField
{
   typedef unsigned:28  Bytes7
   public:
   unsigned:28 getBits(){ return bits; }
   unsigned bits:28;
};

If nothing else, a native data type 28 bits or larger?

Ask yourself "unsigned what?". Return that.


Quzah.

Originally Posted by computation

but int's aren't that big

A long is guaranteed by the standard to be at least 32 bits.

Int, in general, will be 32 bits on a 32 bit compiler, and 64 bits on a 64 bit compiler.

Since you can't take the address of bit fields, you can't return a pointer to them. You have to return an instance of the whole enclosing structure or the value of it via an unsigned/signed integer. (Bit fields can only be of type unsigned/unsigned int or signed/int/signed int.)