More in C++

C++ Data Types

While doing programming in any programming language, you need to use various variables to store various information. Variables are nothing but reserved memory locations to store values. This means that when you create a variable you reserve some space in memory.
You may like to store information of various data types like character, wide character, integer, floating point, double floating point, boolean etc. Based on the data type of a variable, the operating system allocates memory and decides what can be stored in the reserved memory.

Primitive Built-in Types:

C++ offer the programmer a rich assortment of built-in as well as user defined data types. Following table lists down seven basic C++ data types:

Type	Keyword
Boolean	bool
Character	char
Integer	int
Floating point	float
Double floating point	double
Valueless	void
Wide character	wchar_t

Several of the basic types can be modified using one or more of these type modifiers:

• signed
• unsigned
• short
• long

The following table shows the variable type, how much memory it takes to store the value in memory, and what is maximum and minimum value which can be stored in such type of variables.

Type	Typical Bit Width	Typical Range
char	1byte	-127 to 127 or 0 to 255
unsigned char	1byte	0 to 255
signed char	1byte	-127 to 127
int	4bytes	-2147483648 to 2147483647
unsigned int	4bytes	0 to 4294967295
signed int	4bytes	-2147483648 to 2147483647
short int	2bytes	-32768 to 32767
unsigned short int	Range	0 to 65,535
signed short int	Range	-32768 to 32767
long int	4bytes	-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
signed long int	4bytes	same as long int
unsigned long int	4bytes	0 to 4,294,967,295
float	4bytes	+/- 3.4e +/- 38 (~7 digits)
double	8bytes	+/- 1.7e +/- 308 (~15 digits)
long double	8bytes	+/- 1.7e +/- 308 (~15 digits)
wchar_t	2 or 4 bytes	1 wide character

The sizes of variables might be different from those shown in the above table, depending on the compiler and the computer you are using.
Following is the example, which will produce correct size of various data types on your computer.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
   cout << "Size of char : " << sizeof(char) << endl;
   cout << "Size of int : " << sizeof(int) << endl;
   cout << "Size of short int : " << sizeof(short int) << endl;
   cout << "Size of long int : " << sizeof(long int) << endl;
   cout << "Size of float : " << sizeof(float) << endl;
   cout << "Size of double : " << sizeof(double) << endl;
   cout << "Size of wchar_t : " << sizeof(wchar_t) << endl;
   return 0;
}

This example uses endl, which inserts a new-line character after every line and << operator is being used to pass multiple values out to the screen. We are also using sizeof() operator to get size of various data types.
When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result which can vary from machine to machine:

Size of char : 1
Size of int : 4
Size of short int : 2
Size of long int : 4
Size of float : 4
Size of double : 8
Size of wchar_t : 4

typedef Declarations:

You can create a new name for an existing type using typedef. Following is the simple syntax to define a new type using typedef:

typedef type newname; 

For example, the following tells the compiler that feet is another name for int:

typedef int feet;

Now, the following declaration is perfectly legal and creates an integer variable called distance:

feet distance;

Enumerated Types:

An enumerated type declares an optional type name and a set of zero or more identifiers that can be used as values of the type. Each enumerator is a constant whose type is the enumeration.
To create an enumeration requires the use of the keyword enum. The general form of an enumeration type is:

enum enum-name { list of names } var-list; 

Here, the enum-name is the enumeration's type name. The list of names is comma separated.
For example, the following code defines an enumeration of colors called colors and the variable c of type color. Finally, c is assigned the value "blue".

enum color { red, green, blue } c;
c = blue;

By default, the value of the first name is 0, the second name has the value 1, the third has the value 2, and so on. But you can give a name a specific value by adding an initializer. For example, in the following enumeration, green will have the value 5.

enum color { red, green=5, blue };

Here, blue will have a value of 6 because each name will be one greater than the one that precedes it.

 

C++ Variable Types

A variable provides us with named storage that our programs can manipulate. Each variable in C++ has a specific type, which determines the size and layout of the variable's memory; the range of values that can be stored within that memory; and the set of operations that can be applied to the variable.
The name of a variable can be composed of letters, digits, and the underscore character. It must begin with either a letter or an underscore. Upper and lowercase letters are distinct because C++ is case-sensitive:
There are following basic types of variable in C++ as explained in last chapter:

Type	Description
bool	Stores either value true or false.
char	Typically a single octet(one byte). This is an integer type.
int	The most natural size of integer for the machine.
float	A single-precision floating point value.
double	A double-precision floating point value.
void	Represents the absence of type.
wchar_t	A wide character type.

C++ also allows to define various other types of variables, which we will cover in subsequent chapters like Enumeration, Pointer, Array, Reference, Data structures, and Classes.
Following section will cover how to define, declare and use various types of variables.

Variable Definition in C++:

A variable definition means to tell the compiler where and how much to create the storage for the variable. A variable definition specifies a data type, and contains a list of one or more variables of that type as follows:

type variable_list;

Here, type must be a valid C++ data type including char, w_char, int, float, double, bool or any user-defined object, etc., and variable_list may consist of one or more identifier names separated by commas. Some valid declarations are shown here:

int    i, j, k;
char   c, ch;
float  f, salary;
double d;

The line int i, j, k; both declares and defines the variables i, j and k; which instructs the compiler to create variables named i, j and k of type int.
Variables can be initialized (assigned an initial value) in their declaration. The initializer consists of an equal sign followed by a constant expression as follows:

type variable_name = value;

Some examples are:

extern int d = 3, f = 5;    // declaration of d and f. 
int d = 3, f = 5;           // definition and initializing d and f. 
byte z = 22;                // definition and initializes z. 
char x = 'x';               // the variable x has the value 'x'.

For definition without an initializer: variables with static storage duration are implicitly initialized with NULL (all bytes have the value 0); the initial value of all other variables is undefined.

Variable Declaration in C++:

A variable declaration provides assurance to the compiler that there is one variable existing with the given type and name so that compiler proceed for further compilation without needing complete detail about the variable. A variable declaration has its meaning at the time of compilation only, compiler needs actual variable declaration at the time of linking of the program.
A variable declaration is useful when you are using multiple files and you define your variable in one of the files which will be available at the time of linking of the program. You will use extern keyword to declare a variable at any place. Though you can declare a variable multiple times in your C++ program, but it can be defined only once in a file, a function or a block of code.

Example

Try the following example where a variable has been declared at the top, but it has been defined inside the main function:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

// Variable declaration:
extern int a, b;
extern int c;
extern float f;
  
int main ()
{
  // Variable definition:
  int a, b;
  int c;
  float f;
 
  // actual initialization
  a = 10;
  b = 20;
  c = a + b;
 
  cout << c << endl ;

  f = 70.0/3.0;
  cout << f << endl ;
 
  return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

30
23.3333

Same concept applies on function declaration where you provide a function name at the time of its declaration and its actual definition can be given anywhere else. For example:

// function declaration
int func();

int main()
{
    // function call
    int i = func();
}

// function definition
int func()
{
    return 0;
}

Lvalues and Rvalues:

There are two kinds of expressions in C++:

• lvalue : Expressions that refer to a memory location is called "lvalue" expression. An lvalue may appear as either the left-hand or right-hand side of an assignment.
• rvalue : The term rvalue refers to a data value that is stored at some address in memory. An rvalue is an expression that cannot have a value assigned to it which means an rvalue may appear on the right- but not left-hand side of an assignment.

Variables are lvalues and so may appear on the left-hand side of an assignment. Numeric literals are rvalues and so may not be assigned and can not appear on the left-hand side. Following is a valid statement:

int g = 20;

But following is not a valid statement and would generate compile-time error:

10 = 20;

Variable Scope in C++

A scope is a region of the program and broadly speaking there are three places, where variables can be declared:

• Inside a function or a block which is called local variables,
• In the definition of function parameters which is called formal parameters.
• Outside of all functions which is called global variables.

We will learn what is a function and it's parameter in subsequent chapters. Here let us explain what are local and global variables.

Local Variables:

Variables that are declared inside a function or block are local variables. They can be used only by statements that are inside that function or block of code. Local variables are not known to functions outside their own. Following is the example using local variables:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
 
int main ()
{
  // Local variable declaration:
  int a, b;
  int c;
 
  // actual initialization
  a = 10;
  b = 20;
  c = a + b;
 
  cout << c;
 
  return 0;
}

Global Variables:

Global variables are defined outside of all the functions, usually on top of the program. The global variables will hold their value throughout the life-time of your program.
A global variable can be accessed by any function. That is, a global variable is available for use throughout your entire program after its declaration. Following is the example using global and local variables:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
 
// Global variable declaration:
int g;
 
int main ()
{
  // Local variable declaration:
  int a, b;
 
  // actual initialization
  a = 10;
  b = 20;
  g = a + b;
 
  cout << g;
 
  return 0;
}

A program can have same name for local and global variables but value of local variable inside a function will take preference. For example:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
 
// Global variable declaration:
int g = 20;
 
int main ()
{
  // Local variable declaration:
  int g = 10;
 
  cout << g;
 
  return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

10

Initializing Local and Global Variables:

When a local variable is defined, it is not initialized by the system, you must initialize it yourself. Global variables are initialized automatically by the system when you define them as follows:

Data Type	Initializer
int	0
char	'\0'
float	0
double	0
pointer	NULL

It is a good programming practice to initialize variables properly, otherwise sometimes program would produce unexpected result.

C++ Constants/Literals

Constants refer to fixed values that the program may not alter and they are called literals.
Constants can be of any of the basic data types and can be divided into Integer Numerals, Floating-Point Numerals, Characters, Strings and Boolean Values.
Again, constants are treated just like regular variables except that their values cannot be modified after their definition.

Integer literals:

An integer literal can be a decimal, octal, or hexadecimal constant. A prefix specifies the base or radix: 0x or 0X for hexadecimal, 0 for octal, and nothing for decimal.
An integer literal can also have a suffix that is a combination of U and L, for unsigned and long, respectively. The suffix can be uppercase or lowercase and can be in any order.
Here are some examples of integer literals:

212         // Legal
215u        // Legal
0xFeeL      // Legal
078         // Illegal: 8 is not an octal digit
032UU       // Illegal: cannot repeat a suffix

Following are other examples of various types of Integer literals:

85         // decimal
0213       // octal
0x4b       // hexadecimal
30         // int
30u        // unsigned int
30l        // long
30ul       // unsigned long

Floating-point literals:

A floating-point literal has an integer part, a decimal point, a fractional part, and an exponent part. You can represent floating point literals either in decimal form or exponential form.
While representing using decimal form, you must include the decimal point, the exponent, or both and while representing using exponential form, you must include the integer part, the fractional part, or both. The signed exponent is introduced by e or E.
Here are some examples of floating-point literals:

3.14159       // Legal
314159E-5L    // Legal
510E          // Illegal: incomplete exponent
210f          // Illegal: no decimal or exponent
.e55          // Illegal: missing integer or fraction

Boolean literals:

There are two Boolean literals and they are part of standard C++ keywords:

• A value of true representing true.
• A value of false representing false.

You should not consider the value of true equal to 1 and value of false equal to 0.

Character literals:

Character literals are enclosed in single quotes. If the literal begins with L (uppercase only), it is a wide character literal (e.g., L'x') and should be stored in wchar_t type of variable . Otherwise, it is a narrow character literal (e.g., 'x') and can be stored in a simple variable of char type.
A character literal can be a plain character (e.g., 'x'), an escape sequence (e.g., '\t'), or a universal character (e.g., '\u02C0').
There are certain characters in C++ when they are preceded by a backslash they will have special meaning and they are used to represent like newline (\n) or tab (\t). Here, you have a list of some of such escape sequence codes:

Escape sequence	Meaning
\\	\ character
\'	' character
\"	" character
\?	? character
\a	Alert or bell
\b	Backspace
\f	Form feed
\n	Newline
\r	Carriage return
\t	Horizontal tab
\v	Vertical tab
\ooo	Octal number of one to three digits
\xhh . . .	Hexadecimal number of one or more digits

Following is the example to show few escape sequence characters:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
   cout << "Hello\tWorld\n\n";
   return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

Hello   World

String literals:

String literals are enclosed in double quotes. A string contains characters that are similar to character literals: plain characters, escape sequences, and universal characters.
You can break a long line into multiple lines using string literals and separate them using whitespaces.
Here are some examples of string literals. All the three forms are identical strings.

"hello, dear"

"hello, \

dear"

"hello, " "d" "ear"

Defining Constants:

There are two simple ways in C++ to define constants:

• Using #define preprocessor.
• Using const keyword.

The #define Preprocessor:

Following is the form to use #define preprocessor to define a constant:

#define identifier value

Following example explains it in detail:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

#define LENGTH 10   
#define WIDTH  5
#define NEWLINE '\n'

int main()
{

   int area;  
   
   area = LENGTH * WIDTH;
   cout << area;
   cout << NEWLINE;
   return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

50

The const Keyword:

You can use const prefix to declare constants with a specific type as follows:

const type variable = value;

Following example explains it in detail:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
   const int  LENGTH = 10;
   const int  WIDTH  = 5;
   const char NEWLINE = '\n';
   int area;  
   
   area = LENGTH * WIDTH;
   cout << area;
   cout << NEWLINE;
   return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

50

Note that it is a good programming practice to define constants in CAPITALS.

C++ Modifier Types

C++ allows the char, int, and double data types to have modifiers preceding them. A modifier is used to alter the meaning of the base type so that it more precisely fits the needs of various situations.
The data type modifiers are listed here:

• signed
• unsigned
• long
• short

The modifiers signed, unsigned, long, and short can be applied to integer base types. In addition, signed and unsigned can be applied to char, and long can be applied to double.
The modifiers signed and unsigned can also be used as prefix to long or short modifiers. For example, unsigned long int.
C++ allows a shorthand notation for declaring unsigned, short, or long integers. You can simply use the word unsigned, short, or long, without the int. The int is implied. For example, the following two statements both declare unsigned integer variables.

unsigned x;
unsigned int y;

To understand the difference between the way that signed and unsigned integer modifiers are interpreted by C++, you should run the following short program:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
 
/* This program shows the difference between
 * signed and unsigned integers.
*/
int main()
{
   short int i;           // a signed short integer
   short unsigned int j;  // an unsigned short integer

   j = 50000;

   i = j;
   cout << i << " " << j;

   return 0;
}

When this program is run, following is the output:

-15536 50000

The above result is because the bit pattern that represents 50,000 as a short unsigned integer is interpreted as -15,536 by a short.

Type Qualifiers in C++

The type qualifiers provide additional information about the variables they precede.

Qualifier	Meaning
const	Objects of type const cannot be changed by your program during execution
volatile	The modifier volatile tells the compiler that a variable's value may be changed in ways not explicitly specified by the program.
restrict	A pointer qualified by restrict is initially the only means by which the object it points to can be accessed. Only C99 adds a new type qualifier called restrict.

Storage Classes in C++

A storage class defines the scope (visibility) and life-time of variables and/or functions within a C++ Program. These specifiers precede the type that they modify. There are following storage classes, which can be used in a C++ Program

• auto
• register
• static
• extern
• mutable

The auto Storage Class

The auto storage class is the default storage class for all local variables.

{
   int mount;
   auto int month;
}

The example above defines two variables with the same storage class, auto can only be used within functions, i.e., local variables.

The register Storage Class

The register storage class is used to define local variables that should be stored in a register instead of RAM. This means that the variable has a maximum size equal to the register size (usually one word) and can't have the unary '&' operator applied to it (as it does not have a memory location).

{
   register int  miles;
}

The register should only be used for variables that require quick access such as counters. It should also be noted that defining 'register' does not mean that the variable will be stored in a register. It means that it MIGHT be stored in a register depending on hardware and implementation restrictions.

The static Storage Class

The static storage class instructs the compiler to keep a local variable in existence during the life-time of the program instead of creating and destroying it each time it comes into and goes out of scope. Therefore, making local variables static allows them to maintain their values between function calls.
The static modifier may also be applied to global variables. When this is done, it causes that variable's scope to be restricted to the file in which it is declared.
In C++, when static is used on a class data member, it causes only one copy of that member to be shared by all objects of its class.

#include <iostream>
 
// Function declaration
void func(void);
 
static int count = 10; /* Global variable */
 
main()
{
    while(count--)
    {
       func();
    }
    return 0;
}
// Function definition
void func( void )
{
    static int i = 5; // local static variable
    i++;
    std::cout << "i is " << i ;
    std::cout << " and count is " << count << std::endl;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

i is 6 and count is 9
i is 7 and count is 8
i is 8 and count is 7
i is 9 and count is 6
i is 10 and count is 5
i is 11 and count is 4
i is 12 and count is 3
i is 13 and count is 2
i is 14 and count is 1
i is 15 and count is 0

The extern Storage Class

The extern storage class is used to give a reference of a global variable that is visible to ALL the program files. When you use 'extern' the variable cannot be initialized as all it does is point the variable name at a storage location that has been previously defined.
When you have multiple files and you define a global variable or function, which will be used in other files also, then extern will be used in another file to give reference of defined variable or function. Just for understanding extern is used to declare a global variable or function in another file.
The extern modifier is most commonly used when there are two or more files sharing the same global variables or functions as explained below.
First File: main.cpp

#include <iostream>
 
int count ;
extern void write_extern();
 
main()
{
   count = 5;
   write_extern();
}

Second File: support.cpp

#include <iostream>
 
extern int count;
 
void write_extern(void)
{
   std::cout << "Count is " << count << std::endl;
}

Here, extern keyword is being used to declare count in another file. Now compile these two files as follows:

$g++ main.cpp support.cpp -o write

This will produce write executable program, try to execute write and check the result as follows:

$./write
5

The mutable Storage Class

The mutable specifier applies only to class objects, which are discussed later in this tutorial. It allows a member of an object to override constness. That is, a mutable member can be modified by a const member function.