| Home | Libraries | People | FAQ | More

## Standard Integer Types

### Overview

The header `<boost/cstdint.hpp>` provides the typedef's useful for writing portable code that requires certain integer widths. All typedef's are in namespace boost.

The specifications for these types are based on the ISO/IEC 9899:1999 C Language standard header <stdint.h>. The 64-bit types required by the C standard are not required in the boost header, and may not be supplied for all platforms/compilers, because `long long` is not [yet] included in the C++ standard.

See cstdint_test.cpp for a test program.

### Rationale

The organization of the Boost.Integer headers and classes is designed to take advantage of <stdint.h> types from the 1999 C standard without causing undefined behavior in terms of the 1998 C++ standard. The header <boost/cstdint.hpp> makes the standard integer types safely available in namespace `boost` without placing any names in namespace `std`. The intension is to complement rather than compete with the C++ Standard Library. Should some future C++ standard include <stdint.h> and <cstdint>, then <boost/cstdint.hpp> will continue to function, but will become redundant and may be safely deprecated.

Because these are boost headers, their names conform to boost header naming conventions rather than C++ Standard Library header naming conventions.

### Caveat emptor

As an implementation artifact, certain C <limits.h> macro names may possibly be visible to users of <boost/cstdint.hpp>. Don't use these macros; they are not part of any Boost-specified interface. Use `boost::integer_traits<>` or `std::numeric_limits<>` instead.

As another implementation artifact, certain C <stdint.h> typedef names may possibly be visible in the global namespace to users of <boost/cstdint.hpp>. Don't use these names, they are not part of any Boost-specified interface. Use the respective names in namespace `boost` instead.

### Exact-width integer types

The typedef `int#_t`, with # replaced by the width, designates a signed integer type of exactly # bits; for example `int8_t` denotes an 8-bit signed integer type. Similarly, the typedef `uint#_t` designates an unsigned integer type of exactly # bits.

These types are optional. However, if a platform supports integer types with widths of 8, 16, 32, 64, or any combination thereof, then <boost/cstdint.hpp> does provide the corresponding typedefs.

The absence of int64_t and uint64_t is indicated by the macro `BOOST_NO_INT64_T`.

### Minimum-width integer types

The typedef `int_least#_t`, with # replaced by the width, designates a signed integer type with a width of at least # bits, such that no signed integer type with lesser size has at least the specified width. Thus, `int_least32_t` denotes the smallest signed integer type with a width of at least 32 bits. Similarly, the typedef name `uint_least#_t` designates an unsigned integer type with a width of at least # bits, such that no unsigned integer type with lesser size has at least the specified width.

The following minimum-width integer types are provided for all platforms:

- `int_least8_t`
- `int_least16_t`
- `int_least32_t`
- `uint_least8_t`
- `uint_least16_t`
- `uint_least32_t`

The following types are available only if, after including <boost/cstdint.hpp>, the macro BOOST_NO_INT64_T is not defined:

- `int_least64_t`
- `uint_least64_t`

All other minimum-width integer types are optional.

### Fastest minimum-width integer types

The typedef `int_fast#_t`, with # replaced by the width, designates the fastest signed integer type with a width of at least # bits. Similarly, the typedef name `uint_fast#_t` designates the fastest unsigned integer type with a width of at least # bits.

There is no guarantee that these types are fastest for all purposes. In any case, however, they satisfy the signedness and width requirements.

The following fastest minimum-width integer types are provided for all platforms:

- `int_fast8_t`
- `int_fast16_t`
- `int_fast32_t`
- `uint_fast8_t`
- `uint_fast16_t`
- `uint_fast32_t`

The following types are available only if, after including <boost/cstdint.hpp>, the macro BOOST_NO_INT64_T is not defined:

- `int_fast64_t`
- `uint_fast64_t`

All other fastest minimum-width integer types are optional.

### Greatest-width integer types

The typedef `intmax_t` designates a signed integer type capable of representing any value of any signed integer type.

The typedef `uintmax_t` designates an unsigned integer type capable of representing any value of any unsigned integer type.

These types are provided for all platforms.

### Integer Constant Macros

The following macros are always defined after inclusion of this header, these allow integer constants of at least the specified width to be declared: INT8_C, UINT8_C, INT16_C, UINT16_C, INT32_C, UINT32_C, INTMAX_C, UINTMAX_C.

The macros INT64_C and UINT64_C are also defined if the the macro BOOST_NO_INT64_T is not defined.

The C99 macro __STDC_CONSTANT_MACROS is also defined as an artifact of the implementation.

For example:

    #include <boost/cstdint.hpp>

    // Here the constant 0x1FFFFFFFF has the correct suffix applied:
    static const boost::uint64_t c = INT64_C(0x1FFFFFFFF);