I notice that modern C and C++ code seems to use size_t
instead of int
/unsigned int
pretty much everywhere – from parameters for C string functions to the STL. I am curious as to the reason for this and the benefits it brings.
C++ – Unsigned Int vs. Size_t: Key Differences
c++size-t
Best Answer
The
size_t
type is the unsigned integer type that is the result of thesizeof
operator (and theoffsetof
operator), so it is guaranteed to be big enough to contain the size of the biggest object your system can handle (e.g., a static array of 8Gb).The
size_t
type may be bigger than, equal to, or smaller than anunsigned int
, and your compiler might make assumptions about it for optimization.You may find more precise information in the C99 standard, section 7.17, a draft of which is available on the Internet in pdf format, or in the C11 standard, section 7.19, also available as a pdf draft.