c++ctypesintegersize-t

What's the difference between size_t and int in C++?

In several C++ examples I see a use of the type size_t where I would have used a simple int. What's the difference, and why size_t should be better?

Solution

  • From the friendly Wikipedia:

    The stdlib.h and stddef.h header files define a datatype called size_t which is used to represent the size of an object. Library functions that take sizes expect them to be of type size_t, and the sizeof operator evaluates to size_t.

    The actual type of size_t is platform-dependent; a common mistake is to assume size_t is the same as unsigned int, which can lead to programming errors, particularly as 64-bit architectures become more prevalent.

    Also, check Why size_t matters