question on typedefs

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Hi, I encountered someones code which has following typedefs:

C++

typedef unsigned short          u16_t;
typedef int                     s32_t;
typedef unsigned int            u32_t;

Why is it needed? For readability purposes?

Posted 18-Jun-13 22:26pm

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nv3 · Answer 1 · 2013-06-18T22:52:00

C and C++ original types do not guarantee a certain size. For example, there is no guarantee for how long an int is. That was a wise design decision of the fathers of the language, but has also its draw backs. For example if you want to describe a data structure in which certain items must have certain lengths. For that purpose, many developers have started to write typedefs like the ones you have shown. Some of them are useful (for size compliance or as simple short hand), others undermine the original language concept and try to enforce certain type sizes. In many cases that is counter-productive. For example forcing an int to 16-bits makes sense on a 16-bit CPU. But on 32-bit or 64-bit this will most likely produce slower code.