Type

Objects, references, functions including function template specializations, and expressions have a property called type, which both restricts the operations that are permitted for those entities and provides semantic meaning to the otherwise generic sequences of bits.

[edit] Type classification

The C++ type system consists of the following types:

• fundamental types (see also std::is_fundamental):

• the type void (see also std::is_void);

• arithmetic types (see also std::is_arithmetic):

• integral types (including cv-qualified versions, see also std::is_integral, a synonym for integral type is integer type):

• the type bool;
• character types:

• narrow character types:

• ordinary character types: char, signed char, unsigned char^[1]

• wide character types: char16_t, char32_t, (since C++11)wchar_t;

• signed integer types:

• standard signed integer types: signed char, short, int, long, long long;

• unsigned integer types:

• standard unsigned integer types: unsigned char, unsigned short, unsigned, unsigned long, unsigned long long;

• floating-point types (see also std::is_floating_point):

• standard floating-point types: float, double, long double and their cv-qualified versions;

• compound types (see also std::is_compound):

• reference types (see also std::is_reference):

• lvalue reference types (see also std::is_lvalue_reference):

• lvalue reference to object types;
• lvalue reference to function types;

• pointer types (see also std::is_pointer):

• pointer-to-object types;
• pointer-to-function types;

• pointer-to-member types (see also std::is_member_pointer):

• pointer-to-data-member types (see also std::is_member_object_pointer);
• pointer-to-member-function types (see also std::is_member_function_pointer);

• array types (see also std::is_array);
• function types (see also std::is_function);
• enumeration types (see also std::is_enum);

• unscoped enumeration types;

• class types:

• non-union types (see also std::is_class);
• union types (see also std::is_union).

1. ↑ signed char and unsigned char are narrow character types, but they are not character types. In other words, the set of narrow character types is not a subset of the set of character types.

For every non-cv-qualified type other than reference and function, the type system supports three additional cv-qualified versions of that type (const, volatile, and const volatile).

[edit] Other categories

An object type (see also std::is_object) is a (possibly cv-qualified) type that is not a function type, not a reference type, and not (possibly cv-qualified) void.

The following types are collectively called scalar types (see also std::is_scalar):

• arithmetic types
• enumeration types
• pointer types
• pointer-to-member types

• cv-qualified versions of these types

The following types are collectively called implicit-lifetime types:

• scalar types
• implicit-lifetime class types
• array types
• cv-qualified versions of these types

[edit] Deprecated categories

[edit] Program-defined type

A program-defined specialization is an explicit specialization or partial specialization that is not part of the C++ standard library and not defined by the implementation.

A program-defined type is one of the following types:

• A non-closure(since C++11) class type or enumeration type that is not part of the C++ standard library and not defined by the implementation.

• An instantiation of a program-defined specialization.

[edit] Type naming

A name can be declared to refer to a type by means of:

• class declaration;
• union declaration;
• enum declaration;
• typedef declaration;
• type alias declaration.

Types that do not have names often need to be referred to in C++ programs; the syntax for that is known as type-id. The syntax of the type-id that names type T is exactly the syntax of a declaration of a variable or function of type T, with the identifier omitted, except that decl-specifier-seq of the declaration grammar is constrained to type-specifier-seq, and that new types may be defined only if the type-id appears on the right-hand side of a non-template type alias declaration.

int* p;               // declaration of a pointer to int
static_cast<int*>(p); // type-id is "int*"
 
int a[3];   // declaration of an array of 3 int
new int[3]; // type-id is "int[3]" (called new-type-id)
 
int (*(*x[2])())[3];      // declaration of an array of 2 pointers to functions
                          // returning pointer to array of 3 int
new (int (*(*[2])())[3]); // type-id is "int (*(*[2])())[3]"
 
void f(int);                    // declaration of a function taking int and returning void
std::function<void(int)> x = f; // type template parameter is a type-id "void(int)"
std::function<auto(int) -> void> y = f; // same
 
std::vector<int> v;       // declaration of a vector of int
sizeof(std::vector<int>); // type-id is "std::vector<int>"
 
struct { int x; } b;         // creates a new type and declares an object b of that type
sizeof(struct { int x; });   // error: cannot define new types in a sizeof expression
using t = struct { int x; }; // creates a new type and declares t as an alias of that type
 
sizeof(static int); // error: storage class specifiers not part of type-specifier-seq
std::function<inline void(int)> f; // error: neither are function specifiers

The declarator part of the declaration grammar with the name removed is referred to as abstract-declarator.

Type-id may be used in the following situations:

• to specify the target type in cast expressions;
• as arguments to sizeof, alignof, alignas, new, and typeid;
• on the right-hand side of a type alias declaration;
• as the trailing return type of a function declaration;
• as the default argument of a template type parameter;
• as the template argument for a template type parameter;

Type-id can be used with some modifications in the following situations:

• in the parameter list of a function (when the parameter name is omitted), type-id uses decl-specifier-seq instead of type-specifier-seq (in particular, some storage class specifiers are allowed);
• in the name of a user-defined conversion function, the abstract declarator cannot include function or array operators.

[edit] Elaborated type specifier

Elaborated type specifiers may be used to refer to a previously-declared class name (class, struct, or union) or to a previously-declared enum name even if the name was hidden by a non-type declaration. They may also be used to declare new class names.

See elaborated type specifier for details.

[edit] Static type

The type of an expression that results from the compile-time analysis of the program is known as the static type of the expression. The static type does not change while the program is executing.

[edit] Dynamic type

If some glvalue expression refers to a polymorphic object, the type of its most derived object is known as the dynamic type.

// given
struct B { virtual ~B() {} }; // polymorphic type
struct D : B {};               // polymorphic type
 
D d; // most-derived object
B* ptr = &d;
 
// the static type of (*ptr) is B
// the dynamic type of (*ptr) is D

For prvalue expressions, the dynamic type is always the same as the static type.

[edit] Incomplete type

The following types are incomplete types:

• the type void (possibly cv-qualified);
• incompletely-defined object types:
  • class type that has been declared (e.g. by forward declaration) but not defined;
  • array of unknown bound;
  • array of elements of incomplete type;
  • enumeration type from the point of declaration until its underlying type is determined.

All other types are complete.

Any of the following contexts requires type T to be complete:

• definition of or call to a function with return type T or argument type T;
• definition of an object of type T;
• declaration of a non-static class data member of type T;
• new expression for an object of type T or an array whose element type is T;
• lvalue-to-rvalue conversion applied to a glvalue of type T;
• an implicit or explicit conversion to type T;
• a standard conversion, dynamic_cast, or static_cast to type T* or T&, except when converting from the null pointer constant or from a pointer to possibly cv-qualified void;
• class member access operator applied to an expression of type T;
• typeid, sizeof, or alignof operator applied to type T;
• arithmetic operator applied to a pointer to T;
• definition of a class with base class T;
• assignment to an lvalue of type T;
• a handler of type T, T&, or T*.

(In general, when the size and layout of T must be known.)

If any of these situations occur in a translation unit, the definition of the type must appear in the same translation unit. Otherwise, it is not required.

An incompletely-defined object type can be completed:

• A class type (such as class X) might be regarded as incomplete at one point in a translation unit and regarded as complete later on; the type class X is the same type at both points:

struct X;            // declaration of X, no definition provided yet
extern X* xp;        // xp is a pointer to an incomplete type:
                     // the definition of X is not reachable
 
void foo()
{
    xp++;            // ill-formed: X is incomplete
}
 
struct X { int i; }; // definition of X
X x;                 // OK: the definition of X is reachable
 
void bar()
{
    xp = &x;         // OK: type is “pointer to X”
    xp++;            // OK: X is complete
}

• The declared type of an array object might be an array of incomplete class type and therefore incomplete; if the class type is completed later on in the translation unit, the array type becomes complete; the array type at those two points is the same type.
• The declared type of an array object might be an array of unknown bound and therefore be incomplete at one point in a translation unit and complete later on; the array types at those two points ("array of unknown bound of T" and "array of N T") are different types.

The type of a pointer or reference to array of unknown bound permanently points to or refers to an incomplete type. An array of unknown bound named by a typedef declaration permanently refers to an incomplete type. In either case, the array type cannot be completed:

extern int arr[];   // the type of arr is incomplete
typedef int UNKA[]; // UNKA is an incomplete type
 
UNKA* arrp;         // arrp is a pointer to an incomplete type
UNKA** arrpp;
 
void foo()
{
    arrp++;         // error: UNKA is an incomplete type
    arrpp++;        // OK: sizeof UNKA* is known
}
 
int arr[10];        // now the type of arr is complete
 
void bar()
{
    arrp = &arr;    // OK: qualification conversion (since C++20)
    arrp++;         // error: UNKA cannot be completed
}

[edit] Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links