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From cppreference.com
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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.

Contents

[edit] Type classification

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

(since C++11)
  • the type bool;
  • character types:
  • narrow character types:
  • ordinary character types: char, signed char, unsigned char[1]
  • the type char8_t
(since C++20)
  • 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;
  • extended signed integer types (implementation-defined);
(since C++11)
  • unsigned integer types:
  • standard unsigned integer types: unsigned char, unsigned short, unsigned, unsigned long, unsigned long long;
  • extended unsigned integer types (each corresponds to an extended signed integer type, and vice versa);
(since C++11)
(since C++23)
  • lvalue reference to object types;
  • lvalue reference to function types;
  • rvalue reference to object types;
  • rvalue reference to function types;
(since C++11)
(since C++11)
  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).

Types are grouped in various categories based on their properties:

Constructing a complete object type such that the number of bytes in its object representation is not representable in the type std::size_t (i.e. the result type of sizeof operator) is ill-formed.

cpp types.svg

[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:

(since C++11)

[edit] Type naming

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

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:

(until C++17)

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:

All other types are complete.

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

(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.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
CWG 328 C++98 class members of incomplete type were not prohibited
if an object of the class type was never created
non-static class data members
need to be complete
CWG 977 C++98 the point when an enumeration type becomes
complete in its definition was unclear
the type is complete once the
underlying type is determined
CWG 1362 C++98 user-defined conversions to type T* or T& required T to be complete not required
CWG 1464 C++98 object size might be not representable in std::size_t such type is ill-formed
CWG 2006 C++98 cv-qualified void types were object type and complete type excluded from both categories
CWG 2448 C++98 only cv-unqualified types could be integral and floating-point types allows cv-qualified types
CWG 2630 C++98 it was unclear whether a class is considered complete outside
the translation unit where the definition of the class appears
the class is complete
if its definition is
reachable in this case
CWG 2643 C++98 the type of a pointer to array of unknown bound
could not be completed (but it is already complete)
the pointed-to array type
cannot be completed
LWG 2139 C++98 the meaning of “user-defined type” was unclear defines and uses “program-
defined type” instead
LWG 3119 C++11 it was unclear whether closure types are program-defined types made clear

[edit] References

  • C++23 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2023):
  • 6.8.2.11 Fundamental types [basic.fundamental]
  • C++20 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2020):
  • TBD Fundamental types [basic.fundamental]
  • C++17 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2017):
  • TBD Fundamental types [basic.fundamental]
  • C++14 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2014):
  • TBD Fundamental types [basic.fundamental]
  • C++11 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:2011):
  • TBD Fundamental types [basic.fundamental]
  • C++98 standard (ISO/IEC 14882:1998):
  • TBD Fundamental types [basic.fundamental]

[edit] See also