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A 6 Conversions

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Learning objectives​

  • Explain the main ideas and vocabulary in A 6 Conversions.
  • Work through the source examples for A 6 Conversions without depending on raw chunk order.
  • Use A 6 Conversions as selective reference when learner modules point back to The C Programming Language.

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Module targets​

  • module-01-c-programming-fundamentals

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Source-of-truth note​

This unit is anchored to The C Programming Language and the source chapter "A 6 Conversions". Use external resources only to clarify, extend, or modernize details without replacing the chapter's conceptual spine.

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Source provenance​

  • Primary source: The C Programming Language
  • Source chapter: A 6 Conversions
  • Raw source file: 063-a-6-conversions.md

Merged source​

A 6 Conversions​

A.6 Conversions

Some operators may, depending on their operands, cause conversion of the value of an operand from one type to another. This section explains the result to be expected from such conversions. Par.6.5 summarizes the conversions demanded by most ordinary operators; it will be supplemented as required by the discussion of each operator.

A.6.1 Integral Promotion​

A character, a short integer, or an integer bit-field, all either signed or not, or an object of enumeration type, may be used in an expression wherever an integer may be used. If an int can represent all the values of the original type, then the value is converted to int; otherwise the value is converted tounsigned int. This process is calledintegral promotion.

A.6.2 Integral Conversions

Any integer is converted to a given unsigned type by finding the smallest non-negative value that is congruent to that integer, modulo one more than the largest value that can be represented in the unsigned type. In a two's complement representation, this is equivalent to left-truncation if the bit pattern of the unsigned type is narrower, and to zero-filling unsigned values and sign-extending signed values if the unsigned type is wider.

When any integer is converted to a signed type, the value is unchanged if it can be represented in the new type and is implementation-defined otherwise.

A.6.3 Integer and Floating

When a value of floating type is converted to integral type, the fractional part is discarded; if the resulting value cannot be represented in the integral type, the behavior is undefined. In particular, the result of converting negative floating values to unsigned integral types is not specified.

When a value of integral type is converted to floating, and the value is in the representable range but is not exactly representable, then the result may be either the next higher or next lower representable value. If the result is out of range, the behavior is undefined.

A.6.4 Floating Types

When a less precise floating value is converted to an equally or more precise floating type, the value is unchanged. When a more precise floating value is converted to a less precise floating type, and the value is within representable range, the result may be either the next higher or the next lower representable value. If the result is out of range, the behavior is undefined.

A.6.5 Arithmetic Conversions

Many operators cause conversions and yield result types in a similar way. The effect is to bring operands into a common type, which is also the type of the result. This pattern is called the usual arithmetic conversions.

  • First, if either operand islong double, the other is converted tolong double.

  • Otherwise, if either operand isdouble, the other is converted todouble.

  • Otherwise, if either operand isfloat, the other is converted tofloat.

  • Otherwise, the integral promotions are performed on both operands; then, if either

operand isunsigned long int, the other is converted tounsigned long int.

  • Otherwise, if one operand is long int and the other is unsigned int, the effect

depends on whether along intcan represent all values of an unsigned int; if so, the unsigned intoperand is converted to long int; if not, both are converted to unsigned long int.

  • Otherwise, if one operand islong int, the other is converted tolong int.

  • Otherwise, if either operand is unsigned int, the other is converted to unsigned

int.

  • Otherwise, both operands have typeint.

There are two changes here. First, arithmetic on floatoperands may be done in single precision, rather than double; the first edition specified that all floating arithmetic was double precision. Second, shorter unsigned types, when combined with a larger signed type, do not propagate the unsigned property to the result type; in the first edition, the unsigned always dominated. The new rules are slightly more complicated, but reduce somewhat the surprises that may occur when an unsigned quantity meets signed. Unexpected results may still occur when an unsigned expression is compared to a signed expression of the same size.

A.6.6 Pointers and Integers

An expression of integral type may be added to or subtracted from a pointer; in such a case the integral expression is converted as specified in the discussion of the addition operator (Par.A.7.7).

Two pointers to objects of the same type, in the same array, may be subtracted; the result is converted to an integer as specified in the discussion of the subtraction operator (Par.A.7.7).

An integral constant expression with value 0, or such an expression cast to typevoid *, may be converted, by a cast, by assignment, or by comparison, to a pointer of any type. This produces a null pointer that is equal to another null pointer of the same type, but unequal to any pointer to a function or object.

Certain other conversions involving pointers are permitted, but have implementation-defined aspects. They must be specified by an explicit type-conversion operator, or cast (Pars.A.7.5 and A.8.8).

A pointer may be converted to an integral type large enough to hold it; the required size is implementation-dependent. The mapping function is also implementation-dependent.

A pointer to one type may be converted to a pointer to another type. The resulting pointer may cause addressing exceptions if the subject pointer does not refer to an object suitably aligned in storage. It is guaranteed that a pointer to an object may be converted to a pointer to an object whose type requires less or equally strict storage alignment and back again without change; the notion of ``alignment'' is implementation-dependent, but objects of the chartypes have least strict alignment requirements. As described in Par.A.6.8, a pointer may also be converted to

typevoid *and back again without change.

A pointer may be converted to another pointer whose type is the same except for the addition or removal of qualifiers (Pars.A.4.4, A.8.2) of the object type to which the pointer refers. If qualifiers are added, the new pointer is equivalent to the old except for restrictions implied by the new qualifiers. If qualifiers are removed, operations on the underlying object remain subject to the qualifiers in its actual declaration.

Finally, a pointer to a function may be converted to a pointer to another function type. Calling the function specified by the converted pointer is implementation-dependent; however, if the converted pointer is reconverted to its original type, the result is identical to the original pointer.