Skip to main content
The 2024 Developer Survey results are live! See the results

Questions tagged [c]

C is a general-purpose programming language used for system programming (OS and embedded), libraries, games, and cross-platform. This tag should be used with general questions concerning the C language, as defined in the ISO 9899 standard (the latest version, 9899:2018, unless otherwise specified — also tag version-specific requests with c89, c99, c11, etc.). C is distinct from C++, and it should not be combined with the C++ tag without a specific reason.

10169 votes
26 answers
1.0m views

What is the '-->' operator in C/C++?

After reading Hidden Features and Dark Corners of C++/STL on comp.lang.c++.moderated, I was completely surprised that the following snippet compiled and worked in both Visual Studio 2008 and G++ 4.4. ...
3383 votes
12 answers
503k views

Improve INSERT-per-second performance of SQLite

Optimizing SQLite is tricky. Bulk-insert performance of a C application can vary from 85 inserts per second to over 96,000 inserts per second! Background: We are using SQLite as part of a desktop ...
3153 votes
27 answers
1.7m views

How to set, clear, and toggle a single bit

How can I set, clear, and toggle a bit?
JeffV's user avatar
  • 54.1k
3112 votes
30 answers
918k views

What is the difference between #include <filename> and #include "filename"?

What is the difference between using angle brackets and quotes in an include directive? #include <filename> #include "filename"
quest49's user avatar
  • 50.6k
2798 votes
30 answers
393k views

Should I cast the result of malloc (in C)?

In this question, someone suggested in a comment that I should not cast the result of malloc. i.e., I should do this: int *sieve = malloc(sizeof(*sieve) * length); rather than: int *sieve = (int *) ...
Patrick McDonald's user avatar
2551 votes
4 answers
395k views

What does the ??!??! operator do in C?

I saw a line of C that looked like this: !ErrorHasOccured() ??!??! HandleError(); It compiled correctly and seems to run ok. It seems like it's checking if an error has occurred, and if it has, it ...
Peter Olson's user avatar
2159 votes
18 answers
1.3m views

What is the effect of extern "C" in C++?

What exactly does putting extern "C" into C++ code do? For example: extern "C" { void foo(); }
Litherum's user avatar
  • 23.2k
1831 votes
23 answers
745k views

What is the difference between const int*, const int * const, and int * const?

I always mess up how to use const int *, const int * const, and int * const correctly. Is there a set of rules defining what you can and cannot do? I want to know all the do's and all don'ts in terms ...
user avatar
1811 votes
20 answers
133k views

With arrays, why is it the case that a[5] == 5[a]?

As Joel points out in Stack Overflow podcast #34, in C Programming Language (aka: K & R), there is mention of this property of arrays in C: a[5] == 5[a] Joel says that it's because of pointer ...
Dinah's user avatar
  • 53.7k
1809 votes
5 answers
203k views

What is ':-!!' in C?

I bumped into this strange macro code in /usr/include/linux/kernel.h: /* Force a compilation error if condition is true, but also produce a result (of value 0 and type size_t), so the expression ...
chmurli's user avatar
  • 15.1k
1776 votes
15 answers
152k views

Is < faster than <=?

Is if (a < 901) faster than if (a <= 900)? Not exactly as in this simple example, but there are slight performance changes on loop complex code. I suppose this has to do something with generated ...
Vinícius's user avatar
  • 15.7k
1628 votes
23 answers
443k views

Compiling an application for use in highly radioactive environments

We are compiling an embedded C++ application that is deployed in a shielded device in an environment bombarded with ionizing radiation. We are using GCC and cross-compiling for ARM. When deployed, our ...
rook's user avatar
  • 66.7k
1509 votes
12 answers
1.0m views

How do function pointers in C work?

I had some experience lately with function pointers in C. So going on with the tradition of answering your own questions, I decided to make a small summary of the very basics, for those who need a ...
1427 votes
22 answers
1.2m views

What does "static" mean in C?

I've seen the word static used in different places in C code; is this like a static function/class in C# (where the implementation is shared across objects)?
user avatar
1409 votes
25 answers
3.3m views

How do I determine the size of my array in C?

How do I determine the size of my array in C? That is, the number of elements the array can hold?
Mark Harrison's user avatar

15 30 50 per page
1
2 3 4 5
27042