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<h1>Boost Integer Library</h1>

<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
  <tr>
    <td align="center"><b><i>Header / Docs</i></b></td>
    <td align="center"><b><i>Contents</i></b></td>
    <td align="center"><b><i>Use</i></b></td>
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  <tr>
    <td align="center"><code><a href="../../boost/cstdint.hpp">&lt;boost/cstdint.hpp&gt;<br>
      </a></code><a href="cstdint.htm"><br>
      documentation</a>
    </td>
    <td valign="top">Typedef's based on the 1999 C Standard header &lt;<code>stdint.h&gt;</code>, wrapped in namespace boost.
      This implementation may #include the compiler
      supplied &lt;<code>stdint.h&gt;</code>, if present.  </td>
    <td valign="top">Supplies typedefs for standard integer types such as <code> int32_t</code> or <code>uint_least16_t</code>.
      Use in preference to &lt;<code>stdint.h&gt;</code>
      for enhanced portability.  Furthermore, all names are safely placed in the boost namespace.</td>
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    <td align="center"><code><a href="../../boost/integer_traits.hpp">&lt;boost/integer_traits.hpp&gt;</a></code><br>
    <br>
    <a href="integer_traits.html">documentation</a>
    </td>
    <td valign="top">Template class <code>boost::integer_traits</code>, derived from <code>std::numeric_limits</code>.&nbsp;
      Adds <code>const_min</code> and <code>const_max</code> members.</td>
    <td valign="top">Use to obtain the characteristics of a known integer type.</td>
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    <td align="center"><code><a href="../../boost/integer.hpp">&lt;boost/integer.hpp&gt;</a><br>
      <br>
      </code><a href="integer.htm">documentation</a></td>
    <td valign="top">Templates for integer type selection based on properties such as
      maximum value or number of bits.</td>
    <td valign="top">Use to select the type an integer when some property such as maximum value or number of bits is known.
      Useful for generic programming. </td>
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<h2>Rationale</h2>
<p>The organization of boost integer headers and classes is designed to take
advantage of <code>&lt;stdint.h&gt;</code> types from the 1999 C standard
without resorting to undefined behavior in terms of
the 1998 C++ standard.&nbsp; The header <code>&lt;boost/cstdint.hpp&gt;</code>
makes the standard integer types safely available in namespace boost without placing any names in namespace std. As always, the intension is to complement rather than
compete with the C++ Standard Library.&nbsp; Should some future C++ standard
include <code>&lt;stdint.h&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;cstdint&gt;</code>, then <code>&lt;boost/cstdint.hpp&gt;</code>
will continue to function, but will become redundant and may be safely deprecated.</p>
<p>Because these are boost headers, their names conform to boost header naming
conventions rather than C++ Standard Library header naming conventions.

<h2>Caveat emptor</h2>
<p>As an
      implementation artifact, certain C &lt;limits.h&gt; macro names may possibly be
visible to users of &lt;boost/cstdint.hpp&gt;.&nbsp; Don't use these macros; they are not part of
any Boost specified interface.&nbsp;
      Use boost:: integer_traits&lt;&gt; or std::numeric_limits&lt;&gt; instead.</p>

<p>
As another implementation artifact, certain C
<code>&lt;stdint.h&gt;</code> typedef names may possibly be visible in the
global namespace to users of <code>&lt;boost/cstdint.hpp&gt;</code>.
Don't use these names, they are not part of any Boost specified
interface.  Use the respective names in namespace <code>boost</code>
instead.

<hr>

<p>Revised: <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" S-Type="EDITED" S-Format="%d %b %Y" startspan -->18 Nov 2000<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="15249" -->
</p>

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