Using Variables and Declaring Constants in C++

This chapter is from the book

Sams Teach Yourself C++ in One Hour a Day, 9th Edition

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book 

Sams Teach Yourself C++ in One Hour a Day, 9th Edition

Learn More Buy

Using typedef to Substitute a Variable’s Type

C++ enables you to substitute variable types with something that you might find convenient. You use the keyword typedef for that. Here is an example where a programmer wants to call an unsigned int a descriptive STRICTLY_POSITIVE_INTEGER:

typedef unsigned int STRICTLY_POSITIVE_INTEGER;
STRICTLY_POSITIVE_INTEGER numEggsInBasket = 45;

When this code is compiled, the first line tells the compiler that a STRICTLY_POSITIVE_INTEGER is nothing but an unsigned int. At later stages, when the compiler encounters the already defined type STRICTLY_POSITIVE_INTEGER, it substitutes it for unsigned int and continues compilation.