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In this programming tutorial, developers will learn how to work with variables, data types, and constants in the C++ programming language. If you are a new C++ developer, you may want to read the first part of this ongoing series about C++ software development – C++ for beginners.
We will start with variables and then work our way through C++ data types.
Every variable used in C++ must be declared and introduced to the program before they are able to be used. During this declaration, the data type of the variable must also be determined.
Below is an example of basic usage of a variable in C++:
<datatype> <name of variable>;
Read: Simple Data Input and Output Operators in C++
What Are C++ Data Types?
The basic data types commonly used to define integers in C++ include:
- int
- long
- short
The int and long data types occupy 4 bytes of memory, and the short data types occupy 2 bytes.
The basic data types commonly used to define floating-point numbers or decimal numbers include:
- double
- long double
- float
The double and long double data types occupy 8 bytes of memory, while the float data types occupy 4 bytes.
The following data type is used to identify an alphabetic character or strings of characters:
- char
Each character occupies 1 byte of memory.
You can review the table below for the data types used in C++.
Read: Productivity Tools for .NET Developers
How Do You Declare Variable Data Types in C++?
To declare the data type of the variable to be used in C++, a definition must be made, as follows:
<datatype> <name of variable>;
Here is how you declare a variable data type in C++ code:
int age; float price; char letter;
It is possible to change the content of a variable by assigning a specific value anywhere in the program. Often, however, the data type of the variable is determined from the outset, while it is desirable to have a value as well.
<datatype> <name of variable> = <value>;
Here is how that would look in code:
int age = 26; float price = 32.95; char letter = "f";
If we are going to use more than one variable in our program, we can define these variables by writing them side by side, provided that they are of the same type. Here is how you declare multiple variables in C++:
int num1, num2; int num1=13, num2=14;
Lines where the variable data type is declared must end with.“;”
Code:
#include
using namespace std;
int main()
{
int smallest=10;
int largest=100;
cout <<"Smallest Number: " << smallest << "\n";
cout <<"Largest Number: " << largest << "\n";
return 0;
}
Running this code in your integrated development environment (IDE) or code editor would result in the following output:
Smallest Number: 10 Largest Number: 100
Read: How to Operate on Strings in C++
C++ Variable Naming Conventions
There are some important rules to consider when defining a variable name in C++:
- C++ is case-sensitive. For example, here is how you name variables in C++:
char letter; char Letter; char LETTER;
All three of the above statements describe different variables. Therefore, we must be very careful when using lowercase and uppercase letters in variable names.
- No symbols should be used in variable names, except for the numbers, lowercase alphabetic characters, and uppercase alphabetic characters in the table above. However, the underscore (_) character is excluded from this scope and can be used in variable names.
- Variable names must begin with a letter or an underscore (_) character, never with a number, symbol, or symbol.
int sayi; int _sayi;
- The name of a variable can be up to 255 characters.
- Space characters should not be used in variable names. However, the underscore (_) character can be used instead of a space.
int summer_of_sixtynine;
- C++-specific keywords cannot be used in variable names. These words are given in the table below:
Read: What Are References in C++
What are Variables in C++?
Variable definitions can be made for different purposes in C++. Although various types of variables are used in C++ programs, for now, we will consider two types of variables that are frequently used: local variables and global variables.
Local Variables in C++
If there is more than one function in the program, local variables are the type of variable that can only be valid in the function it is defined in. Such variables must be enclosed in curly braces { } that indicate function boundaries.
Global Variables in C++
Global variables are the variable type that can be valid in all functions in the program. Such variables must be placed outside of the curly braces { } that specify function boundaries.
Static Variables in C++
When a locally defined variable in a function is required to remain constant and not change if the function is called repeatedly as long as the program is running, that variable should be defined as a static variable.
What are Constants in C++?
Constants are program components whose value does not change from the beginning to the end of the program. Constants with the following data types can be used in C++:
- Integer Constants
- Decimal Constants
- Character Constants
- String Constants
We discuss each type of C++ constant below.
Integer Constants in C++
There are three types of integer constants: ‘int‘ (integer), ‘short‘ (short integer), and ‘long‘ (long integer). Let’s take 1995 as an example and explain the job of defining the type of an integer in this example.
To indicate which type a constant belongs to, a character is added to the end of that constant to indicate its type. If a numeric expression does not have any characters at the end, the type of that expression is ‘int‘. In this case, the expression 1995 in our example is an integer of type ‘int‘. To designate this expression as type ‘long‘ we need to append an ‘l‘ or ‘L‘ character: 1995l or 1995L. In that way, the expression now belongs to type ‘long’ and not type ‘int‘.
Also, integers that cross the ‘int‘ type limits in the flow of the program are automatically converted to ‘long’, even if they do not have a trailing ‘l‘ or ‘L‘ suffix.
There is a special case for the ‘short‘ type. When calculating the value of an expression, it is treated like ‘int‘, even though it belongs to type ‘short‘. In this case, we can say that there is no constant of type ‘short‘, because constants within the bounds of ‘short‘ are considered to be type ‘int‘ by C++.
Read: C++ Classes and Objects Overview
Decimal Constants in C++
There are three types of decimal constants in C++: ‘float‘ (floating decimal), ‘double‘ (double decimal), and ‘long double‘ (long decimal). Let’s take the expression 1881.1938 as an example and explain the job of defining the type of an integer in this example.
If a decimal constant does not have any characters at the end, the type of that expression is considered ‘double‘. In this case, 1881.1938 in our example is a decimal constant of type ‘double‘. To designate this expression as a type of ‘float‘, we need to append the ‘f‘ or ‘F‘ character: 1881.1938f or 1881.1938F. In this way, the expression no longer belongs to the ‘double‘ type but of the ‘float‘ type instead.
Although not often used, to specify a decimal constant of type ‘long double‘, we must append the character ‘l‘ or ‘L‘: 1881.1938l or 1881.1938L.
Character Constants in C++
We know that type ‘char‘ takes a value between -128 and +127 or 0 and +255. Well, since these constants are named ‘characters‘ and have an alphabetic nature, why are we still talking about numerical expressions?
Because every character used in C++ has a numeric equivalent in the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) table, and these numbers, in which the character constants are kept within the specified ranges, are the ASCII equivalents of the characters used. In other words; when we talk about 97 as the character constant, we are actually talking about the character ‘a’, which is the ASCII table equivalent of 97.
When using character constants, we can use the numeric equivalents of the characters. Of course, the commonly preferred usage in C++ is to use the characters themselves. However, when we are going to use the characters themselves, we must enclose these characters in single quotes (‘).
In the following lines, two variables of type char are defined and the constants 103 and ‘g‘ are assigned to these variables, respectively.
char character1=103; char character2='g';
Since the numeric equivalent of the ‘g’ character in the ASCII table is 103, these two lines actually mean the same thing. However, pay special attention to the fact that the ‘g’ character is written in single quotation marks.
Read: Visit our C++ Forum for More Discussions on C++ Programming
String Constants in C++
‘string‘ (character) literals consist of sequentially ordered strings of character literals. In C++, every expression enclosed in double-quotes (“) is a constant of type ‘string‘. Consider the following examples:
- “Fatih”
- “1995”
- “1920.1923”
- “Harvard University”
As you can see, numeric expressions enclosed in double quotes are now a ‘string‘ constant. We can no longer do numerical operations such as addition and subtraction with them.
Actually, there is no type named ‘string‘ in C++. The ‘string‘ type occurs when the compiler treats multiple character constants as a string of characters. Accordingly, the expression “Fatih” would actually work like this:
'F' 'a' 't' 'i' 'h'
The compiler treats all these characters as a string and puts them together by adding the ‘/0’ character to the end.
Constants are defined with the word const in C++, and the following definitions are made to declare the data type of the invariant to be used:
int const constant name = value; char const constant name = 'value';
Consider the following code:
#include
using namespace std;
int const age = 15;
char const gender = 'M';
int main()
{
cout << " Age: " << age <<"\n";
cout << " Gender: " << gender <<"\n";
return 0;
}
Running this code in your code editor would result in the following output:
Age: 15 Gender: M
Type Conversion in C++
Variables or constants in our programs can be of different types. If this is the case, it is important what type of calculation result will be in our mathematical operations. Therefore, type conversion must be done to avoid an error.
#include
using namespace std;
int main(){
int num=9;
float a,b,c;
a=num/4;
b=num/4.0;
c=(float)num/4;
cout << "a value= " << a << endl;
cout << "b value= " << b << endl;
cout << "c value= " << c << endl;
return 0; }
The output of this code is:
a value= 2 b value= 2.25 c value= 2.25
In the above application:
In the first operation, we divide the variable named num by an integer value; The decimal point is ignored and the result is assigned to variable a as an integer.
In the second operation, we divide the variable named num, which is an integer, by a decimal value; The part after the comma is taken into account and the result is assigned to the variable b as a decimal value.
IIn the third operation, we first convert the variable named num, which is an integer, into a variable of type float. Next, we divide the variable that is now float by an integer value; the result is assigned as a decimal value to the variable c.
C++ Data Types Tutorial Conclusion
If you have come this far, congratulations. You are now familiar with the data types, constants, and variables of the C++ programming language. C++ is a language with so many features to explore. So never forget to learn, wonder and research.
It is a difficult language as well as a fun one. But if you enjoy it, C++ will give you more.
Read more C++ programming tutorials and developer guides.
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