C++ preprocessor __VA_ARGS__ number of arguments

Question

I usually use this macro to find a number of params:

#define NUMARGS(...)  (sizeof((int[]){__VA_ARGS__})/sizeof(int))

Full example:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdarg.h>

#define NUMARGS(...)  (sizeof((int[]){__VA_ARGS__})/sizeof(int))
#define SUM(...)  (sum(NUMARGS(__VA_ARGS__), __VA_ARGS__))

void sum(int numargs, ...);

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

    SUM(1);
    SUM(1, 2);
    SUM(1, 2, 3);
    SUM(1, 2, 3, 4);

    return 1;
}

void sum(int numargs, ...) {
    int     total = 0;
    va_list ap;

    printf("sum() called with %d params:", numargs);
    va_start(ap, numargs);
    while (numargs--)
        total += va_arg(ap, int);
    va_end(ap);

    printf(" %d\n", total);

    return;
}

It is completely valid C99 code. It has one drawback, though - you cannot invoke the macro SUM() without params, but GCC has a solution to it - see here.

So in case of GCC you need to define macros like this:

#define       NUMARGS(...)  (sizeof((int[]){0, ##__VA_ARGS__})/sizeof(int)-1)
#define       SUM(...)  sum(NUMARGS(__VA_ARGS__), ##__VA_ARGS__)

and it will work even with empty parameter list

This is actually compiler dependent, and not supported by any standard.

Here however you have a macro implementation that does the count:

#define PP_NARG(...) \
         PP_NARG_(__VA_ARGS__,PP_RSEQ_N())
#define PP_NARG_(...) \
         PP_ARG_N(__VA_ARGS__)
#define PP_ARG_N( \
          _1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6, _7, _8, _9,_10, \
         _11,_12,_13,_14,_15,_16,_17,_18,_19,_20, \
         _21,_22,_23,_24,_25,_26,_27,_28,_29,_30, \
         _31,_32,_33,_34,_35,_36,_37,_38,_39,_40, \
         _41,_42,_43,_44,_45,_46,_47,_48,_49,_50, \
         _51,_52,_53,_54,_55,_56,_57,_58,_59,_60, \
         _61,_62,_63,N,...) N
#define PP_RSEQ_N() \
         63,62,61,60,                   \
         59,58,57,56,55,54,53,52,51,50, \
         49,48,47,46,45,44,43,42,41,40, \
         39,38,37,36,35,34,33,32,31,30, \
         29,28,27,26,25,24,23,22,21,20, \
         19,18,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,10, \
         9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0

/* Some test cases */


PP_NARG(A) -> 1
PP_NARG(A,B) -> 2
PP_NARG(A,B,C) -> 3
PP_NARG(A,B,C,D) -> 4
PP_NARG(A,B,C,D,E) -> 5
PP_NARG(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,
         1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,
         1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,
         1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,
         1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,
         1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,
         1,2,3) -> 63

If you are using C++11, and you need the value as a C++ compile-time constant, a very elegant solution is this:

#include <tuple>

#define MACRO(...) \
    std::cout << "num args: " \
    << std::tuple_size<decltype(std::make_tuple(__VA_ARGS__))>::value \
    << std::endl;

Please note: the counting happens entirely at compile time, and the value can be used whenever compile-time integer is required, for instance as a template parameter to std::array.

For convenience, here's an implementation that works for 0 to 70 arguments, and works in Visual Studio, GCC, and Clang. I believe it will work in Visual Studio 2010 and later, but have only tested it in VS2013.

#ifdef _MSC_VER // Microsoft compilers

#   define GET_ARG_COUNT(...)  INTERNAL_EXPAND_ARGS_PRIVATE(INTERNAL_ARGS_AUGMENTER(__VA_ARGS__))

#   define INTERNAL_ARGS_AUGMENTER(...) unused, __VA_ARGS__
#   define INTERNAL_EXPAND(x) x
#   define INTERNAL_EXPAND_ARGS_PRIVATE(...) INTERNAL_EXPAND(INTERNAL_GET_ARG_COUNT_PRIVATE(__VA_ARGS__, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0))
#   define INTERNAL_GET_ARG_COUNT_PRIVATE(_1_, _2_, _3_, _4_, _5_, _6_, _7_, _8_, _9_, _10_, _11_, _12_, _13_, _14_, _15_, _16_, _17_, _18_, _19_, _20_, _21_, _22_, _23_, _24_, _25_, _26_, _27_, _28_, _29_, _30_, _31_, _32_, _33_, _34_, _35_, _36, _37, _38, _39, _40, _41, _42, _43, _44, _45, _46, _47, _48, _49, _50, _51, _52, _53, _54, _55, _56, _57, _58, _59, _60, _61, _62, _63, _64, _65, _66, _67, _68, _69, _70, count, ...) count

#else // Non-Microsoft compilers

#   define GET_ARG_COUNT(...) INTERNAL_GET_ARG_COUNT_PRIVATE(0, ## __VA_ARGS__, 70, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0)
#   define INTERNAL_GET_ARG_COUNT_PRIVATE(_0, _1_, _2_, _3_, _4_, _5_, _6_, _7_, _8_, _9_, _10_, _11_, _12_, _13_, _14_, _15_, _16_, _17_, _18_, _19_, _20_, _21_, _22_, _23_, _24_, _25_, _26_, _27_, _28_, _29_, _30_, _31_, _32_, _33_, _34_, _35_, _36, _37, _38, _39, _40, _41, _42, _43, _44, _45, _46, _47, _48, _49, _50, _51, _52, _53, _54, _55, _56, _57, _58, _59, _60, _61, _62, _63, _64, _65, _66, _67, _68, _69, _70, count, ...) count

#endif

static_assert(GET_ARG_COUNT() == 0, "GET_ARG_COUNT() failed for 0 arguments");
static_assert(GET_ARG_COUNT(1) == 1, "GET_ARG_COUNT() failed for 1 argument");
static_assert(GET_ARG_COUNT(1,2) == 2, "GET_ARG_COUNT() failed for 2 arguments");
static_assert(GET_ARG_COUNT(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70) == 70, "GET_ARG_COUNT() failed for 70 arguments");

There are some C++11 solutions for finding the number of arguments at compile-time, but I'm surprised to see that no one has suggested anything so simple as:

#define VA_COUNT(...) detail::va_count(__VA_ARGS__)

namespace detail
{
    template<typename ...Args>
    constexpr std::size_t va_count(Args&&...) { return sizeof...(Args); }
}

This doesn't require inclusion of the <tuple> header either.

this works with 0 arguments with gcc/llvm. [links are dumb]

/*
 * we need a comma at the start for ##_VA_ARGS__ to consume then
 * the arguments are pushed out in such a way that 'cnt' ends up with
 * the right count.  
 */
#define COUNT_ARGS(...) COUNT_ARGS_(,##__VA_ARGS__,6,5,4,3,2,1,0)
#define COUNT_ARGS_(z,a,b,c,d,e,f,cnt,...) cnt

#define C_ASSERT(test) \
    switch(0) {\
      case 0:\
      case test:;\
    }

int main() {
   C_ASSERT(0 ==  COUNT_ARGS());
   C_ASSERT(1 ==  COUNT_ARGS(a));
   C_ASSERT(2 ==  COUNT_ARGS(a,b));
   C_ASSERT(3 ==  COUNT_ARGS(a,b,c));
   C_ASSERT(4 ==  COUNT_ARGS(a,b,c,d));
   C_ASSERT(5 ==  COUNT_ARGS(a,b,c,d,e));
   C_ASSERT(6 ==  COUNT_ARGS(a,b,c,d,e,f));
   return 0;
}

Visual Studio seems to be ignoring the ## operator used to consume the empty argument. You can probably get around that with something like

#define CNT_ COUNT_ARGS
#define PASTE(x,y) PASTE_(x,y)
#define PASTE_(x,y) x ## y
#define CNT(...) PASTE(ARGVS,PASTE(CNT_(__VA_ARGS__),CNT_(1,##__VA_ARGS__)))
//you know its 0 if its 11 or 01
#define ARGVS11 0
#define ARGVS01 0
#define ARGVS12 1
#define ARGVS23 2
#define ARGVS34 3