Creating an integer from three bool values as bits in C++

Question

I have three bool values that represent bits. I want to have an integer in the form

true true true = 7
false true false = 2

I have

int val = 4*boolVal1 + 2*boolVal2 + boolVal3;

Is there another way, maybe even simpler?

Answer 1

You might find it clearer to use bitwise operators instead of multiplication and addition:

int val = (boolVal1 << 2) | (boolVal2 << 1) | boolVal3; 

Answer 2

Or you can use Horner's method:

int val = (((boolVal1 << 1) | boolVal2) << 1) | boolVal3.

This also makes it easier to add or remove variables from the middle of the statement without having to change all the other coefficients.

However, this might be a little less obvious to the reader.