How can I print value of std::atomic<unsigned int>

Question

I am using std::atomic<unsigned int> in my program. How can I print its value using printf? Because it doesn't work if I just use %u. I know I can use cout, but my program is littered with printf calls and I don't want to replace each of them. Previously I was using unsigned int instead of std::atomic<unsigned int> so I was just using %u and therefore printing worked fine.

Answer 1

another option, you can use load. E.g.:

std::atomic<unsigned int> a = { 42 };
printf("%u\n", a.load());

Answer 2

template<typename BaseType>
struct atomic
{
    operator BaseType () const volatile;
}

Use a typecast to pull out the underlying value.

printf("%u", unsigned(atomic_uint));