"Uint32", "int16" and the like; are they standard c++?

Question

I'm quite new to c++, but I've got the hang of the fundamentals. I've come across the use of "Uint32" (in various capitalizations) and similar data types when reading other's code, but I can't find any documentation mentioning them. I understand that "Uint32" is an unsigned int with 32 bits, but my compiler doesn't. I'm using visual c++ express, and it doesn't recognize any form of it from what I can tell.

Is there some compilers that reads those data types by default, or have these programmers declared them themselves as classes or #define constants?

I can see a point in using them to know exactly how long your integer will be, since the normal declaration seems to vary depending on the system. Is there any other pros or cons using them?

Answer 1

Unix platforms define these types in stdint.h, this is the preferred method of ensuring type sizing when writing portable code.

Microsoft's platforms do not define this header, which is a problem when going cross-platform. If you're not using Boost Integer Library already, I recommend getting Paul Hsieh's portable stdint.h implementation of this header for use on Microsoft platforms.

Update: Visual Studio 2010 and later do define this header.