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What is the difference between ssize_t and ptrdiff_t?

Tags:

c

posix

The C standard (ISO/IEC 9899:2011 or 9899:1999) defines a type ptrdiff_t in <stddef.h>.

The POSIX standard (ISO/IEC 9945; IEEE Std 1003.1-2008) defines a type ssize_t in <sys/types.h>.

  • What is the difference between these types (or why were both deemed necessary)?
  • Is there an implementation where the underlying base type for ssize_t is not the same as for ptrdiff_t?
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Jonathan Leffler Avatar asked Dec 27 '11 20:12

Jonathan Leffler


People also ask

What is Ptrdiff_t?

ptrdiff_t is used for pointer arithmetic and array indexing, if negative values are possible. Programs that use other types, such as int, may fail on, e.g. 64-bit systems when the index exceeds INT_MAX or if it relies on 32-bit modular arithmetic.

Is Size_t always the size of a pointer?

The size of size_t and ptrdiff_t always coincide with the pointer's size. Because of this, it is these types that should be used as indexes for large arrays, for storage of pointers and pointer arithmetic.


1 Answers

Is there an implementation where the underlying base type for ssize_t is not the same as for ptrdiff_t?

x86-16 with the large memory model. Pointers are far (32-bit), but individual objects are limited to one segment (so size_t is allowed to be 16-bit).

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dan04 Avatar answered Oct 11 '22 16:10

dan04