Which version of C++ am I using?

Question

Currently I am using C++ in Windows environment. I am using Visual Studio 2008 with Service pack 1.

I never thought about C++ version unless until I came to know about C++11. There appear to be different versions like ANSI standard, C++ 98 Standard etc.

1. How do I get to know which version of C++ am I using?

2. If I don't have Visual Studio I know I can use other Compilers like TC to compile my C++ code. In that case how can I get to know which version of C++ the compiler is using.

3. Are the changes made in consecutive C++ versions about Programming concepts or only in Language design?

Answer 1

It's not as simple as a version check.

Every compiler that supports some C++11 supports a different subset of C++11. No compiler advertises full compliance with C++11 yet, for obvious reasons.

The C++11 specification requires that a predefined macro, __cplusplus be defined which has the value 201103L. However, you cannot rely on this macro alone. Not in real code.

You instead have to rely on compiler-specific macros to tell when compiler and which version of that compiler you're using. Or you can use Boost.Config to help you detect whether specific features are supported.