<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Data Type Measurements - The GNU C Library</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html">
<meta name="description" content="The GNU C Library">
<meta name="generator" content="makeinfo 4.13">
<link title="Top" rel="start" href="index.html#Top">
<link rel="up" href="Language-Features.html#Language-Features" title="Language Features">
<link rel="prev" href="Important-Data-Types.html#Important-Data-Types" title="Important Data Types">
<link href="http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/" rel="generator-home" title="Texinfo Homepage">
<!--
This file documents the GNU C library.

This is Edition 0.12, last updated 2007-10-27,
of `The GNU C Library Reference Manual', for version
2.8 (Sourcery G++ Lite 2011.03-41).

Copyright (C) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
Invariant Sections being ``Free Software Needs Free Documentation''
and ``GNU Lesser General Public License'', the Front-Cover texts being
``A GNU Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.  A
copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free
Documentation License".

(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to
copy and modify this GNU manual.  Buying copies from the FSF
supports it in developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''-->
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css">
<style type="text/css"><!--
  pre.display { font-family:inherit }
  pre.format  { font-family:inherit }
  pre.smalldisplay { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
  pre.smallformat  { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
  pre.smallexample { font-size:smaller }
  pre.smalllisp    { font-size:smaller }
  span.sc    { font-variant:small-caps }
  span.roman { font-family:serif; font-weight:normal; } 
  span.sansserif { font-family:sans-serif; font-weight:normal; } 
--></style>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../cs.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="node">
<a name="Data-Type-Measurements"></a>
<p>
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="Important-Data-Types.html#Important-Data-Types">Important Data Types</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Language-Features.html#Language-Features">Language Features</a>
<hr>
</div>

<h3 class="section">A.5 Data Type Measurements</h3>

<p>Most of the time, if you choose the proper C data type for each object
in your program, you need not be concerned with just how it is
represented or how many bits it uses.  When you do need such
information, the C language itself does not provide a way to get it. 
The header files <samp><span class="file">limits.h</span></samp> and <samp><span class="file">float.h</span></samp> contain macros
which give you this information in full detail.

<ul class="menu">
<li><a accesskey="1" href="Width-of-Type.html#Width-of-Type">Width of Type</a>:            How many bits does an integer type hold? 
<li><a accesskey="2" href="Range-of-Type.html#Range-of-Type">Range of Type</a>:            What are the largest and smallest values
			     that an integer type can hold? 
<li><a accesskey="3" href="Floating-Type-Macros.html#Floating-Type-Macros">Floating Type Macros</a>:     Parameters that measure the floating point types. 
<li><a accesskey="4" href="Structure-Measurement.html#Structure-Measurement">Structure Measurement</a>:    Getting measurements on structure types. 
</ul>

   </body></html>