Integer constant expression
An integer constant expression is an expression whose value can be determined during translation using only permitted constant operands and operations.
Modern C, Third Edition
An integer constant expression is a C expression whose value can be determined during translation using only permitted constant operands and operations.
- How it is used
- Supplies fixed case values, enumeration initializers, and a named array bound.
- How deep it goes
- Defines compile-time and object-evaluation restrictions through valid and invalid examples, without providing a complete grammar of permitted expressions.
- Examples
- Contrasts literal case labels with a variable and tests enumeration initializers built from literals, enum constants, const objects, and constexpr objects.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand whether a proposed case value or enumeration initializer meets the illustrated ICE restrictions.
Read how Modern C, Third Edition explains integer constant expression →
Modern C
An integer constant expression is a C expression whose value is an integer constant determined according to the language's constant-expression rules.
- How it is used
- Constrains case labels and names compile-time integer values for enumerations.
- How deep it goes
- Defines compile-time evaluation and object exclusion, while deferring _Alignof, offsetof, and sizeof details.
- Examples
- Uses switch case labels, enumeration declarations, indexed arrays, and valid-versus-invalid enumeration initializers.
- What you can do after
- Apply it in C by distinguishing compile-time integer expressions from expressions that evaluate objects.
Related concepts
- compound literalcontrasts with · A compound literal is a C expression consisting of a parenthesized type name followed by an initializer that creates an unnamed object.
- enum constantused by · An enumeration constant is a named member of an enumeration representing one distinct enumerated value.
- expressionkind of · An expression is a syntactic construct in a programming language that evaluates to a value or designates an object, and may also cause side effects.
- literaluses · A literal is a language construct that directly denotes a fixed value or specifies an exact value permitted by a type.
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