Definition of int64_t

Question

I am new to C/C++, so I have a couple of questions about a basic type:

a) Can you explain to me the difference between int64_t and long (long int)? In my understanding, both are 64 bit integers. Is there any reason to choose one over the other?

b) I tried to look up the definition of int64_t on the web, without much success. Is there an authoritative source I need to consult for such questions?

c) For code using int64_t to compile, I am currently including <iostream>, which doesn't make much sense to me. Are there other includes that provide a declaration of int64_t?

Answer 1

a) Can you explain to me the difference between int64_t and long (long int)? In my understanding, both are 64 bit integers. Is there any reason to choose one over the other?

The former is a signed integer type with exactly 64 bits. The latter is a signed integer type with at least 32 bits.

b) I tried to look up the definition of int64_t on the web, without much success. Is there an authoritative source I need to consult for such questions?

http://cppreference.com covers this here: http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/types/integer. The authoritative source, however, is the C++ standard (this particular bit can be found in §18.4 Integer types [cstdint]).

c) For code using int64_t to compile, I am including <iostream>, which doesn't make much sense to me. Are there other includes that provide a declaration of int64_t?

It is declared in <cstdint> or <cinttypes> (under namespace std), or in <stdint.h> or <inttypes.h> (in the global namespace).