Where are MIN
and MAX
defined in C, if at all?
What is the best way to implement these, as generically and type safely as possible? (Compiler extensions/builtins for mainstream compilers preferred.)
Where are
MIN
andMAX
defined in C, if at all?
They aren't.
What is the best way to implement these, as generically and type safe as possible (compiler extensions/builtins for mainstream compilers preferred).
As functions. I wouldn't use macros like #define MIN(X, Y) (((X) < (Y)) ? (X) : (Y))
, especially if you plan to deploy your code. Either write your own, use something like standard fmax
or fmin
, or fix the macro using GCC's typeof (you get typesafety bonus too) in a GCC statement expression:
#define max(a,b) \
({ __typeof__ (a) _a = (a); \
__typeof__ (b) _b = (b); \
_a > _b ? _a : _b; })
Everyone says "oh I know about double evaluation, it's no problem" and a few months down the road, you'll be debugging the silliest problems for hours on end.
Note the use of __typeof__
instead of typeof
:
If you are writing a header file that must work when included in ISO C programs, write
__typeof__
instead oftypeof
.