struct bitfield {
int i = 0; // ok
int j : 8 = 0; // error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment
};
What is the correct syntax to initialize bit-fields using C++11 "in-class initialization" feature?
struct bitfield {
int i = 0; // ok
int j : 8 = 0; // error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment
};
What is the correct syntax to initialize bit-fields using C++11 "in-class initialization" feature?
What is the correct syntax to initialize bit-fields using C++11 "in-class initialization" feature?
You cannot initialize bit-fields in-class. Paragraph 9.2 of the C++11 Standard specifies the grammar for class member declarators:
[...]
member-declarator:
declarator virt-specifier-seq(opt) pure-specifier(opt)
declarator brace-or-equal-initializer(opt)
identifier(opt) attribute-specifier-seq(opt): constant-expression
As you can see, declarators for bit-field members cannot be terminated by a brace-or-equal-initializer.
This was raised as Core Issue 1341 to the C++ standard, but was rejected by the C++ Core Working Group in October 2015 as NAD ("not a defect") - see http://open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG21/docs/cwg_closed.html#1341
You can write a constructor with initializer list to give default values to your bitfields.
struct bitfield {
int i;
int j : 8;
bitfield() : i(0), j(0) {};
};
You can also create read-only fields with default values.
struct _UserRegister1
{
uint8_t _RES0 : 1;
const uint8_t reserved1 : 1;
uint8_t _HTRE : 1;
const uint8_t reserved2 : 3;
uint8_t _VDDS : 1;
uint8_t _RES1 : 1;
_UserRegister1() : reserved1(1), reserved2(7) {};
};
You cannot (in C++11) in-class initialize bitfields.
In MSVC and gcc (with extensions), the anonymous union
and struct
code lets you get around this a bit.
struct bitfield {
int i = 0; // ok
union {
uint32_t raw = 0;
struct {
int j : 8;
int x : 3;
};
};
};
where we mix a fixed size raw
with a union
over bitfields, then in-class initialize the raw
element.