Initializing std::bitset using uniform initialization in C++

24 Oct 2023

std::bitset is a helpful class in C++ for working with a fixed-size sequence of bits. It provides various methods and operators to manipulate and query individual bits within the sequence. To initialize a std::bitset object, you can use uniform initialization introduced in C++11.

Here’s an example of initializing a std::bitset object using uniform initialization:

#include <bitset>

int main() {
    std::bitset<8> bits{ 0b10101010 };
    return 0;
}

In this example, we initialize a std::bitset named bits with a value of 0b10101010, which represents the binary sequence 10101010. The <8> specifies the size of the bitset, indicating that it should contain 8 bits.

Notice the use of curly braces {} to initialize the bitset. This is the uniform initialization syntax introduced in C++11, which allows you to initialize objects using a consistent and concise syntax.

You can also specify the bitset value using decimal or hexadecimal representations as follows:

std::bitset<8> bits1{ 170 };     // decimal representation
std::bitset<8> bits2{ 0xAA };    // hexadecimal representation

Uniform initialization simplifies the initialization process and makes it more readable, especially when working with complex types or initializing multiple objects simultaneously.

Using std::bitset with uniform initialization provides a cleaner and more modern approach to initializing bitsets in C++. It improves the code’s readability and maintainability, making it easier to work with fixed-size sequences of bits.

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