How Can I Print a Character's Integer Value Using C 's `cout`?

Outputting a Character as an Integer with C 's cout

When working with character data types in C , it can be challenging to output their numerical representations. By default, functions like cout interpret characters as printable symbols rather than numeric values. This can be frustrating when dealing with integral types like char.

To resolve this issue, one can leverage the unary operator to promote a character to a higher-level type with standard numeric printing capabilities. Consider the following example:

char a = 0xab;
cout << +a;

The unary operator converts the character a into a numeric type, allowing cout to print its value as an integer. This approach is particularly suitable when working with custom classes representing numeric values, especially if they possess a unary operator with ordinary semantics. By overriding the operator () to return *this either by value or by reference-to-const, users can effortlessly print these custom types as numbers.

This technique offers a concise and efficient way to output characters as integers in C , without resorting to complicated casting methods or manual bit manipulation. By leveraging the unary operator's type promotion capabilities, developers can simplify the task of numeric character handling and maintain code readability.

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