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#### 8.2.3.2 The Main Branch of Integer Types

``Integer'`, ``Cardinal'`, and ``Word'` define the three "main branches" of GPC's integer types. You won't always be able to deal with the natural size; sometimes something smaller or longer will be needed. Especially when interfacing with libraries written in other languages such as C, you will need equivalents for their integer types.

The following variants of ``Integer'`, ``Cardinal'` and ``Word'` are guaranteed to be compatible to the integer types of GNU C. The sizes given, however, are not guaranteed. They are just typical values currently used on most platforms, but they may be actually shorter or increase in the future.

signed | unsigned | also unsigned | GNU C equivalent | size in bits (typically)
`ByteInt` | `ByteCard` | `Byte` | `[un]signed char` | `8`
`ShortInt` | `ShortCard` | `ShortWord` | `[unsigned] short int` | `16`
`Integer` | `Cardinal` | `Word` | `[unsigned] int` | `32`
`MedInt` | `MedCard` | `MedWord` | `[unsinged] long int` | `32`
`LongInt` | `LongCard` | `LongWord` | `[unsinged] long long int` | `64`
-- | `SizeType` | -- | `size_t` | `32`
`PtrDiffType` | -- | -- | `ptrdiff_t` | `32`
`PtrInt` | `PtrCard` | `PtrWord` | -- | `32`

Since we don't know whether ``LongInt'` will always remain the "longest" integer type available -- maybe GNU C will get ``long long long int'`, one day, which we will support as ``LongLongInt'` -- we have added the synonym ``LongestInt'` for the longest available singed integer type, and the same holds for ``LongestCard'` and ``LongestWord'`.

This document was generated by Frank Heckenbach on May, 10 2002 using texi2html