It is often instructive to display the bits of a value. (This is similar to 'converting' an integer to binary.) The way I have done this in this snippet is to start at the most significant bit and work your way through all the rest of the bits. (Continued in Part 2.)
Bits, Part 1
#include <stdio.h>
void bits_uint(unsigned int value)
{
unsigned int bit;
for ( bit = /* msb */(~0U >> 1) + 1; bit > 0; bit >>= 1 )
{
putchar(value & bit ? '1' : '0');
}
putchar('\n');
}
int main(void)
{
unsigned int u;
/*
* Using this code to explain itself a little -or- what is '(~0U >> 1) + 1'?
* Short answer: this expression sets only the most significant bit (MSB)
* of an unsigned integer.
*/
u = 0U ; printf(" 0U : "); bits_uint(u);
u = ~0U ; printf(" ~0U : "); bits_uint(u);
u = ~0U >> 1 ; printf(" ~0U >> 1 : "); bits_uint(u);
u = (~0U >> 1) + 1; printf("(~0U >> 1) + 1 : "); bits_uint(u);
return 0;
}
/* my output (spaces edited for display here)
0U : 00000000000000000000000000000000
~0U : 11111111111111111111111111111111
~0U >> 1 : 01111111111111111111111111111111
(~0U >> 1) + 1 : 10000000000000000000000000000000
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