The typedef keyword in C

Feb 26, 2020

Learn how the typedef keyword in C lets you create new type names from existing types, like turning int into NUMBER, and why it shines with structs and enums.

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The typedef keyword in C allows you to defined new types.

Starting from the built-in C types, we can create our own types, using this syntax:

typedef existingtype NEWTYPE

The new type we create is usually, by convention, uppercase.

This it to distinguish it more easily, and immediately recognize it as type.

For example we can define a new NUMBER type that is an int:

typedef int NUMBER

and once you do so, you can define new NUMBER variables:

NUMBER one = 1;

Now you might ask: why? Why not just use the built-in type int instead?

Well, typedef gets really useful when paired with two things: enumerated types and structures.

Tagged: C · All topics

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