What is the difference between ssize_t and ptrdiff_t?

Question

The C standard (ISO/IEC 9899:2011 or 9899:1999) defines a type ptrdiff_t in .

The POSIX standard (ISO/IEC 9945; IEEE Std 10

Answer 1

The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7, IEEE Std 1003.1, 2013 Edition, description of says:

The type ssize_t is capable of storing values at least in the range [-1, SSIZE_MAX].

In other words, ssize_t is signed, but the set of negative values it can represent may be limited to just {-1}.

A ptrdiff_t, on the other hand, is guaranteed to have a more symmetric positive/negative range.

I admit that in practice, it doesn't seem likely that ssize_t would be this limited in the negative range, but it is possible.

Of course, another difference is that ptrdiff_t is available whenever you're programming in standard C or C++, but ssize_t may not be available unless you're targeting a standard POSIX system.