INT_[MIN|MAX] limit macros vs numeric_limits

Question

Is there any argument for using the numeric limits macros (e.g. INT64_MAX) over std::numeric_limits? From what I understand numeric_limits is in the standard but the macros

Answer 1

Pre C++0x, definitely. INT_MIN and INT_MAX are integral constant expressions; numeric_limits::min() and numeric_limits::max() aren't. is standard C++, and unless you're dealing with templates (where you don't know whether it's int or long), there's really no reason to bother with the overly complicated solution. (Also: if you're writing templates, don't forget that numeric_limits::min() and numeric_limits::min() represent completely different attributes; if you want the minimum possible value, you'll need numeric_limits::is_integer ? numeric_limits::min() : -numeric_limits::max().)