C: Casting minimum 32-bit integer (-2147483648) to float gives positive number (2147483648.0)

Question

I was working on an embedded project when I ran into something which I thought was strange behaviour. I managed to reproduce it on codepad (see below) to confirm, but don\'t

Answer 1

In C89 with a 32 bit long, 2147483648L has type unsigned long int (see 3.1.3.2 Integer constants). So once modulo arithmetic has been applied to the unary minus operation, INT32_MIN is the positive value 2147483648 with type unsigned long.

In C99, 2147483648L has type long if long is bigger than 32 bits, or long long otherwise (see 6.4.4.1 Integer constants). So there is no problem and INT32_MIN is the negative value -2147483648 with type long or long long.

Similarly in C89 with long larger than 32 bits, 2147483648L has type long and INT32_MIN is negative.

I guess you're using a C89 compiler with a 32 bit long.

One way to look at it is that C99 fixes a "mistake" in C89. In C99 a decimal literal with no U suffix always has signed type, whereas in C89 it may be signed or unsigned depending on its value.

What you should probably do, btw, is include limits.h and use INT_MIN for the minimum value of an int, and LONG_MIN for the minimum value of a long. They have the correct value and the expected type (INT_MIN is an int, LONG_MIN is a long). If you need an exact 32 bit type then (assuming your implementation is 2's complement):

• for code that doesn't have to be portable, you could use whichever type you prefer that's the correct size, and assert it to be on the safe side.
• for code that has to be portable, search for a version of the C99 header stdint.h that works on your C89 compiler, and use int32_t and INT32_MIN from that.
• if all else fails, write stdint.h yourself, and use the expression in WiSaGaN's answer. It has type int if int is at least 32 bits, otherwise long.

Answer 2

Replace

#define INT32_MIN (-2147483648L)

with

#define INT32_MIN (-2147483647 - 1)

-2147483648 is interpreted by the compiler to be the negation of 2147483648, which causes overflow on an int. So you should write (-2147483647 - 1) instead.
This is all C89 standard though. See Steve Jessop's answer for C99.
Also long is typically 32 bits on 32-bit machines, and 64 bits on 64-bit machines. int here gets the things done.