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c++utf-8charcoutunsigned

Unsigned character prints it's ascii value

I have C++ program that reads from a binary file byte by byte then outputs it as a character to the console.

After using unsigned char as a type, the console will print it's ascii value, which I didn't expect.

How do I get it to print the character instead of it's ascii value?

The reproducible code:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    unsigned char a;
    a = 'A';
    cout << (a > 31 ? a : '.');
 }
Solution

  • The latest problem is caused by the mix of types in the conditional expression. 

    unsigned char a;
...
cout << (a > 31 ? a : '.');

    This expression has type int because neither char type is big enough to include all the values of the other. (Apologies if the previous statement isn't totally accurate, I can't be bothered to read the fine print.)

    Simply cast one char so that both result types for the conditional expression are the same, e.g. a > 31 ? a : (unsigned char)'.'.