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· Question 20.8 (original) (raw)

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**Q:**How can I implement sets or arrays of bits?


**A:**Use arrays of char or int, with a few macros to access the desired bit in the proper cell of the array. Here are some simple macros to use with arrays of char:

#include <limits.h> /* for CHAR_BIT */

#define BITMASK(b) (1 << ((b) % CHAR_BIT)) #define BITSLOT(b) ((b) / CHAR_BIT) #define BITSET(a, b) ((a)[BITSLOT(b)] |= BITMASK(b)) #define BITCLEAR(a, b) ((a)[BITSLOT(b)] &= ~BITMASK(b)) #define BITTEST(a, b) ((a)[BITSLOT(b)] & BITMASK(b)) #define BITNSLOTS(nb) ((nb + CHAR_BIT - 1) / CHAR_BIT)

(If you don't have <limits.h>, try using 8 for CHAR_BIT.)

Here are some usage examples. To declare an ``array'' of 47 bits:

char bitarray[BITNSLOTS(47)];

To set the 23rd bit:

BITSET(bitarray, 23);

To test the 35th bit:

if(BITTEST(bitarray, 35)) ...

To compute the union of two bit arrays and place it in a third array (with all three arrays declared as above):

for(i = 0; i < BITNSLOTS(47); i++)
    array3[i] = array1[i] | array2[i];

To compute the intersection, use & instead of |.

As a more realistic example, here is a quick implementation of the Sieve of Eratosthenes, for computing prime numbers:

#include <stdio.h> #include <string.h>

#define MAX 10000

int main() { char bitarray[BITNSLOTS(MAX)]; int i, j;

memset(bitarray, 0, BITNSLOTS(MAX));

for(i = 2; i < MAX; i++) {
    if(!BITTEST(bitarray, i)) {
        printf("%d\n", i);
        for(j = i + i; j < MAX; j += i)
            BITSET(bitarray, j);
    }
}
return 0;

}

See also question 20.7.

Additional links:further explanation

References: H&S Sec. 7.6.7 pp. 211-216


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