Uses for Unsigned Integers

While unsigned integers can be tricky to work with, they do have legitimate uses. Here are some real-world scenarios where unsigned integers make sense:

Array Sizes and Counts

When you're counting things or working with sizes, the number can never be negative. For example, you can't have -3 players in a game. However, we typically still use regular integers for these because the benefits rarely outweigh the risks.

Hardware and Low-Level Programming

When working directly with computer hardware, unsigned integers are often required because they map directly to how the hardware works. For example, memory addresses are always positive numbers.

Binary Data and File Sizes

When working with file sizes or network data, unsigned integers are commonly used because these values are never negative:

1#include <iostream>
2using namespace std;
3
4int main() {
5  // File sizes are never negative
6  uint64_t VideoFileSize{1'500'000'000};
7
8  // Data amounts are never negative
9  uint32_t BytesDownloaded{750'000};
10
11  cout << "Downloading " << BytesDownloaded
12    << " bytes out of " << VideoFileSize;
13
14  // This would make no sense - a file
15  // can't be -1000 bytes!
16  int NegativeFileSize{-1'000};  
17}

1Downloading 750000 bytes out of 1500000000

Bitwise Operations

When doing binary operations (working directly with bits), unsigned integers are often preferred because they have well-defined behavior:

1#include <iostream>
2using namespace std;
3
4int main() {
5  // Using binary literal
6  uint8_t Flags{0b00000101};
7
8  // Each bit can represent a yes/no setting
9  // First bit
10  bool IsHappy = (Flags & 0b00000001) != 0;
11
12    // Third bit
13  bool IsFlying = (Flags & 0b00000100) != 0;
14
15  cout << "Character is happy: " << IsHappy
16    << "\nCharacter is flying: " << IsFlying;
17}

1Character is happy: 1
2Character is flying: 1

However, unless you're doing one of these specialized tasks, it's usually better to use regular signed integers. They're safer because:

• You can't accidentally go below zero
• They work more intuitively with subtraction
• They cause fewer surprises when mixed with regular integers
• Most C++ standard library functions expect signed integers

The general rule is: use signed integers by default, and only use unsigned integers when you have a specific reason to do so and understand the implications.