Understanding the C++ abs() Function: Handling Integer Overflow

TYPO3 Questions
1

I’m working with the abs() function in C++ to calculate the absolute value of an integer. It works well for most cases, but I’ve encountered a situation where I suspect integer overflow is causing issues.

Here’s a simplified example of what I’m trying to do:

#include <iostream>
#include <cstdlib>

int main() {
    int num = std::abs(INT_MIN);
    std::cout << "Absolute value of INT_MIN is: " << num << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

When I run this code, I get a surprising result because INT_MIN is the most negative integer, and taking its absolute value should result in a positive integer. However, the output is not what I expected.
I believe that integer overflow is the root of this problem. When using the abs() method, can someone explain why this occurs and how to handle integer overflow? I have looked through multiple articles like Scaler in an effort to discover the answer, but if there is another, more efficient way to compute the absolute value of integers in C++, I would really appreciate the advice. I want to ensure that my code handles extreme cases like this correctly and efficiently.

2

You should ask this in a C++ forum or on StackOverflow. This forum is about TYPO3.