What is a base type?

[EwCjE3v7]

What is a base type?
I presume it's the type before the variable name
Ex. Int x = 10;
The int is the base type
If I'm wrong please correct me.
Thank you

[Disch]

Out of context I have no idea what it means. In what context did you read this term?

[EwCjE3v7]

It is in my book, c++ primer fifth edition.

As we’ve seen, a variable definition consists of a base type and a list of declarators. Each declarator can relate its variable to the base type differently from the other declarators in the same definition. Thus, a single definition might define variables of different types

[vlad from moscow]

There are so-called fundamental types in C/C++. For example int is a fundamental type while structures, unions and arrays are compound types.

[naraku9333]

My guess he means something like int i, *ptr, &ref; where int is base and i, *ptr, and &ref are declarators.

[Codeez]

naraku9333 wrote:

My guess he means something like int i, *ptr, &ref; where int is base and i, *ptr, and &ref are declarators.

More specifically i, ptr and ref are the names, * and & are type modifiers - all forming a declarator.

[EwCjE3v7]

So a base type is the int in here
int x = 0, *px;
right?

[vlad from moscow]

There is no such notion as the base type in C++. There are such notions as type specifiers and declarators. In your example int is a simple type specifier. x and *px are declarators.

[EwCjE3v7]

Oh ok.than why the hell would my book use it? That's stupid

[LB]

May I ask, the name and author of your book?

[vlad from moscow]

I found only one mention about base type in the C++ Standard. These words are used to denote base class.

[vlad from moscow]

@CaptainBlastXD

Oh ok.than why the hell would my book use it? That's stupid

In fact words "base type" can be synonyms of the C++ term "fundamental type".

[andywestken]

The name of the book is given above as c++ primer fifth edition.

So the authors are apparently Stanley B. Lippman, Josée Lajoie, and Barbara E. Moo

I think the authors are using the word base in a looser sense than it has in base class. e.g. base type = the type on which things are based, rather than the type that is inherited from (or whatever.)

It is prob a bit of an unfortunate choice, given the resonance between "base class" and "base type". But what word could be used here instead, to make it clear that the types of the variables can differ from the "original" type? You can't switch to simple (or fundamental, basic, ...) as you can base your declarations on compound types as well.

Andy