assert

 

C++

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Technical Specifications

 

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Error handling

Exception handling exception uncaught_exceptionuncaught_exceptions (until C++20)(C++17) exception_ptr (C++11) make_exception_ptr (C++11) current_exception (C++11) rethrow_exception (C++11) nested_exception (C++11) throw_with_nested (C++11) rethrow_if_nested (C++11) Exception handling failures terminate terminate_handler get_terminate (C++11) set_terminate bad_exception unexpected (until C++17) unexpected_handler (until C++17) get_unexpected (C++11)(until C++17) set_unexpected (until C++17) Error codes Error codes errno

Exception categories logic_error invalid_argument domain_error length_error out_of_range runtime_error range_error overflow_error underflow_error tx_exception (TM TS) Assertions assert system_error facility error_category (C++11) generic_category (C++11) system_category (C++11) error_condition (C++11) errc (C++11) error_code (C++11) system_error (C++11)

 

Defined in header <cassert>
#ifdef NDEBUG #define assert(condition) ((void)0) #else #define assert(condition) /*implementation defined*/ #endif

The definition of the macro assert depends on another macro, NDEBUG, which is not defined by the standard library.

If NDEBUG is defined as a macro name at the point in the source code where <cassert> is included, then assert does nothing.

If NDEBUG is not defined, then assert checks if its argument (which must have scalar type) compares equal to zero. If it does, assert outputs implementation-specific diagnostic information on the standard error output and calls std::abort. The diagnostic information is required to include the text of expression, as well as the values of the standard macros __FILE__, __LINE__, and the standard variable __func__ (since C++11).

The expression assert(E) is guaranteed to be a constant subexpression, if either NDEBUG is defined at the point where assert is last defined or redefined (i.e., where the header <cassert> or <assert.h> was last included); or E, contextually converted to bool, is a constant subexpression that evaluates to true.

(since C++17)

Parameters

condition

-

expression of scalar type

Return value

(none)

Notes

Because assert is a function-like macro, commas anywhere in condition that are not protected by parentheses are interpreted as macro argument separators. Such commas are often found in template argument lists and list-initialization:

assert(std::is_same_v<int, int>); // error: assert does not take two arguments
assert((std::is_same_v<int, int>)); // OK: one argument
static_assert(std::is_same_v<int, int>); // OK: not a macro
std::complex<double> c;
assert(c == std::complex<double>{0, 0}); // error
assert((c == std::complex<double>{0, 0})); // OK

There is no standarized interface to add an additional message to assert errors. A portable way to include one is to use a comma operator provided it has not been overloaded:

assert(("There are five lights", 2 + 2 == 5));

Example

Run this code

#include <iostream>
// uncomment to disable assert()
// #define NDEBUG
#include <cassert>
 
// Use (void) to silent unused warnings.
#define assertm(exp, msg) assert(((void)msg, exp))
 
int main()
{
    assert(2+2==4);
    std::cout << "Execution continues past the first assert\n";
    assertm(2+2==5, "There are five lights");
    std::cout << "Execution continues past the second assert\n";
}

Possible output:

Execution continues past the first assert
test: test.cc:10: int main(): Assertion `((void)"There are five lights", 2+2==5)' failed.
Aborted

See also

static assertion	performs compile-time assertion checking (since C++11)
abort	causes abnormal program termination (without cleaning up) (function)