assert

C

Language

Headers

Type support

Program utilities

Variadic function support

Error handling

Dynamic memory management

Date and time utilities

Strings library

Algorithms

Numerics

Input/output support

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Atomic operations (C11)

Thread support (C11)

Technical Specifications

Error handling

Error codes

Error codes

errno

Assertions

assert

static_assert (C11)

Bounds checking

set_constraint_handler_s (C11)

abort_handler_s (C11)

ignore_handler_s (C11)

Defined in header <assert.h>
#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 <assert.h> 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 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 predefined variable __func__. (since C99)

Parameters

condition

-

expression of scalar type

Return value

(none)

Example

Run this code

#include <stdio.h>
// uncomment to disable assert()
// #define NDEBUG
#include <assert.h>
#include <math.h>

int main(void)
{
    double x = -1.0;
    assert(x >= 0.0);
    printf("sqrt(x) =%f\n", sqrt(x));   

    return 0;
}

Output:

output with NDEBUG not defined:
a.out: main.cpp:10: main: Assertion `x >= 0.0' failed.

output with NDEBUG defined:
sqrt(x) = -nan

References

• C11 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:2011):

• 7.2.1.1 The assert macro (p: 186-187)

• C99 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1999):

• 7.2.1.1 The assert macro (p: 169)

• C89/C90 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1990):

• 4.2.1.1 The assert macro

See also

abort

causes abnormal program termination (without cleaning up) (function)