Common Uses
Explore how to use bit operations in D programming to manage flags and masks. Understand single-bit flags for configuration options and learn techniques such as bitwise AND and OR for combining and querying these flags. Discover how masking extracts specific data parts from variables, with practical examples like IPv4 address manipulation. This lesson helps you apply bit operations for efficient data representation and control in your D programs.
Flags
Flags are single-bit independent data that are kept together in the same variable. As they are only one bit wide each, they are suitable for representing binary concepts like enabled/disabled, valid/invalid, etc.
We sometimes encounter such one-bit concepts in D modules that are based on C libraries.
Flags are usually defined as non-overlapping values of an enum type.
As an example, let’s consider a car racing game where the realism of the game is configurable:
-
The fuel consumption is realistic or not.
-
Collisions can damage the cars or not.
-
Tires can deteriorate by use or not.
-
Skid marks are left on the road surface or not.
These configuration ...