__restrict

Like the __declspec ( restrict ) modifier, the __restrict keyword (two leading underscores '_') indicates that a symbol isn't aliased in the current scope. The __restrict keyword differs from the __declspec (restrict) modifier in the following ways:

• The __restrict keyword is valid only on variables, and __declspec (restrict) is only valid on function declarations and definitions.

• __restrict is similar to restrict for C starting in C99 and available in /std:c11 or /std:c17 mode, but __restrict can be used in both C++ and C programs.

• When __restrict is used, the compiler won't propagate the no-alias property of a variable. That is, if you assign a __restrict variable to a non-__restrict variable, the compiler will still allow the non-__restrict variable to be aliased. This is different from the behavior of the C99 C language restrict keyword.

Generally, if you want to affect the behavior of an entire function, use __declspec (restrict) instead of the keyword.

For compatibility with previous versions, _restrict is a synonym for __restrict unless compiler option /Za (Disable language extensions) is specified.

In Visual Studio 2015 and later, __restrict can be used on C++ references.

// __restrict_keyword.c
// compile with: /LD
// In the following function, declare a and b as disjoint arrays
// but do not have same assurance for c and d.
void sum2(int n, int * __restrict a, int * __restrict b,
          int * c, int * d) {
   int i;
   for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
      a[i] = b[i] + c[i];
      c[i] = b[i] + d[i];
    }
}

// By marking union members as __restrict, tell compiler that
// only z.x or z.y will be accessed in any given scope.
union z {
   int * __restrict x;
   double * __restrict y;
};

Keywords