microsoft / microsoft/STL

P4037R1 Supporting `signed char` And `unsigned char` In `<random>`

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cxx26 defect report
Dominant language
C++
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Description

WG21-P4037R1 Supporting signed char And unsigned char In <random>

This paper says:

No feature-test macro is provided because these changes are intended to be applied as a defect report.

When this paper was accepted at the 2026-03 meeting in Croydon, it wasn't formally voted in as a Defect Report, but I believe that it should be treated as a de facto DR, implemented unconditionally (i.e. all the way down to C++14).

We also have a bunch of obnoxious workarounds in our tests and benchmarks that can be removed.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reading WG21-P4037R1 and locating the implementation, then inspect the tests and benchmarks that contain workarounds for signed char and unsigned char. Done means those types are supported unconditionally through C++14 and the obsolete workarounds are removed, with the affected tests and benchmarks passing.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
devtools
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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