Compiler deal with source code as strings so in C++ for example when it encourage statement like `unsigned char x = 150;` it knows from type limits that `unsigned char` must be in range between `0` and `255`.

My question is while the number `150` remain string what algorithm compiler use to compare digit sequence - `150` in this case - against type limits?

I made a simple algorithm to do that for type 'int' for decimal, octal, hexadecimal and little endian binary but i don't think compiler do such thing like that to detect overflow in numbers.

the algorithm i made are coded in C++:

```
typedef signed char int8;
typedef signed int  int32;

#define DEC  0
#define HEX  1
#define OCT  2
#define BIN  3

bool isOverflow(const char* value, int32 base)
{
    // left-most digit for maximum and minimum number
    static const char* max_numbers[4][2] =
    {
        //                 INT_MAX                           INT_MIN
        {                       "2147483647",                       "2147483648" }, // decimal
        {                         "7fffffff",                         "80000000" }, // hexadecimal
        {                      "17777777777",                      "20000000000" }, // octal
        { "01111111111111111111111111111111", "10000000000000000000000000000000" }  // binary
    };

    // size of strings in max_numbers array
    static const int32 number_sizes[] = { 10, 8, 11, 32 };

    // input string size
    int32 str_len = strlen(value);

    // is sign mark exist in input string
    int32 signExist = ((base == DEC || base == OCT) && *value == '-');

    // first non zero digit in input number
    int32 non_zero_index = signExist;

    // locate first non zero index
    while(non_zero_index < str_len && value[non_zero_index] == 0) non_zero_index++;

    // if non_zero_index equal length then all digits are zero
    if (non_zero_index == str_len) return false;

    // get number of digits that actually represent the number
    int32 diff = str_len - non_zero_index;

    // if difference less than 10 digits then no overflow will happened
    if (diff < number_sizes[base]) return false;
    // if difference greater than 10 digits then overflow will happened
    if (diff > number_sizes[base]) return true;

    // left digit in input and search strings
    int8 left1 = 0, left2 = 0;

    // if digits equal to 10 then loop over digits from left to right and compare
    for (int32 i = 0; non_zero_index < str_len; non_zero_index++, i++)
    {
        // get input digit
        left1 = value[non_zero_index];
        // get match digit
        left2 = max_numbers[signExist][i];

        // if digits not equal then if left1 is greater overflow will occurred, false otherwise
        if (left1 != left2) return left1 > left2;
    }

    // overflow won't happened
    return false;
}

```

This algorithm can be optimized to work with all integers types but with float-point i have to make new one to work with IEEE float-point representation.

i think compilers use efficient algorithm to detect overflow other than mine, don't you?