static const vs #define

Question

Is it better to use static const vars than #define preprocessor? Or maybe it depends on the context?

What are advantages/disadvantages for

Answer 1

As a rather old and rusty C programmer who never quite made it fully to C++ because other things came along and is now hacking along getting to grips with Arduino my view is simple.

#define is a compiler pre processor directive and should be used as such, for conditional compilation etc.. E.g. where low level code needs to define some possible alternative data structures for portability to specif hardware. It can produce inconsistent results depending on the order your modules are compiled and linked. If you need something to be global in scope then define it properly as such.

const and (static const) should always be used to name static values or strings. They are typed and safe and the debugger can work fully with them.

enums have always confused me, so I have managed to avoid them.