How can I print the value of std :: atomic <unsigned int>

Question

I am using std::atomic<unsigned int> in my program. How to print its value using printf ? Because it does not work if I just use %u . I know I can use cout , but my program is dotted with printf calls, and I don't want to replace them. I used to use unsigned int instead of std::atomic<unsigned int> , so I just used %u , and so printing worked fine.

Answer 1

 template<typename BaseType> struct atomic { operator BaseType () const volatile; } 

Use type casting to pull out the base value.

 printf("%u", unsigned(atomic_uint));