int8_t* and char*

Question

Why does the statement const int8_t* cstr = "asdf"; gives error

invalid conversion from ‘const char*’ to ‘const int8_t*’

Aren't int8_t* and char* same? Am I missing some subtle thing here?!

Answer 1

const signed char* is not the same as const char*. Check your compilation settings, because that would explain it. int8_t is always (never say never =) at least everywhere i've seen) defined as signed char.

Answer 2

According to [18.4 Integer types]:

typedef signed integer type int8_t; // optional

And [3.9.1 Fundamental types]:

Plain char, signed char, and unsigned char are three distinct types

int8_t is a signed integer type (on my system defined as signed char) and char and signed char are distinct types, so they are different.