A
bit field is a term used in
computer programming to store multiple, logical, neighboring
bits, where each of the sets of bits, and single bits can be addressed. A bit field is most commonly used to represent
integral types of known, fixed bit-width. A well-known usage of bit-fields is to represent a set of bits, and/or series of bits, known as
flags. For example, the first bit in a bit field can be used to determine the state of a particular attribute associated with the bit field.