This module corresponds to section 2.2 (Primitive Types) of the OpenAL Specification and Reference (version 1.1).

As OpenAL is meant to allow for seamless integration with OpenGL code if needed, the OpenAL library primitive (scalar) data types mimic the OpenGL data types. Guaranteed minimum sizes are stated for OpenGL data types, but the actual choice of C data type is left to the implementation. All implementations on a given binary architecture, however, must use a common definition of these data types.

Any representable floating-point value is legal as input to an OpenAL command that requires floating point data. The result of providing a value that is not a floating point number to such a command is unspecified, but must not lead to OpenAL being interrupted or terminated. In IEEE arithmetic, for example, providing a negative zero or a denormalized number to an OpenAL command yields predictable results, while providing a NaN or infinity yields unspecified results. Some calculations require division. In such cases (including implied divisions required by vector normalizations), a division by zero produces an unspecified result but must not lead to OpenAL interruption or termination.