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...

/* // ... */
if (age >= 18) {
   /* Take action */
}
else {
  /* Take a different action */
}
/* // ... */

Compliant Solution

The compliant solution replaces 18 with the symbolic constant ADULT_AGE to clarify the meaning of the code.

...

enum { ADULT_AGE=18 };
/* // ... */
if (age >= ADULT_AGE) {
   /* Take action */
}
else {
  /* Take a different action */
}
/* // ... */

Exceptions

While replacing numeric constants with a symbolic constant is often a good practice, it can be taken too far. Exceptions can be made for constants that are themselves the abstraction you want to represent, as in this compliant solution.

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