How can I use a bitmask?

Briefly, a bitmask helps to manipulate the position of multiple values. There is a good example here;

Bitflags are a method of storing multiple values, which are not mutually exclusive, in one variable. You’ve probably seen them before. Each flag is a bit position which can be set on or off. You then have a bunch of bitmasks #defined for each bit position so you can easily manipulate it:

    #define LOG_ERRORS            1  // 2^0, bit 0
    #define LOG_WARNINGS          2  // 2^1, bit 1
    #define LOG_NOTICES           4  // 2^2, bit 2
    #define LOG_INCOMING          8  // 2^3, bit 3
    #define LOG_OUTGOING         16  // 2^4, bit 4
    #define LOG_LOOPBACK         32  // and so on...

// Only 6 flags/bits used, so a char is fine
unsigned char flags;

// Initialising the flags,
// Note that assigning a value will clobber any other flags, so you
// it should generally only use the = operator when initialising variables.
flags = LOG_ERRORS;
// Sets to 1 i.e. bit 0

// Initialising to multiple values with OR (|)
flags = LOG_ERRORS | LOG_WARNINGS | LOG_INCOMING;
// sets to 1 + 2 + 8 i.e. bits 0, 1 and 3

// Setting one flag on, leaving the rest untouched
// OR bitmask with the current value
flags |= LOG_INCOMING;

// Testing for a flag
// AND with the bitmask before testing with ==
if ((flags & LOG_WARNINGS) == LOG_WARNINGS)
   ...

// Testing for multiple flags
// As above, OR the bitmasks
if ((flags & (LOG_INCOMING | LOG_OUTGOING))
         == (LOG_INCOMING | LOG_OUTGOING))
   ...

// Removing a flag, leaving the rest untouched
// AND with the inverse (NOT) of the bitmask
flags &= ~LOG_OUTGOING;

// Toggling a flag, leaving the rest untouched
flags ^= LOG_LOOPBACK;

**

WARNING: DO NOT use the equality operator (i.e. bitflags == bitmask)
for testing if a flag is set – that expression will only be true if
that flag is set and all others are unset. To test for a single flag
you need to use & and == :

**

if (flags == LOG_WARNINGS) //DON'T DO THIS
   ...
if ((flags & LOG_WARNINGS) == LOG_WARNINGS) // The right way
   ...
if ((flags & (LOG_INCOMING | LOG_OUTGOING)) // Test for multiple flags set
         == (LOG_INCOMING | LOG_OUTGOING))
   ...

You can also search C++ Tricks.