Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!ukc!stc!inset!mikeb
From: mikeb@inset.UUCP (Mike Banahan)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Type of address of array
Keywords: typedef borland zortech cfront
Message-ID: <1649@inset.UUCP>
Date: 11 Oct 90 17:32:43 GMT
Organization: The Instruction Set Ltd., London, UK.
Lines: 32

Here is an interesting "feature" of the Zortech R2.1, Borland and AT&T R2.0
C++ compilers:

main(){
	typedef int iar[4];

	iar localitem;
	iar *iap;

	iap = &localitem;	// type error - address of localitem
				// is not of type int (*)[4]
}

This, whilst correct in Old C (address of an array is not a meaningful
operation), is not correct by the rules of ANSI C, where the address of
an array is a pointer to the whole array.

Ellis and Stroustrup, 5.3, does say that the operand of & must be an lvalue,
but I can hardly think that this is what was intended. Ho humm.

The important point in this is not so much that I can't get around it,
but that it blows up when I try to apply new() to one of these:

	iap = new iar;

which is a pain in the rear end and no mistake. Perhaps somebody has some
insight into how to avoid this apart from just kludging it with casts?

Mike Banahan
-- 
Mike Banahan, Technical Director, The Instruction Set Ltd.
mcvax!ukc!inset!mikeb