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From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Destroying arguments
Message-ID: <6723@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 17-May-87 18:23:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: mimsy.6723
Posted: Sun May 17 18:23:05 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 17-May-87 22:41:41 EDT
References: <292@osupyr.UUCP> <239@polyof.UUCP> <485@bene.UUCP>
Distribution: comp.unix.questions
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 16

In article <485@bene.UUCP> itkin@bene.UUCP (Steven List) writes:
>... since argv is an array of POINTERS to strings, the simple thing
>to do is to set up your own string and then store the address/pointer
>in argv[n].  This avoids the potential pitfalls that John's method
>involves and gives you the option to store ANYTHING YOU WANT in
>the argument list.

Alas, this wonderfully simple technique simply does not work with
the 4BSD `ps', which reads the strings themselves, not the pointers
thereto.  An extremely long argv, or a long environment, *will*
confuse ps; it is sometimes possible simply to store a valid pointer
into argv[argc].  This is not, however, something I would rely
upon.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	seismo!mimsy!chris