Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!apple!sun-barr!sun!plx!evan
From: evan@plx.UUCP (Evan Bigall)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Array intialization
Keywords: array of pointers
Message-ID: <1960@plx.UUCP>
Date: 3 Jun 89 17:32:44 GMT
References: <3420@ihuxv.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: evan@plx.UUCP (Evan Bigall)
Organization: Plexus Computers; San Jose, CA
Lines: 34

In article <3420@ihuxv.ATT.COM> bareta@ihuxv.ATT.COM (Benyukhis) writes:
>The following declaration is illegal.  Why??????
>
>char *a = "string1";
>char *b = "string2";
>char *c = "string3";
>
>char *g[] = { a, b, c };

The above declarations will fail if they are placed outside of a function
(static) because statics must be initialized with constants.  The value
of the pointer char *a is not constant.  You can make it constant by 
declaring it char a[] = "string1";  Which allocates 8 char's in memory and
effectivly gives you a constant pointer "a" to them.  Note: you will NOT be
able to change the value of "a" (you WILL be able to change the contents
of the 8 chars it points to). 

The above declarations will fail if they are placed inside a function (auto)
because you can not initialize auto arrays.  

The following:

	static char *g[] = {"string1", "string2", "string3"}; 

Will always compile, but may or may not do what you want.  

Evan

>What if the compiler was 3 pass one?  


-- 
Evan Bigall, Plexus Computers, San Jose, CA (408)943-2283 ...!sun!plx!evan
"I barely have the authority to speak for myself, certainly not anybody else"