I've got a function that requires const some_type**
as an argument (some_type
is a struct, and the function needs a pointer to an array of this type). I declared a local variable of type some_type*
, and initialized it. Then I call the function as f(&some_array)
, and the compiler (gcc) says:
error: invalid conversion from ‘some_type**’ to ‘const some_type**’
What's the problem here? Why can't I convert a variable to const?
See: Why can't I pass a char **
to a function which expects a const char **
? from the comp.lang.c FAQ.
You have a few options to get around what jamesdlin outlined in his answer.
You could use an intermediate variable.
some_type const* const_some_array = some_array;
f(&const_some_array);
You could change the parameters of f
.
void f(some_type const* const* some_array);
You probably need to specify some more context, for instance is the argument passed data into or out of (or both?) the function?
Try making your variable const as well:
some_type const *some_array = ....;
This reads as "some_array is a pointer to a const some_type". The code can't modify the thing being pointed at. So you have to declare your variable const before passing it to the function.
(Edited...)