Okay so I am trying to pass a char pointer to another function. I can do this with an array of a char but cannot do with a char pointer. Problem is I don't know the size of it so I cannot declare anything about the size within the main()
function.
#include <stdio.h>
void ptrch ( char * point) {
point = "asd";
}
int main() {
char * point;
ptrch(point);
printf("%s\n", point);
return 0;
}
This does not work however, these two works:
1)
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char * point;
point = "asd";
printf("%s\n", point);
return 0;
}
2)
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
void ptrch ( char * point) {
strcpy(point, "asd");
}
int main() {
char point[10];
ptrch(point);
printf("%s\n", point);
return 0;
}
So I am trying to understand the reason and a possible solution for my problem
void ptrch ( char * point) {
point = "asd";
}
Your pointer is passed by value, and this code copies, then overwrites the copy. So the original pointer is untouched.
P.S. Point to be noted that when you do point = "blah"
you are creating a string literal, and any attempt to modify is Undefined behaviour, so it should really be const char *
To Fix - pass a pointer to a pointer as @Hassan TM does, or return the pointer as below.
const char *ptrch () {
return "asd";
}
...
const char* point = ptrch();
This should work since pointer to the char pointer is passed. Therefore any changes to the pointer will be seen outside thereafter.
void ptrch ( char ** point) {
*point = "asd";
}
int main() {
char * point;
ptrch(&point);
printf("%s\n", point);
return 0;
}
Here:
int main() {
char * point;
ptrch(point);
You're passing point
by value. Then, ptrch
sets its own local copy of point
to point to "asd"
, leaving the point
in main
untouched.
A solution would be to pass a pointer to main
's point
:
void ptrch(char **pp) { *pp = "asd"; return; }
If you change the value of the pointer in a function, it will remain changed only in that one function call.
Don't mess your head with pointers and try:
void func(int i){
i=5;
}
int main(){
int i=0;
func(i);
printf("%d\n",i);
return 0;
}
The same with your pointer. You do not change the address it points to.
If you assign to a variable passed by value, the variable outside the function will remain unchanged.
You could pass it by a pointer (to pointer) and change it by dereferrencing it and it's the same with an int - in this case, it doesn't matter if the type is int or char * .
first declare funtion......like this
#include<stdio.h>
void function_call(char s)
next write main code.....
void main()
{
void (*pnt)(char); // pointer function declaration....
pnt=&function_call; // assign address of function
(*pnt)('b'); // call funtion....
}