How C programs store string literals?

[envec83]

The output of the following program:

int main(){
    int x = "test";
    int y = "test";

    printf("%u %u\n",x,y);

    return 0;
}

Will be the same memory address printed twice. In other words, you could do (if "test"=="test") and you would get a true as result.

Does this mean that whenever you invoke a string literal the program will check if the same string has been stored previously, and in positive case it will just return a pointer to that same string instead of allocating memory for a new one?

[cas]

Does this mean that whenever you invoke a string literal the program will check if the same string has been stored previously, and in positive case it will just return a pointer to that same string instead of allocating memory for a new one?

No. A compiler is free to do this, but it does not have to.

[CommonTater]

The output of the following program:

int main(){
    int x = "test";
    int y = "test";

    printf("%u %u\n",x,y);

    return 0;
}

Will be the same memory address printed twice. In other words, you could do (if "test"=="test") and you would get a true as result.

Does this mean that whenever you invoke a string literal the program will check if the same string has been stored previously, and in positive case it will just return a pointer to that same string instead of allocating memory for a new one?

What Cas says...plus "usually"...

Older compilers kept them separate because you were allowed to modify them.
Newer "optimizing" compilers will most often match them up to the same address and you are not allowed to modify them.