Thread: strcat causing string to become empty

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    7

    strcat causing string to become empty

    I have the following code where strcat is causing problem.
    Code:
          char* tokens = strtok(buf, "+");
          int n = 0;
          int type = 0;
          char* name = "";
          char* lifetime = "";
          char* data = "";
          for(n=0; tokens!=NULL; n++) {
              if(n==0)
                type = atoi(tokens);
              if(n==1)
                name = tokens;
              if(n == 2) {
                 if(type == 1)
                    lifetime = tokens;
                 else
                    data = tokens;
              }
              if(n == 3)
                 lifetime = tokens;
              tokens = strtok(NULL, "+");
          }
    
    
          if(type == 2) {
             printf("Received Data with Name: %s, Data: \"%s\" and lifetime: %s seconds\n", name, data, lifetime);
    
             strncat(name, "+", 1);
             printf("Data: %s\n", data);
             strncat(name, data, strlen(data));
             printf("Full Name: %s\n", name);
          }

    In the line where I print the name, data and lifetime everything prints correctly. But after the strcat operations I find that "data" value is empty. After adding debug printf statements I have found that "data" value becomes empty right after
    Code:
    strncat(name,"+",1)
    What could be the reason? Please help.

  2. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Austria
    Posts
    1,990
    Code:
    char* name = "";
    this makes name a string literal. you cannot append anything to that.
    try a char array.
    kurt

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    C strings are static arrays of chars, they don't grow or shrink dynamically. Your variable name, is just a pointer you can not use strcat to add characters to it.

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