Results in Debug and Release mode are different

Hi!,

I've created three functions that would work together in order to generate a date is string YYYY-MM-DD format.
The code works fine in Debug mode.The problem is when I try to run this code in the Release mode.
It (the program) gives me two different results when I run it in Debug and Release mode.
And no compile error and warning are present when I compile it in those two modes respectively.


here is the code

Code:

#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

#define HOUR 261
#define MINUTE 262
#define DAY 263
#define MONTH 264
#define YEAR 265


void padUpString(char *str, char* filler, int len, int fillAtTheEnd)
{

	int i;
	char newstr[50]="";
	
	int strLen = strlen(str);
	int diff = len - strLen;


	if (strLen < len)
	{
		for (i=0; i< len ; i++)
		{
			if (fillAtTheEnd)
			{
				if( i >= strLen) *(str+strLen++)=*filler;
			}else
			{
			     if( i < diff) strcat(newstr,filler);

			}
		}
		if (!fillAtTheEnd)
		{
			strcat(newstr,str);
			strcpy(str,newstr);
		}
	}
}


int getCurrentTimeValue(int timeElement)
{
	struct tm *tm_today;
	time_t t;

	t = time(NULL);
	tm_today = localtime(&t);
	//printf("timeElement is %d\n",timeElement);

	if (timeElement == HOUR)
	{
		return tm_today->tm_hour;
	}
	if (timeElement == MINUTE)
	{
		return tm_today->tm_min;
	}
	if (timeElement == DAY)
	{
		//printf("DAY is %d\n",timeElement); //for debug purposes
		return tm_today->tm_mday;
	}
	if (timeElement == MONTH)
	{
		//printf("MONTH is %d\n",timeElement);//for debug purposes
		return tm_today->tm_mon + 1;
	}
	if (timeElement == YEAR)
	{
		//printf("YEAR is %d\n",timeElement);//for debug purposes
		return tm_today->tm_year + 1900;
	}
	return -1;
}


void getProcessDate(char *procDate)
{
	//YYYY-MM-DD
	char currentTime[11];
	char year[4];
	char day[2];
	char month[2];

	sprintf(year,"%d",getCurrentTimeValue(YEAR));
	sprintf(month,"%d",getCurrentTimeValue(MONTH));
	sprintf(day,"%d",getCurrentTimeValue(DAY));

	printf("\nCheck date\n"); // for testing purpose only
	printf("year [%s]\n",year);
	printf("month [%s]\n",month);
	printf("day [%s]\n",day);


	padUpString(month,"0",2,0);
	padUpString(day,"0",2,0);

	printf("\nAfter padding\n");// for testing purpose only
	printf("month [%s]\n",month);
	printf("day [%s]\n",day);

	sprintf(currentTime,"%s-%s-%s",year,month,day);
	currentTime[10] = '\0';
	memcpy(procDate,currentTime,sizeof(currentTime));
}


int main()
{
	char date[30];
	getProcessDate(date);
	printf("%s\n",date);
	return 0;

}

the output
Debug Mode

Check date
year [2006]
month [5]
day [24]

After padding
month [05]
day [24]
2006-05-24

Release Mode

Check date
year [2006]
month []
day [24]

After padding
month [00]
day [2400]
-00-2400

as you can see the "month" in Release mode is blank,which I suspect is the one causing the problem.

Does anyone know why the results are different?
and how would I fix such problem?

I'm using MVC6 in Win2K

Regards,
jaro

These kind of variations are often caused by not initialising variables prior to use. In 'debug' mode they will be automatically set to some neutral, reproducible value (NULL, zero, empty string, etc) but this does not occur automatically for 'release' builds.

Instead of overcomplicating things, why not use strftime?
http://cboard.cprogramming.com/showthread.php?p=262899

[edit]Didn't realize this was also posted to another forum.

Originally Posted by Dave_Sinkula

Instead of overcomplicating things, why not use strftime?
http://cboard.cprogramming.com/showthread.php?p=262899

I should better read more on standard function in C. This is the 2nd time that Dave have pointed me to an existing function in C. And as always using strftime() did help alot.

Anyway I did found out what is cause the problem that I mention in my first post ( actually someone pointed to me the problem ).

In the getProcessDate function, the array declaration is wrong. I failed to include space for the null terminator in array declaration.

Changing the declaration from

Code:

char year[4];
char day[2];
char month[2];

To this

Code:

char year[5];
char day[3];
char month[3];

Solve the problem in running the program in Release mode.
Although I'm curious to why this kind of error is not present in Debug mode.

here are the changes in the code that I've made and also with the strftime() solution.

Code:

#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

#define HOUR 261
#define MINUTE 262
#define DAY 263
#define MONTH 264
#define YEAR 265


void padUpString(char *str, char* filler, int len, int fillAtTheEnd)
{

	int i;
	char newstr[50]="";
	
	int strLen = strlen(str);
	int diff = len - strLen;


	if (strLen < len)
	{
		for (i=0; i< len ; i++)
		{
			if (fillAtTheEnd)
			{
				if( i >= strLen) *(str+strLen++)=*filler;
			}else
			{
			     if( i < diff) strcat(newstr,filler);

			}
		}
		if (!fillAtTheEnd)
		{
			strcat(newstr,str);
			strcpy(str,newstr);
		}
	}
}


int getCurrentTimeValue(int timeElement)
{
	struct tm *tm_today;
	time_t t;

	t = time(NULL);
	tm_today = localtime(&t);

	if (timeElement == HOUR)
	{
		return tm_today->tm_hour;
	}
	if (timeElement == MINUTE)
	{
		return tm_today->tm_min;
	}
	if (timeElement == DAY)
	{
		return tm_today->tm_mday;
	}
	if (timeElement == MONTH)
	{
		return tm_today->tm_mon + 1;
	}
	if (timeElement == YEAR)
	{
		return tm_today->tm_year + 1900;
	}
	return -1;
}


void getProcessDate(char *procDate)
{
	//YYYY-MM-DD
	char currentTime[11];
	char year[5];
	char day[3];
	char month[3];

	sprintf(year,"%d",getCurrentTimeValue(YEAR));
	sprintf(month,"%d",getCurrentTimeValue(MONTH));
	sprintf(day,"%d",getCurrentTimeValue(DAY));


	padUpString(month,"0",2,0);
	padUpString(day,"0",2,0);

	sprintf(currentTime,"%s-%s-%s",year,month,day);
	currentTime[10] = '\0';
	memcpy(procDate,currentTime,sizeof(currentTime));
}


void getProcessDateTwo(char *procDate){
	//YYYYMMDD
	char currentTime[11];
	time_t tval;
	struct tm *tmptr;
	
	tval = time(NULL);
	tmptr = localtime(&tval);
	
	strftime(currentTime,sizeof(currentTime),"%Y-%m-%d",tmptr);

	currentTime[10] = '\0';
	memcpy(procDate,currentTime,sizeof(currentTime));
	//return currentTime;
}


int main()
{
	char date[30];
	char dateTwo[30];

	getProcessDate(date);
	getProcessDateTwo(dateTwo);

	printf("getProcessDate %s\n",date);
	printf("getProcessDateTwo %s \n",dateTwo);

	return 0;

}

OutPut

getProcessDate 2006-05-24
getProcessDateTwo 2006-05-24

the getProcessDateTwo function uses the strftime(). Same result when running in Release and Debug mode.


regards,
jaro

You could just write directly into the target rather than into a local and then copying it.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

char *timestamp(char *stamp, size_t size)
{
   time_t now;
   if ( time(&now) != (time_t)(-1) )
   {
      struct tm *today = localtime(&now);
      if ( today != NULL )
      {
         const char format[] = "%Y-%m-%d";
         if ( strftime(stamp, size, format, today) )
         {
            return stamp;
         }
      }
   }
   return 0;
}

int main(void)
{
   char stamp[11];
   if ( timestamp(stamp, sizeof stamp) )
   {
      printf("stamp = \"%s\"\n", stamp);
   }
   return 0;
}

/* my output 
stamp = "2006-05-24"
*/

Made some changes as you've suggested

Code:

void getProcessDateTwo(char *procDate){
	//YYYYMMDD
	
	time_t tval;
	struct tm *tmptr;
	
	tval = time(NULL);
	tmptr = localtime(&tval);
	
	if(!strftime(procDate,11,"%Y-%m-%d",tmptr))
	{
		printf("error in getting date");
	}

}

I've left out some of the error checking methods.

Regards,
jaro

> Made some changes as you've suggested
It's a pity you didn't take Dave's post "as is".
At least it passes the length of the target buffer in a meaningful way rather than just assuming it's always 11 (like you do).

Originally Posted by Salem

It's a pity you didn't take Dave's post "as is".
At least it passes the length of the target buffer in a meaningful way rather than just assuming it's always 11 (like you do).

the length of the target buffer will always be 11, so I decided to make it a constant.

It is not that I didn't take Dave advice to write directly into the target.
I did find Dave advice very useful. Especially now that I want to expand the getProcessDateTwo() in returning different date format.

Many thanks to those who replied.

regards,
Jaro

It's you Y10K bug, not mine

What if you edit your time format string to something else?

Sure you can get away with it now, but writing bug-free code is in part a habit of always doing the right thing even when it apparently doesn't matter whether you take a short-cut or not.

Originally Posted by Salem

It's you Y10K bug, not mine

What if you edit your time format string to something else?

Sure you can get away with it now, but writing bug-free code is in part a habit of always doing the right thing even when it apparently doesn't matter whether you take a short-cut or not.

Point well taken.
I'll make the changes as necessary (as in this case use Dave sample as is ).

Thanks for the wake up call

-jaro

Originally Posted by jaro

Solve the problem in running the program in Release mode.
Although I'm curious to why this kind of error is not present in Debug mode.
jaro

It fairly common for a program to work in debug mode but not
without. I don't know the exact reason but I suspect a lot of
extra code is put in for debug purposes which shifts where
the program and data are. So if you were overwriting (accidently)
an area of memory that area would be shifted. Is seems
in your case that either extra debug data has been added
between the variables or the variables have been reordered or
moved. Also it is possible that in debug mode it will not allow
you to write past the end of a string. A lazy way to avoid problem
such as yours is just to make strings much longer than necessary
in the first place ie

Code:

char year10];
char day[10];
char month[10];

A bit inefficient but it can save you a lot of grief!!

So, you think it's a good idea to make your strings longer than you need to, in the hopes that your buffer overflow won't overwrite something you shouldn't? You'd be better off just fixing the buffer overrun.