Thread: simple pointers question

  1. #1
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    simple pointers question

    Hello, I have two pointers:

    unsigned char *rdata
    and unsigned char *rdata_tail

    rdata_tail will always represent a memory location greater than or equal to rdata

    Let's say the memory that rdata starts at is like such: "hello"

    (but the program doesnt know this)

    rdata_tail gives the memory address after "o"

    My question is, how do I get the number 5 using these 2 pointers?


    Thanks

  2. #2
    Sweet
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    What do you mean get the number 5? Like a value of 5(int) from a char?
    Woop?

  3. #3
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    no =/

    like this:

    memory:
    -1-2-3-4-5-
    [h][e][l][l][o]

    i want to subtract memory address 2 from memory address 1

    and get 5 because memory address 2 is 5 unsigned chars ahead of memorry address 1

  4. #4
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    Code:
    // did you try it?
         unsigned char *rdata = // the start of a block of memory
         unsigned char *rdata_tail = // supposedly the end of a block of memory or something.
         rdata = rdata+2 - rdata_tail;
    Note that pointer arithmatic is dangerous, but rdata now points to the area you want by assigning the pointer elsewhere.

  5. #5
    ATH0 quzah's Avatar
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    You're doing it backwards. The "tail" is greater than the "head". Thus you subtract head from tail, not the other way around. There is also a variable type for just this type of thing:
    Code:
    ptrdiff_t len = tail - head;
    Quzah.
    Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

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