free() doing weird things with file i/o

So I was trying to practice C as opposed to C++ which I'm more or less used to (at least when it comes to doing hw assignments), and I wrote the following code:

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main()
{
   FILE* inFile = fopen("in", "r");
   FILE* outFile = fopen("out", "w");
   while(!feof(inFile))
   {
      char* blah = malloc(sizeof(char));
      fread(blah, sizeof(char), 1, inFile);
      fwrite(blah, sizeof(char), 1, outFile);
      free(blah);
   }
   fclose(inFile);
   fclose(outFile);
   return 0;
}

Now obviously my first problem was using feof() incorrectly, but before finding that out I noticed something weird. although I call free() AFTER I call fwrite(), commenting out the free() line changes the extra character in the file. If I have free(), the byte is 00. If I don't, though, the byte is the character for 'x' . Does anyone know why this would be? I would think that code executed after writing to the file would have no effect.

Does anyone know why this would be? I would think that code executed after writing to the file would have no effect.

Have you read one of many FAQs?

Originally Posted by SgtMuffles

So I was trying to practice C as opposed to C++ which I'm more or less used to (at least when it comes to doing hw assignments), and I wrote the following code:

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main()
{
   FILE* inFile = fopen("in", "r");
   FILE* outFile = fopen("out", "w");
   while(!feof(inFile))
   {
      char* blah = malloc(sizeof(char));
      fread(blah, sizeof(char), 1, inFile);
      fwrite(blah, sizeof(char), 1, outFile);
      free(blah);
   }
   fclose(inFile);
   fclose(outFile);
   return 0;
}

Now obviously my first problem was using feof() incorrectly, but before finding that out I noticed something weird. although I call free() AFTER I call fwrite(), commenting out the free() line changes the extra character in the file. If I have free(), the byte is 00. If I don't, though, the byte is the character for 'x' . Does anyone know why this would be? I would think that code executed after writing to the file would have no effect.

Why do you need malloc? Use static var.

the difference in the output occured due to the location of the blah memory. When the last fread failed you write to the file some garbage from the memory pointed by the blah pointer. Obviously it points different memory locations when you free the previously allocated memory, or just leave it allocated generating memory leaks