help with pointers and structs in C

in this code

Code:

---

#include <stdio.h>

struct hospital {
        int num_beds;
        char code;
        char *address;
};

int main() {
        struct hospital h1, h2;
        struct hospital *main;
        main = &h1;
        h1.num_beds=23;
        printf("h1.num_beds: %d\n",h1.num_beds);
        h2 = h1;
        printf("h2.num_beds: %d\n",h2.num_beds);
        h1.address = "123 Main St.";
        main->address = "45 Elmo Drive";
        printf("h1.address: %s\n", h1.address);
        printf("h2.address: %s\n", h2.address);
        printf("main->address: %s\n", main->address);
        return 0;
}

---

the output is

Code:

---

h1.num_beds: 23
h2.num_beds: 23 ÿÿÿ)ÇÁÿ
ÿt$1öEDEss: »ÿÿÿ
h2.address:
D$$ÿ³ÿÿÿÆ9÷uÞÄ
[^_]Ã$ÃUåSì¡øÿt1ÛÿÐëøÿuðÄ[]ÃUåSìè
main->address: 45 Elmo Drive

---

why is this line printing gibberish ?
printf("h1.address: %\n", h1.address);

I think it might have to do with the assignment statement h2=h1

Your problem is char *address. This is a pointer to a single character, but you are trying to store many characters there. Try something like

Code:

---

struct hospital {
        int num_beds;
        char code;
        char address[128];
};

---

how can that be a problem, since this is valid
char *test="hello";

The format specifier you want is "%s\n".

That's because that is part of a declaration; the compiler will automatically allocate enough space for the whole string. But if you try something like

Code:

---

char *test;
/*do some stuff*/
test = "Hello";

---

then the compiler might only allocate enough space for one character, because that's all you've asked it for. If other variables happen to get stored right next door, and you try to store a longer string in test, then you will overwrite the other variables.

if the h1.address is currupt because of fitting more then 1 chars into a 1 char space
then why does the last print statement print properly
main->address: 45 Elmo Drive
isnt main->address the same memory as h1.address ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheBigH

That's because that is part of a declaration; the compiler will automatically allocate enough space for the whole string. But if you try something like

Code:

---

char *test;
/*do some stuff*/
test = "Hello";

---

then the compiler might only allocate enough space for one character, because that's all you've asked it for. If other variables happen to get stored right next door, and you try to store a longer string in test, then you will overwrite the other variables.

---

Actually in the example you gave the compiler will allocate no memory at all. Al you've created is a pointer.

For our friend's idea to work he needs...

Code:

---


struct hospital {
        int num_beds;
        char code;
        char address[64];
};

struct hospital main;

strcpy (main.address,"123 Any street");

---

This is for two reasons... first he needs to create space *in the struct* to hold his string and in C you cannot assign strings across the equal's sign.

i still dont understand this
isnt main->address the same memory as h1.address ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by omega666

i still dont understand this
isnt main->address the same memory as h1.address ?

---

Yes it is... and in neither case did you create any space for your string.

A string such as "Hello" requires 6 characters... char h[6]; ... that's 5 for the text and 1 for the trailing null. You cannot assign stuff to pointers without first giving the pointer something to point to... strings take space...

Try it as I suggested... does it work?

if there were no space for the string, then how the the last printf statement print properly using the variable 'main->address' ?
whats the difference between printing with
h1.address and main->address, if the address variable was defined as a pointer to a char which only has room for 1 char?

i changed the char statement, and i get

new.c:17: error: incompatible types in assignment
new.c:18: error: incompatible types in assignment

which are

h1.address = "123 Main St.";
main->address = "45 Elmo Drive";

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by omega666

if there were no space for the string, then how the the last printf statement print properly using the variable 'main->address' ?
whats the difference between printing with
h1.address and main->address, if the address variable was defined as a pointer to a char which only has room for 1 char?

---

Mostly, just dumb luck... it's pointing to a string literal which is stored as part of the data segment in your program, so it can know an address for it. There is space for your string... but it's not where or what you expect. Try doing a strcpy() or strcat() to that pointer and see what happens.

C is a language with NO STRINGS... what we call "strings" are actually arrays of characters. There are a number of library functions that will manipulate arrays of characters as though they are strings... but these are not real strings like you would find in Pascal or D... they're fake strings created as chains of individual characters terminated by a 0. What this means is that you simply cannot do string3 = string1 + string2 C simply does not know how to do that.

Here try this simple experiment if you don't believe me...

Code:

---

char *string1;
char string2[] = "Hello";    //--- looks good so far, doesn't it?
char string3[] = " world!"  //--- this is coole too, right...

string1 = string2 + string3;

printf("%s", string1);  // ---- ummm, maybe not!

---

There are some things you can get away with when playing with string literals... but when you get into manipulating character arrays, the rules are very different.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheBigH

That's because that is part of a declaration; the compiler will automatically allocate enough space for the whole string. But if you try something like

Code:

---

char *test;
/*do some stuff*/
test = "Hello";

---

then the compiler might only allocate enough space for one character, because that's all you've asked it for. If other variables happen to get stored right next door, and you try to store a longer string in test, then you will overwrite the other variables.

---

Rubbish.

The assignment test = "Hello" is valid, and makes test point to the first character in the string "Hello" (i.e. at the 'H').

There is a problem if code subsequently attempts to do *test = 'B'; (to change the 'H' into a 'B') as that modifies a string literal. Since string literals are const, that is undefined behaviour.

Note: it is actually a historical anomaly in the C language that it is possible to assign a pointer to char (which is non-const) so it points at contents of a string literal.