Ok ....I am new to C programming.....
Till now i m not having any problems with coding....
But i m confused with theory....
I m referring Gottfried for C programming....And in that book it states that "Automatic Array cannot be initialized"...But when i try to make a simple program like
insertthere is no compiling problem....Code:main() { char y[]="Is this automatic array"; }
Or is it that y[] turns out to be static by default????
first off, you need to include the headers, second declare MAIN the right way, and have a return to end your program....start there!
Originally Posted by psyduck
Really? Doesn't it say something like "automatic arrays (and any other automatic variables) may contain garbage if left uninitialized" or something similar?
Can you copy the full paragraph, please?
When was that book written?
No, it doesn't.
"Automatic Arrays,unlike automatic variables,cannot be initialized.However,external and static array definitions can include the assignment of initial values if desired.The initial values must appear in the order in which they will be assigned to the individual array elements enclosed in braces and separated by commas."
Book was written in 1990...i think there must be some change in ANSI standards....
And ya it does say automatic variables are left with garbage values if not intialized and it is an unintelligentable act
Hmm, well what you're reading wasn't true in 1990 either. In your example, y is initialized.
this or anything quite similar is also initialization:
Just ain't so.Code:char y[] = {'a', 'u', 't', 'o', 'm', 'a', 't', 'i', 'c', '\0'};
I think you need a better book.
The statement about arrays is flat out wrong.
If you dance barefoot on the broken glass of undefined behaviour, you've got to expect the occasional cut.
If at first you don't succeed, try writing your phone number on the exam paper.
The language of the book is quiet good...So i m referring it...And at places i m referring Internet too...if by chance there is any change in 25 years
The standard changed significantly around 1999. It changed again quite recently. You really do need a better book. There is no shortage on that.
Thanks
The particular statement you asked about is wrong. It has never been correct in Standard C. It was also incorrect in K&R C (the first language known as C, which was a precursor of C as first standardised in 1989). Initialisation of local (auto) arrays has always been permitted.
There are plenty of books and plenty of internet pages that provide incorrect information about C in a readable manner. Apparently you have one of them.
Last edited by grumpy; 12-28-2012 at 03:24 AM.
