Thread: C/C++ string allocation question

Originally Posted by donglee

Where does the string get saved? Is it saved in stack?
I am asking this because I wanted to know if using returned pszString
in the main function is legal or not. Thanks!

It would be saved in the data segment, and have static storage duration. Consequently, you can use the pointer returned in the global main function. However, any attempt to change what the pointer points to will result in undefined behaviour.

Disclaimer: this is something at the edge of my knowledge, so you are better off having someone more sure of the facts to confirm or deny this (as in the storage). Of course, note that the details are implementation dependent, and this is the general C++ programming forum after all, although the only thing Windows specific about your question is LPWSTR.

I can confirm that the posted code is legal. Any string constant (when not used to initialize a char array) in the code will be stored in the "read only data" section [or the code section, or the data section - it is up to the compiler to decide THAT part - wherever it is stored will be "permanent"]. The only "local" storage in your code is the actual pointer, which is initialized to the permanent location of the string.

Edit: to avoid accidentally writing to the string, I suggest you add const in front of all the LPWSTR, e.g. const LPWSTR func(), const LPWSTR pszString, etc.

That way, thecompiler will tell you when you try to pass the string to a function that may modify it, or if you write code yourself that modify the string [assuming of course you are not using functions that aren't const-correct].

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Mats

Originally Posted by matsp

to avoid accidentally writing to the string, I suggest you add const in front of all the LPWSTR, e.g. const LPWSTR func(), const LPWSTR pszString, etc.

That seems insufficient to me since it would only avoid accidentally changing the pointer without avoiding changes to what the pointer points to.

Originally Posted by laserlight

That seems insufficient to me since it would only avoid accidentally changing the pointer without avoiding changes to what the pointer points to.

No, that would be const wchar_t *xxx, which means that the content of the string is constand, but the pointer can be changed. wchar_t * const xxx is what you need to say to make sure that the pointer can not be changed.

However, the point is moot, as the typedef for LPCWSTR is const already (C stands for CONST in the MS naming convention, apparently).

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Mats

Originally Posted by chiefmonkey

You guys are awesome, thank you for your answers. I tried to search on the web for .text and .data memory segments used in C++, but I could only get some short descriptions. Which book would contain low level C/C++ details like this? I've been looking for such book for a long time. I recently bought the book "The C++ Programming," but it doesn't seem to contain such details.

The various segments that compose a running program are at a level below the C++ language. Books which cover computer architecture or assembly language will have much more detail than any C++ book.

Also, where do "heap" and "stack" memories fit into the picture?

Heap, stack, code and data are architecture/platform details. Any picture is going to be highly generalized and may not reflect the actual situation on a given platform. What is important from a C++ standpoint is that these regions are distinct from each other, and quite possibly have different access rules.

Originally Posted by matsp

No, that would be const wchar_t *xxx, which means that the content of the string is constand, but the pointer can be changed. wchar_t * const xxx is what you need to say to make sure that the pointer can not be changed.

Precisely: since LPWSTR is a typedef of wchar_t*, const LPWSTR is an alias for wchar_t* const, not const wchar_t*.

Originally Posted by matsp

However, the point is moot, as the typedef for LPCWSTR is const already (C stands for CONST in the MS naming convention, apparently).

Yes, then the correct change would be to use LPCWSTR instead of LPWSTR.