Returning const char*/ std::string.c_str()

Hi,

I have a function in a program that's something like the following. When I try to output what it returns, however, it doesn't print anything on the screen. The following isn't exactly what I'm using, but it gets the point across.

Code:

---

const char* getcolor(bool top)
{
    stringstream color_convert;
    string string1;

    if (top == 1)
        color_convert << 160;
    else
        color_convert << 200;

    string1 = color_convert.str();
    return string1.c_str();
}

---

Alternately, if I replace the contents of the function with:

Code:

---

const char* c_string1 = "160";
return c_string1;

---

then it will return something that I can print out. Does anyone know why this is? I'm guessing it's something to do with pointers- like in the first function, the pointer to the string is empty after it's returned or something? It's weird though because both functions use pointers to stuff. I don't see why one should be empty and the other not.

Thanks.

It's because you can't return a pointer pointing to part of a local variable. c_str() returns a string that is owned by your string1 object. This object gets deleted at the end of the function, and so does the return value of c_str().

By contrast, you can return a pointer to a string literal, because string literals are stored in the same spot as global variables.

Also the other hand something like this is not allowed, for the same reason, though it might occationally work anyway:

Code:

---

const char c_string1[] = "160";
return c_string2;

---

Is there a reason you don't just return a string?

I ask because I find a lot of people convert to C style strings because they are unaware that the C++ string works in their situation as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Daved

Is there a reason you don't just return a string?

I ask because I find a lot of people convert to C style strings because they are unaware that the C++ string works in their situation as well.

---

I'm returning a c string because basically, I'm writing a mod for the game Half-Life. The only way you can print messages to the screen in Half-Life is via c_strings (Half-Life is written in C++ but it's based on the Quake 1 engine which is C). You have to use functions that are part of the Half-Life code to do this.

I was wondering something though. The reason I ask this question is because my mod basically uses a class that outputs a load of stuff to a stringstream object. I also have some interface classes as part of my project. One of these just outputs the stringstream stuff to cout. Another outputs stuff via Half-Life. This one has some make_cstring_msg() member functions that convert the stuff in the stringstream to c_strings. Would I be better off just returning strings and then converting these to c_strings in the Half-Life code itself? By "Half-Life code itself" I mean basically you have to have this file called dll.cpp, and that's what interfaces with Half-Life. Hope that makes sense.

Thanks.

You cannot even return a string in C (unless it's a char*, but then we have to be talking about malloc and who is responsible for freeing it). So, are you sure you need to RETURN a string, not copy it into some buffer?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elysia

You cannot even return a string in C (unless it's a char*, but then we have to be talking about malloc and who is responsible for freeing it). So, are you sure you need to RETURN a string, not copy it into some buffer?

---

Well to be honest, I don't know. Right now I do it via something like the following, which is one of the "make c string" functions I mentioned.

Code:

---

const char *get_th_choice_cstr()    { return choice_strings[th_choice-1].c_str(); }

---

Presumably this is the wrong way to do it, and I'd be better off by having get_th_choice_cstr() declared as having an argument that's a pointer to a c string, right? So...

Code:

---

void get_th_choice_cstr(char *cstring1)    { strcpy(cstring1, choice_strings[th_choice-1].c_str()); }

---

Would something like that make sense?

Thanks for your help.

Yes, the last one is the usual way to pass or return a string in C.

The first one shouldn't be wrong either, because now choice_strings is not a local variable.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anon

The first one shouldn't be wrong either, because now choice_strings is not a local variable.

---

Yeah, I've been using that for a while and it seems to work. Still, is it better to do it the second way? Or doesn't it really matter? I have occasionally noticed the text screwing up in the game- bits of old messages being added onto the end of new ones etc. But I dunno if that's to do with this or just the game itself.

The second one is prone to buffer overruns. I guess that's what's behind what you are seeing.