Accessing uninitialised element in array does not throw an error :O ??

Hi,

I have just started learning C++, coming with good knowledge in Java and some other languages (assembly,CSP,haskell, etc.). I am trying to make a console application that reads user input for creating a matrix (using my own Matrix class) and methods for calculations of the array (multiplication, addition etc.). So far so good. However there is something that bothers me. I have created this method for getting the values of the array as a string.

Code:

---

void Matrix_::fillMatrix(string values) {

        int counter_x = 0;
        int counter_y = 0;

        std::string temp = "";

        for(int i = 0; i < values.size(); i++) {
               
                if(values[i] != ' ') {
                        temp += values[i];
                } else {
                        stringstream(temp) >> matrix[counter_x][counter_y];
                        temp = "";
                        counter_y++;
                }
        }
        stringstream(temp) >> matrix[counter_x][counter_y];

        this->display();
}

---

------------------

It is still unfinished though, because there is something that bothers me.

Code:

---

stringstream(temp) >> matrix[counter_x][counter_y];

---

. Matrix is my predefined 3x3 array. If i change the above code in something like :

Code:

---

stringstream(temp) >> matrix[counter_x][12];

---

it should give an error, since i am accessing an undefined element. However this is not the case. There is no error!! How is this possible? :O I have also tried this

Code:

---

cout << matrix[0][5];

---

and instead of getting an error, it prints a negative value (-1167...). Anyone can help me with that?

Thanks in advance.

C++ assumes you are not an idiot. (That is to say, it does not do range checking of array indices as part of the language.) If you happen to land on memory that isn't important, then it will just overwrite whatever is there. If you happen to land on memory that is important, then you'll get a run-time error.

Basically, when it comes to behavior when you do something wrong, C++ is like assembly, not Java.