What do these warnings mean?

[Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address]

I'm trying to initialize an array of error messages, so that I can
print out an error message by using the 'nth string in an array, e.g.

printf("%s\n", messages[n]);

I'm still hazy on arrays of pointers to strings, so you may want to
finish your drinks before examining my code. Here's a small sample
program.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
char *messages[4] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};
printf("%s%s%s% s%s\n", messages[1], messages[2],
messages[0], messages[2], messages[3] );
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

Compiled under gcc in excruciatingly ansi mode (-ansi -pedantic, and a
few other esoteric options as well), it gives...

[20:21:02][/misc/home/user2/tbrg] ./test1
o Hell world

That's what I expected. But the compiler gives the following
warnings, related to the "char *messages[4]" declaration...

test1.c: In function `main':
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type

Since gcc's warnings have spotted a few "legal" howlers of mine
already, I take them seriously. What am I doing wrong, and how can I
correct it ?

--
Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like wz*******@waltd nes.org
Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
the instructions at the end of the 550 message.

[Daniel Schüle]

[...]

That's what I expected. But the compiler gives the following
warnings, related to the "char *messages[4]" declaration...

i cant tell you for sure, but i suppose it is the absence of const what gcc
tries to tell you (but it still perfectly valid C, K&R at least)
try to declare it

const char * foo[] = {"1", "2", "3", "4"};

C compiler must accept
char * c = "12345";
but you are not allowed to change the values (not in C89, C99)
c[0] = 2;

that is why, the prefered and clenn way should be
const char * c ="12345";
c[0] = 2; // <--error

my 50 cent

--
Daniel

[CBFalconer]

"Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address)" wrote:

I'm trying to initialize an array of error messages, so that I can
print out an error message by using the 'nth string in an array, e.g.
.... snip ... {
char *messages[4] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"}; .... snip ...
That's what I expected. But the compiler gives the following
warnings, related to the "char *messages[4]" declaration...

test1.c: In function `main':
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type .... snip ...
Since gcc's warnings have spotted a few "legal" howlers of mine
already, I take them seriously. What am I doing wrong, and how
can I correct it ?

Define that array as "const char *messages[4] = ...." Those
messages are unmodifiable. Say so.

--
"The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry
is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering
gains made by the computer hardware industry..." - Petroski

[Chris Torek]

In article <news:2i******* *****@uni-berlin.de>
Walter Dnes <se************ *************** **@waltdnes.org > wrote
(in part):

char *messages[4] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};
Compiled under gcc in excruciatingly ansi mode (-ansi -pedantic, and a
few other esoteric options as well), it gives...
One of those "esoteric" options was, presumably, "-Wwrite-strings".

In C, a string literal[%] produces an "array N of char" object,
where N is one more than the number of characters inside the literal
-- the extra 1 is for the terminating '\0'. It is quite OK to use
the value of the object to initialize a "char *" variable:

char *p = "zorg";

The type of the anonymous "ought to have been", but for historical
reasons is not, "array N of const char". Notice the extra "const"
here. If it *had* been, the above would clearly be shorthand for:

/* str00007 is because (apparently) there were 6 other
string literals earlier. */
static const char str00007[] = { 'z', 'o', 'r', 'g', '\0' };
char *p = &str00007[0];

and *this* would require a diagnostic such as:
warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type

because &str00007[0] is "const char *", but p is just plain "char *"
-- the "const"-qualifier is missing.

Now, the peculiar thing about string literals in ANSI C is, they
really *are* read-only -- if you write on one, the effect is
undefined, and a "good" system such as a BSD or Linux will give
you a runtime trap. Yet, even though they are read-only, and the
"const" keyword *means* read-only, they do not have the "const"
attribute. This is for historical compatibility: before the 1989
C standard, there *was* no "const" keyword. Programmers just had
to be careful not to write on read-only objects. Hence, the world
is full of (perfectly good) C code that does not *use* "const".

GCC's "-Wwrite-strings" flag tells gcc that you, the programmer,
want the missing "const" stuck in. If you do this, you will get
warnings where none are required. It is quite OK to use a plain
"char *" to point at a string literal, and such code does exist,
so this warning could be annoying. Still, you have to be careful
not to write on it:

char *p = "zorg";

is fine; you just have to make sure you do not, later, try to do
something like:

p[0] = 'Z'; /* oops, was supposed to be uppercase */

If you make p have type "const char *", the compiler will be able
to catch this mistake at compile-time, and the code will compile
cleanly both with and without "-Wwrite-strings".

GCC's optional warning gives you a choice: "warn me about missing
`const's so I do not forget and try to write through the pointer",
or "do not warn me about this, because it is OK if I do not forget,
and the warning is annoying". You get to decide which of these
holds true for your own code.
--
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Wind River Systems
Salt Lake City, UT, USA (40°39.22'N, 111°50.29'W) [phone]
email: forget about it http://web.torek.net/torek/index.html
Reading email is like searching for food in the garbage, thanks to spammers.

[Martin Ambuhl]

Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address) wrote:
[..]

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
char *messages[4] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};
printf("%s%s%s% s%s\n", messages[1], messages[2],
messages[0], messages[2], messages[3] );
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

Compiled under gcc [...] the compiler gives the following
warnings, related to the "char *messages[4]" declaration...

So what does this do?

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
const char *messages[] = { "Hell", "o", " ", "world" };
printf("%s%s%s% s%s\n", messages[1], messages[2],
messages[0], messages[2], messages[3]);
return 0;
}

[Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address]

The unanimous consenus from the replies is that I'm missing "const" in
the declaration. I got rid of the warnings by changing it to...

const char *messages[] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};

As someone correctly deduced, one of my "esoteric options" was
"-Wwrite-strings". Because I'm using it to set up error messages in the
app I'm currently doing, "const" is OK, and a nice sanity-check. For
future reference, in case I do have to initialize at runtime, the
following compiles+runs without warnings. Other than the fact that it's
a trivial example, any comments/suggestions ?

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
char *messages[4];

char string_a[5];
char string_b[2];
char string_c[2];
char string_d[6];

strcpy(string_a , "Hell");
strcpy(string_b , "o");
strcpy(string_c , " ");
strcpy(string_d , "world");

messages[0] = string_a;
messages[1] = string_b;
messages[2] = string_c;
messages[3] = string_d;

printf("%s%s%s% s%s\n", messages[1], messages[2],
messages[0], messages[2], messages[3] );
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
--
Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like wz*******@waltd nes.org
Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
the instructions at the end of the 550 message.

[Al Bowers]

Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address) wrote:

The unanimous consenus from the replies is that I'm missing "const" in
the declaration. I got rid of the warnings by changing it to...

const char *messages[] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};

As someone correctly deduced, one of my "esoteric options" was
"-Wwrite-strings". Because I'm using it to set up error messages in the
app I'm currently doing, "const" is OK, and a nice sanity-check. For
future reference, in case I do have to initialize at runtime, the
following compiles+runs without warnings. Other than the fact that it's
a trivial example, any comments/suggestions ?

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
char *messages[4];

char string_a[5];
char string_b[2];
char string_c[2];
char string_d[6];

strcpy(string_a , "Hell");
strcpy(string_b , "o");
strcpy(string_c , " ");
strcpy(string_d , "world");

This will work, however, you can omit the strcpy statements
by initializing the char arrays on declaration.

char string_a[5] = "Hell";
etc
or
char string_a[] = "Hell";
char string_b[] = "o";
char string_c[] = " ";
char string_d[] = "world";
messages[0] = string_a;
messages[1] = string_b;
messages[2] = string_c;
messages[3] = string_d;

printf("%s%s%s% s%s\n", messages[1], messages[2],
messages[0], messages[2], messages[3] );
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

--
Al Bowers
Tampa, Fl USA
mailto: xa******@myrapi dsys.com (remove the x to send email)
http://www.geocities.com/abowers822/

[Dan Pop]

In <2i************ @uni-berlin.de> "Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address)" <wz*******@walt dnes.org> writes:

I'm trying to initialize an array of error messages, so that I can
print out an error message by using the 'nth string in an array, e.g.

printf("%s\n ", messages[n]);

I'm still hazy on arrays of pointers to strings, so you may want to
finish your drinks before examining my code. Here's a small sample
program.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
char *messages[4] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};
printf("%s%s%s% s%s\n", messages[1], messages[2],
messages[0], messages[2], messages[3] );
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

Compiled under gcc in excruciatingly ansi mode (-ansi -pedantic, and a
few other esoteric options as well), it gives...
NEVER ever use a compiler option whose meaning is not *perfectly* clear
to you... One of these esoteric options took the compiler out of
conforming ANSI mode.
[20:21:02][/misc/home/user2/tbrg] ./test1
o Hell world

That's what I expected. But the compiler gives the following
warnings, related to the "char *messages[4]" declaration...

test1.c: In function `main':
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type

Since gcc's warnings have spotted a few "legal" howlers of mine
already, I take them seriously. What am I doing wrong, and how can I
correct it ?

Recompile the code using *only* options you do understand:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
char *messages[4] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};
printf("%s%s%s% s%s\n", messages[1], messages[2],
messages[0], messages[2], messages[3] );
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
fangorn:~/tmp 86> gcc -ansi -pedantic -Wall test.c
fangorn:~/tmp 87>

See, there is nothing wrong with the code, the problem is using a gcc
inacantation you don't understand in the first place.

Dan
--
Dan Pop
DESY Zeuthen, RZ group
Email: Da*****@ifh.de

[Dan Pop]

In <40************ ***@yahoo.com> CBFalconer <cb********@yah oo.com> writes:

"Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address)" wrote:

I'm trying to initialize an array of error messages, so that I can
print out an error message by using the 'nth string in an array, e.g.

... snip ...

{
char *messages[4] = {"Hell", "o", " ", "world"};

... snip ...

That's what I expected. But the compiler gives the following
warnings, related to the "char *messages[4]" declaration...

test1.c: In function `main':
test1.c:6: warning: initialization discards qualifiers from pointer target type

... snip ...

Since gcc's warnings have spotted a few "legal" howlers of mine
already, I take them seriously. What am I doing wrong, and how
can I correct it ?

Define that array as "const char *messages[4] = ...." Those
messages are unmodifiable. Say so.

Please engage your brain and answer the following simple question: in
standard C, what is the ultimate type his array initialisers are supposed
to have? Is this type compatible with the type of an array element?
If yes why would the const make any difference?

As it happens, the const is required by the fact that the OP is not using
his compiler in conforming mode and the initialisers have the *incorrect*
type. But this is something the OP needs to be *explicitly* explained,
otherwise your advice is downright confusing!

Dan
--
Dan Pop
DESY Zeuthen, RZ group
Email: Da*****@ifh.de

[CBFalconer]

Dan Pop wrote:

CBFalconer <cb********@yah oo.com> writes:
.... snip ...

Define that array as "const char *messages[4] = ...." Those
messages are unmodifiable. Say so.

.... snip ...
As it happens, the const is required by the fact that the OP is
not using his compiler in conforming mode and the initialisers
have the *incorrect* type. But this is something the OP needs
to be *explicitly* explained, otherwise your advice is downright
confusing!

I happen to think the OP is using a suitable set of options for
new code, and that my reason for the revision is easily
understandable. The standard says the constants are not
necessarily modifiable. All the rest follows. He has found his
problem at compile time, rather than at some nebulous future run
time.

We can all be obscure at times, but this is not one of them. In
fact, I consider my advice to have been admirably succint. :-)

--
Chuck F (cb********@yah oo.com) (cb********@wor ldnet.att.net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
<http://cbfalconer.home .att.net> USE worldnet address!