extern question

[JoeC]

I am trying to create a message box that allows you to enter a name
then display that name on a window. The program uses win32 but that is
not the issue. I want have a global buf variable. So that it can be
filled in the window then displayed in the main window.

Here is what I have

char * buf = NULL; //In my min program.

extern char * buf; // This is the section where I want buf displayed.

extern char * buf; //This is where I fill the array.
buf = new char[len];
GetDlgItemText(hwnd, IDC_NAME_EDIT, buf, len +1);
I have used extern before and it had made my progam possible but does
it work with a pointer?

[andrew queisser]

"JoeC" <en*****@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@y43g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...

I am trying to create a message box that allows you to enter a name
then display that name on a window. The program uses win32 but that is
not the issue. I want have a global buf variable. So that it can be
filled in the window then displayed in the main window.

Here is what I have

char * buf = NULL; //In my min program.

extern char * buf; // This is the section where I want buf displayed.

extern char * buf; //This is where I fill the array.
buf = new char[len];
GetDlgItemText(hwnd, IDC_NAME_EDIT, buf, len +1);
I have used extern before and it had made my progam possible but does
it work with a pointer?

Yes, a pointer is just like any other variable. You can have a global
pointer and set the value of the pointer to whatever you want in another
module. That module has to have a extern declaration for the pointer. As a
general rule I have one extern declaration in one header and one definition
in one c/c++ file.

Not all globals are bad but whether you should use a global in this
particular case is a different question.

Andrew

[JoeC]

andrew queisser wrote:

"JoeC" <en*****@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@y43g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...

I am trying to create a message box that allows you to enter a name
then display that name on a window. The program uses win32 but that is
not the issue. I want have a global buf variable. So that it can be
filled in the window then displayed in the main window.

Here is what I have

char * buf = NULL; //In my min program.

extern char * buf; // This is the section where I want buf displayed.

extern char * buf; //This is where I fill the array.
buf = new char[len];
GetDlgItemText(hwnd, IDC_NAME_EDIT, buf, len +1);
I have used extern before and it had made my progam possible but does
it work with a pointer?

Yes, a pointer is just like any other variable. You can have a global
pointer and set the value of the pointer to whatever you want in another
module. That module has to have a extern declaration for the pointer. As a
general rule I have one extern declaration in one header and one definition
in one c/c++ file.

Not all globals are bad but whether you should use a global in this
particular case is a different question.

Andrew

At first it didn't work and now it does.