Re: Character arrays was Re: [LUG] C - global arrays

[Simon Waters <Simon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Simon Waters wrote:
> My C isn't getting any better..... someone sent me a patch....
>
> .h has
> static const char * const bookbin[] = {

Urm in an attempt to answer my own question....

static - only known in this file (.h - and presumably those that
include it).

const (the pointers don't change)

 char (characters)

 * (pointers to)

  const (make the characters as well as the pointers read only)

   bookbin[] (an array).

So we have an unchanging array of pointers (bookbin) which point
to unchanging strings known only to files that include this
header file.

>   "string",
>  .....strings .....
>   NULL };
>
> .c has
> const char **booktry;

A constant pointer to a string, but we want a changing pointer
to constant strings.

So I tried;

char * const *booktry

A pointer to a constant character pointer, which compiles
without warning, and works.....

Although I'm still not 100% sure this is correct in a strongly
typed sense. I am tempted to rewrite the whole loop without
pointer arithmetic, not as if it is performance critical. I'm
now more convinced then ever C sucks as an application
programming language - heck this should be simple stuff, it
should only be looping over a list of file names - or is
everyone taking the mickey?

Meanwhile - cvs commit - now it compiles and runs without
warnings.

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