Re: char *

From:
"Alf P. Steinbach" <alfps@start.no>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.vc.language
Date:
Sat, 05 Apr 2008 02:47:13 +0200
Message-ID:
<vpednXz6cP8EVmvanZ2dnUVZ_remnZ2d@comnet>
* Carmen Sei:

 why the following compile is OK

but will crash when execute?

the problem seem to in -
convertToUppercase( phrase );

==========
// Converting lowercase letters to uppercase letters
// using a non-constant pointer to non-constant data.
#include <iostream>
using std::cout;
using std::endl;

#include <cctype> // prototypes for islower and toupper
using std::islower;
using std::toupper;

void convertToUppercase( char * );

int main()
{
   //char phrase[] = "characters and $32.98";

   char * phrase = "characters and $32.98";


The string literal has type 'char const [n]' in C++.

Implicit conversion from literal string to 'char*' is only supported for C
compatibility.

You should not use it.

Instead, use std::string:

   std::string const phrase = "as?dljkasdl?kjasdl?kj";

Of course that doesn't match very well with your convertToUppercase functon.

   convertToUppercase( phrase );

   return 0; // indicates successful termination
} // end main

// convert string to uppercase letters
void convertToUppercase( char *sPtr )
{
   while ( *sPtr != '\0' ) // loop while current character is not '\0'
   {
      if ( islower( *sPtr ) ) // if character is lowercase,


Well, this stuff is also dangerous, at least for users in non-English speaking
countries. A basic C library character oriented function takes int argument,
but expects and requires a value corresponding to unsigned char. You need to
cast the argument to unsigned char to handle non-English characters correctly.

The islower() test is redundant, but if you had a valid reason to use islower()
you should wrap it in a more safe function, like

   bool isLower( char c )
   {
       return !!std::islower( static_cast<unsigned char>( c ) );
   }

Then use isLower, not std::islower.

         *sPtr = toupper( *sPtr ); // convert to uppercase


And ditto.

      sPtr++; // move sPtr to next character in string
   } // end while
} // end function convertToUppercase


Cheers, & hth.,

- Alf

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