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Groups > comp.lang.c > #25934

Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array

From Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org>
Newsgroups comp.lang.c
Subject Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array
Date 2012-09-04 16:51 -0700
Organization None to speak of
Message-ID <lnhardtkhj.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org> (permalink)
References <504636db$0$1709$426a74cc@news.free.fr> <20120904113418.486@kylheku.com> <k25kmb$fje$1@dont-email.me>

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"BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> writes:
> "Kaz Kylheku" <kaz@kylheku.com> wrote in message 
> news:20120904113418.486@kylheku.com...
>> On 2012-09-04, Francois Grieu <fgrieu@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Can I
>>> - use floating point at all ?
>>> - if yes: use sqrt, log, exp ?
>>
>> No. Constant expressions cannot contain funtion calls.
>
> Yet, an expression such as sqrt(9.0) seems to be reduced to 3.0 on the
> first two compilers I tried.

Yes, I'm sure that's a common optimization.

But the phrase "constant expression" is defined by the standard in
terms of what it can contain; it doesn't merely mean "an expression
that a sufficiently clever compiler can evaluate at compile time".

> It's not much of a stretch to allow that to be used as an array
> dimension, the main stumbling block being that 3.0 is not integral,
> while adding an (int) cast makes it look like a runtime expression.

But where do you draw the line between constant and non-constant
expressions?  The authors of the standard already decided exactly
where to draw that line.  Moving it in the direction of treating
more expressions as constant risks imposing requirements that some
compilers may not be able to meet.

-- 
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) kst-u@mib.org  <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
    Will write code for food.
"We must do something.  This is something.  Therefore, we must do this."
    -- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"

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Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Francois Grieu <fgrieu@gmail.com> - 2012-09-04 19:14 +0200
  Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-09-04 14:08 -0400
    Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Francois Grieu <fgrieu@gmail.com> - 2012-09-05 09:56 +0200
      Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-09-05 07:33 -0400
        Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Francois Grieu <fgrieu@gmail.com> - 2012-09-05 23:39 +0200
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-09-05 18:11 -0400
    Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-09-05 07:17 -0400
  Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2012-09-04 19:18 +0100
  Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-09-04 18:41 +0000
    Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2012-09-04 20:22 +0100
      Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-09-04 17:07 -0400
        Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-09-04 17:25 -0400
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-09-04 18:24 -0400
            Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-09-04 17:29 -0700
        Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array army1987 <army1987@ask-for-it.invalid> - 2012-09-04 21:26 +0000
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array army1987 <army1987@ask-for-it.invalid> - 2012-09-04 21:31 +0000
            Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-09-04 17:41 -0400
              Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array army1987 <army1987@ask-for-it.invalid> - 2012-09-05 20:45 +0000
                Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-09-05 17:23 -0400
                Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array army1987 <army1987@ask-for-it.invalid> - 2012-09-05 21:30 +0000
                Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2012-09-05 23:04 +0100
                Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-09-05 18:17 -0400
                Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-09-05 18:29 -0400
            Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-09-04 21:44 +0000
      Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-09-04 21:39 +0000
        Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2012-09-04 22:58 +0100
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-09-04 22:12 +0000
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Lowell Gilbert <lgusenet@be-well.ilk.org> - 2012-09-04 18:55 -0400
      Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-09-04 16:51 -0700
        Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-09-04 20:58 -0400
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Francois Grieu <fgrieu@gmail.com> - 2012-09-05 10:04 +0200
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-09-07 04:47 -0700
            Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-09-07 14:04 -0700
              Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Casey Carter <casey_at_carter_dot_net@nospam.invalid> - 2012-09-07 16:40 -0500
              Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-09-07 19:54 -0700
                Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-09-08 14:15 -0700
                Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array lawrence.jones@siemens.com - 2012-09-17 12:09 -0400
        Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-09-07 04:53 -0700
          Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2012-09-07 13:07 +0100
            Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-09-07 14:08 -0700
            Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-09-07 19:41 -0700
  Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2012-09-04 20:26 +0100
  Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Barry Schwarz <schwarzb@dqel.com> - 2012-09-04 14:14 -0700
  Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-09-07 04:41 -0700
  Re: Limitations and workarounds to expressions defining size of an array army1987 <army1987@ask-for-it.invalid> - 2012-09-07 13:32 +0000

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