Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct?

From	Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
Subject	Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct?
Date	2021-08-04 10:11 -0700
Organization	None to speak of
Message-ID	<87fsvp879i.fsf@nosuchdomain.example.com> (permalink)
References	<se9b5g$l2n$1@dont-email.me> <se9fa1$ikv$1@dont-email.me> <87sfzr8umf.fsf@nosuchdomain.example.com> <seea3q$7a6$1@gioia.aioe.org>

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Manfred <noname@add.invalid> writes:
> On 8/2/2021 10:22 PM, Keith Thompson wrote:
>> Ian Pilcher <arequipeno@gmail.com> writes:
>>> On 8/2/21 12:48 PM, Ian Pilcher wrote:
>>>> Given the following:
>>>>     struct foo {
>>>>         /* other members */
>>>>         char prefix[PREFIX_SIZE];
>>>>         char name[];
>>>>     };
>>>
>>> As has been pointed out, the 'name' member is a flexible array member,
>>> not a variable length array.  I apologize for the mistake.
>>>
>>> Also, PREFIX_SIZE is intended to represent a macro that expands to a
>>> positive(!) integer constant expression.
>>>
>>> The consensus seems to be that no one can think of a good reason that a
>>> compiler would insert padding between the 'prefix' and 'name' members,
>>> but there's nothing in any of the language standards that would forbid
>>> it from doing so.  That would certainly explain my failure to find any
>>> such rule.
>>>
>>> (_Static_assert here I come!)
>> The ABI for whatever target platform you're interested in might have
>> something to say about it.
>
> It may be worth pointing out that ABIs set requirements for exported
> interfaces - they don't pose restrictions to compilers for accesses to 
> local data and functions.

Sure, but it would be bizarre to use the ABI-imposed layout for struct foo
if it's exported, but a different layout if it isn't.

>> (I can imagine that some compiler might find it convenient to give
>> the
>> name[] member an alignment stricter than 1 byte.)

-- 
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
Working, but not speaking, for Philips
void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */

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Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Ian Pilcher <arequipeno@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 12:48 -0500
  Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2021-08-02 14:07 -0400
    Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 11:25 -0700
      Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2021-08-02 19:21 -0400
  Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-08-02 19:11 +0100
    Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 11:27 -0700
      Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-08-02 20:43 +0100
        Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:11 -0700
          Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:18 -0700
          Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:31 -0700
            Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2021-08-02 19:50 -0700
              Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-08-04 14:01 +0200
        Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:19 -0700
        Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? BGB <cr88192@gmail.com> - 2021-08-03 10:40 -0500
          Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2021-08-03 09:10 -0700
            Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? BGB <cr88192@gmail.com> - 2021-08-03 12:52 -0500
              Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? BGB <cr88192@gmail.com> - 2021-08-04 12:05 -0500
  Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 11:12 -0700
    Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-08-02 19:23 +0100
      Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:15 -0700
  Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Andrey Tarasevich <andreytarasevich@hotmail.com> - 2021-08-02 11:32 -0700
  Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Ian Pilcher <arequipeno@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:59 -0500
    Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2021-08-02 12:47 -0700
      Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Ian Pilcher <arequipeno@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 15:27 -0500
        Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:36 -0700
        Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? antispam@math.uni.wroc.pl - 2021-08-02 21:52 +0000
    Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-02 13:22 -0700
      Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Manfred <noname@add.invalid> - 2021-08-04 17:01 +0200
        Re: Padding between char array/VLA in struct? Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-08-04 10:11 -0700

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