Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]


Groups > comp.lang.c > #61616

Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions

From Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk>
Newsgroups comp.lang.c
Subject Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions
Date 2015-05-06 17:07 +0100
Organization go, ion artisan!
Message-ID <mide6l$e05$2@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References <michpc$2b0$1@dont-email.me> <87r3qtlmtn.fsf@kst-u.example.com>

Show all headers | View raw


On 06/05/15 16:58, Keith Thompson wrote:

<snip>

> Speculation: The early design of C did not go out of its way to allow
> for the possibility of buffer overflows.  If you assume that your target
> array is always going to be big enough, it's reasonable to write:
>
>      char s[BIG_ENOUGH];
>      strcat(strcat(strcpy(s, this), that), the_other_thing);
>
> Personally, even if I were willing to assume the target array is big
> enough, I'd probably still break up the calls:
>
>      strcpy(s, this);
>      strcat(s, that);
>      strcat(s, the_other_thing);

And I'd probably use sprintf(s, "%s%s%s", this,  that, the_other_thing) 
instead. Not because it's quicker (which it might or might not be, since 
strcat has to find the end of the string each time, but sprintf has to 
read and interpret the format string), but because to my eyes it's a 
tiny little bit clearer.

-- 
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within

Back to comp.lang.c | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread


Thread

Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-06 10:02 +0200
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Xavier Roche <xroche@free.fr.NOSPAM.invalid> - 2015-05-06 10:34 +0200
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Lőrinczy Zsigmond <zsiga@nospam.for.me> - 2015-05-06 16:51 +0200
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-05-06 08:58 -0700
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2015-05-06 17:07 +0100
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-06 12:01 -0500
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-07 10:19 +0200
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 13:21 +0000
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-07 16:24 +0200
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 18:02 +0000
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-07 10:17 -0500
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-07 10:56 -0500
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions asetofsymbols@gmail.com - 2015-05-07 11:00 -0700
            Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-07 14:28 -0500
              Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions asetofsymbols@gmail.com - 2015-05-07 12:47 -0700
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Nathan Wagner <nw@hydaspes.if.org> - 2015-05-08 09:31 +0000
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 15:55 -0700
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-08 11:03 +0200
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-08 05:07 -0500
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-06 18:25 -0700
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-07 10:22 +0200
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 15:39 -0700
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-08 11:09 +0200
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-10 08:44 -0700
            Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-10 21:30 +0200
              Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-11 20:42 -0700
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-12 09:52 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2015-05-12 13:33 +0100
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Ike Naar <ike@iceland.freeshell.org> - 2015-05-14 20:15 +0000
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-14 23:06 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-20 11:08 -0700
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-21 10:55 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-21 13:05 +0000
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-21 20:42 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-07-10 10:40 -0700
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2015-05-08 21:56 +0000
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-10 09:07 -0700
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2015-05-07 10:11 +0100

csiph-web