operator overloading

[abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy]

What's wrong with this?

code:

#include <stdlib.h> char* operator+(char* one, char* two) {   strcat(one, two);   return one; } int main() {   char* one = "You";   char* two = "Suck";   printf(one+two); }

[rizzix]

C does not have operator overloading. I think you're mixing up C with C++.

[abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy]

So what is the easiest way to join two strings without declaring a new variable to hold them?

To me it seems onerous to declare a new variable and use strncat()...

[md]

strcat( string1, string2); just like in your code. However, if you do this with your code you'll get a nice overflow.

C is horrible for strings, they end up just being glorified arrays that use a null character to mark the end. If you use strcat() and the resulting string is longer then the array you are attepting to store it in C really has no way of knowing, so it does as you ask. Which of course leads to all sorts of messy errors.

Creating a new string is unfortunately almost always the only way to be sure that you don't write beyond the length of your original strings.

[wtd]

The best route is to use a function which allocates and returns a new string. However, beware! If you do this, you will be tempted to use it immediately without assigning the result of that function to a variable.

This way lies madness, as every time you use the function, you allocate memory which must be freed, and without doing so, you have a memory leak.

[OneOffDriveByPoster]

wtd @ Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:13 pm wrote:

If you do this, you will be tempted to use it immediately without assigning the result of that function to a variable.

wtd, of course you know this, but for the benefit of those who don't:

C:

extern void my_malloc_strcat(char **, char const *, char const *);