Re: c++/8586: Compiler should warn when converting a string literal to char*

Re: c++/8586: Compiler should warn when converting a string literal to char*

[Matt Austern]

The following reply was made to PR c++/8586; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Matt Austern <austern@apple.com>
To: Andrew Pinski <pinskia@physics.uc.edu>
Cc: gcc-gnats@gcc.gnu.org
Subject: Re: c++/8586: Compiler should warn when converting a string literal to char*
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 16:39:54 -0800

 On Friday, November 15, 2002, at 04:17 PM, Andrew Pinski wrote:
 
 > Did you try the -Wwrite-strings option?
 
 A good point!  No, I didn't notice it; I just tried -W -Wall.
 
 I suppose the only question now is whether -Wall should
 also imply -Wwrite-strings.
 
 			--Matt
 

Re: c++/8586: Compiler should warn when converting a string literal to char*

[Andrew Pinski]

The following reply was made to PR c++/8586; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Andrew Pinski <pinskia@physics.uc.edu>
To: austern@apple.com
Cc: gcc-gnats@gcc.gnu.org
Subject: Re: c++/8586: Compiler should warn when converting a string literal to char*
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 16:17:33 -0800

 Did you try the -Wwrite-strings option?
 
 Thanks,
 Andrew Pinski
 

c++/8586: Compiler should warn when converting a string literal to char*

[austern]

>Number:         8586
>Category:       c++
>Synopsis:       Compiler should warn when converting a string literal to char*
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       serious
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    unassigned
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Thu Nov 14 14:36:02 PST 2002
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Matt Austern
>Release:        unknown-1.0
>Organization:
>Environment:

>Description:
In C++, a string literal is of type const char[N].  However, there is a special conversion, just for string literals, that lets you assign a string literal to char*.

This conversion is known to be unsafe, it was put in to support legacy code that isn't const-correct, and it is deprecated.  The compiler should issue a warning when it applies that conversion.  The only issue is whether that warning should be on or off by default.
>How-To-Repeat:

>Fix:

>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: