Struct memory allocation issues for message buffer - c

Question

I'm trying to use static structs as a buffer for incoming messages, in order to avoid checking the buffer on the MCP2515-external unit. An ISR enters the function with a can_message* value 255 to actually read new messages from my MCP2515.
Other applications register an ID in the message passed as argument, in order to check if the buffer holds any messages with the same value.
This returns wrong IDs, and the rest of the datafields are 0 and uninitialized. What is wrong?
can_message struct:
typedef struct
{
uint8_t id;
uint8_t datalength;
uint8_t data[8];
}can_message;
int CAN_message_receive(can_message* message)
{
static volatile can_message* buffers = (volatile can_message*)0x18FF;
static int birth = 1;
if(birth)
{
for (int i; i < CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS; i++)
{
//These structs gets addresses outside SRAM
buffers[i] = (can_message){0,0,0};
}
birth = 0;
}
if (message == CAN_UPDATE_MESSAGES)
{
/* Sorts messages <3 */
can_message currentMessage;
//These functions are working:
CAN_message_get_from_MCP_buf(&currentMessage, 0);
buffers[currentMessage.id] = currentMessage;
CAN_message_get_from_MCP_buf(&currentMessage, 1);
buffers[currentMessage.id] = currentMessage;
return 0; //returns nothing !
}
if(buffers[message->id].id != 0)
{
printf("test\n");
//This copy gives wrong id and data:
memcpy(message, &buffers[message->id], sizeof(can_message));
buffers[message->id].id = 0;
return 0;
}
return -1;
}
Edit 1:
I did however notice that any buffers[i]-struct gets a totally different address than expected. It does not use the addresses following 0x18FF on the SRAM. Is there any way to change this?
Edit 2:
This is my main-loop:
while (1) {
//printf("tx buf ready: %d\n", MCP2515_TX_buf_empty(0));
//CAN_Loopback_test();
_delay_ms(500);
value = USART_ReadByte(0);
CAN_message_receive(&msg);
printf("CAN_receive: ID: %d, datalength: %d, data: \n",msg.id);
for (int k; k < msg.datalength; k++)
{
printf("%d, ",msg.data[k]);
}
printf("\n");
}
Edit 3: Changing the buffer-pointer to array solved the issue. (It does no longer use the SRAM, but whatever floats my boat)
int CAN_message_receive(can_message* message)
{
static can_message buffers[CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS];
static int birth = 1;
if(birth)
{
for (int i; i < CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS*10; i++)
{
*(char*)(0x18FF+i) = 0;
printf("buffers: %X\n", &buffers[i]);
}
birth = 0;
}

Answer 1

Solved!
Pointer to buffers changed to buffer-array:
int CAN_message_receive(can_message* message)
{
static can_message buffers[CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS];
static int birth = 1;
if(birth)
{
for (int i; i < CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS*10; i++)
{
*(char*)(0x18FF+i) = 0;
printf("buffers: %X\n", &buffers[i]);
}
birth = 0;
}

Answer 2

I would strongly suggest to decouple the ISR logic with the programs own message cache logic. Also the initializing logic with the birth variable looks unnecessary.
I would setup some ring buffer that the ISR can write messages to and from that the main code reads the data into the ID-lookup-buffer.
This would ensure that message updates does not interfere with readouts (at least if you check the read/write indices to your ring buffer) and also eliminates the need to put Mutexes around your whole message buffer.
Currently it smells very badly because of missing read/write synchronization.
// global
#define CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS 50
static can_message g_can_messagebuffers[CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS];
#define MAX_RECEIVEBUFFER 8
static volatile can_message g_can_ringbuffer[MAX_RECEIVEBUFFER];
static volatile int g_can_ringbufferRead = 0;
static volatile int g_can_ringbufferWrite = 0;
// called from ISR
void GetNewMessages()
{
// todo: check ring buffer overflow
can_message currentMessage;
CAN_message_get_from_MCP_buf(&g_can_ringbuffer[g_can_ringbufferWrite], 0);
g_can_ringbufferWrite = (g_can_ringbufferWrite + 1) % MAX_RECEIVEBUFFER;
CAN_message_get_from_MCP_buf(&g_can_ringbuffer[g_can_ringbufferWrite], 1);
g_can_ringbufferWrite = (g_can_ringbufferWrite + 1) % MAX_RECEIVEBUFFER;
}
// called from main loop
void handleNewMessages()
{
while(g_can_ringbufferRead != g_can_ringbufferWrite){
const can_message* currentMessage = &g_can_ringbuffer[g_can_ringbufferRead];
if(currentMessage->id < CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS)
{
g_can_messagebuffers[currentMessage->id] = *currentMessage;
}
g_can_ringbufferRead = (g_can_ringbufferRead + 1) % MAX_RECEIVEBUFFER;
}
}
// called from whoever wants to know
// todo:
// really required a by value interface?
// would it not be sufficient to return a pointer and
// provide an additional interface to mark the message as used?
int getMsg(can_message* message)
{
if(buffers[message->id].id != 0)
{
printf("test\n");
*message = &g_can_messagebuffers[message->id];
g_can_messagebuffers[message->id].id = 0;
return 0;
}
return -1;
}
// alternative to above
const can_message* getMsg(int id)
{
if( (id < CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS)
&& (g_can_messagebuffers[id] != 0))
{
return &g_can_messagebuffers[id].id;
}
return NULL;
}
void invalidateMsg(int id)
{
if(id < CAN_MESSAGE_UNIQUE_IDS)
{
g_can_messagebuffers[id] = 0;
}
}
edit:
after your changes to an message array instead some strange pointer, there is also no need for the setup routine for this code.
edit:
if your micro controller already has a buffer for received messages, then may be it is unnecessary at all to register a ISR and you could empty it from the mainloop directly into your own id-lookup buffer (assuming the mainloop is fast enough)