Append function for C with dynamic memory allocation - c

Following this question, I'm trying to modify the code provided in this blog post to create an append function using dynamic memory allocation. This is what I have so far:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
typedef struct intlist_ {
int size;
int* list;
} intlist;
void append(intlist* arr, int value){
realloc((*arr).list, sizeof((*arr).list) + sizeof(int));
(*arr).size = (*arr).size + 1;
(*arr).list[(*arr).size -1] = value;
}
int main() {
intlist arr;
arr.size = 4;
arr.list = malloc(arr.size * sizeof(int));
arr.list[0] = 0;
arr.list[1] = 5;
arr.list[2] = 3;
arr.list[3] = 64;
append(&arr, 12);
for (int ii = 0; ii < arr.size; ii++)
printf("%d, ", arr.list[ii]);
free(arr.list);
return 0;
}
However the result I get is wrong:
clang version 7.0.0-3~ubuntu0.18.04.1 (tags/RELEASE_700/final)
main.c:10:3: warning: ignoring return value of function declared with
'warn_unused_result' attribute [-Wunused-result]
realloc((*arr).list, sizeof((*arr).list) + sizeof(int));
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 warning generated.
0, 5, 3, 64, 0, 5, 3, 64, 12,
I'm using this online compiler for testing where you can also see the latest versions of the above code. I would appreciate if you could help me know where is my mistake and how I can solve it. Thanks for your support in advance.
P.S. You may a final version of the code here in this Gist.

Close, but:
sizeof((*arr).list) wont give you the size of the array. Instead it will give you the size of a int*.
realloc invalidates the original pointer, and continuing to use it is undefined behaviour. Use the returned value instead.
So change your realloc line to use the stored list size instead, and update the pointer with the return value:
(*arr).list = realloc((*arr).list, ((*arr).size + 1) * sizeof(int));
Couple of other tips:
ptr-> is the same as (*ptr). but easier to read. I suggest changing all your (*arr).size and (*arr).list to arr->size and arr->list.
realloc, like its brethren, is not guaranteed to succeed. You should check the return value for null to catch errors.
The clang warning is (as often is the case) helpful - checking the return value would have solved a couple of issues.

Wrong size allocated. sizeof((*arr).list) is the size of a pointer, not int.
Return value not used. realloc() returns the new pointer.
No NULL check
Rather than use the error prone ptr = some_alloc(sizeof(type) * n), use
ptr = some_alloc(sizeof *ptr * n)
void append(intlist *arr, int value){
int *new_ptr = realloc(arr->list, sizeof *(arr->list) * (arr->size + 1u));
if (new_ptr == NULL) {
fprintf(stderr, "Out of memory\n");
exit (EXIT_FAILURE);
}
arr->list = new_ptr;
arr->list[arr->size] = value;
arr->size++;
}

Related

After creating an array through dynamic allocation, a problem occurs when changing the memory size through realloc in C

I am practicing C language.
I wanted to use dynamic allocation to use only the size of the string I input as memory and check whether the input string was properly saved.
So, I wrote the following code using malloc and realloc functions.
#define _CRT_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
void str_copy(char* str_array_f) {
void* tmp;
char buf;
unsigned char arr_size = 1;
unsigned char arr_cur = 0;
while ((buf = getchar())) {
if (buf == '\n') {
break;
}
str_array_f[arr_cur++] = (char)buf;
tmp = realloc(str_array_f, ((arr_size++) * sizeof(char)) + sizeof(char));
if (tmp != 0) {
str_array_f = tmp;
}
else {
printf("memory leak error occur! \n");
break;
}
}
str_array_f[arr_size - 1] = 0x00;
}
void main() {
int contiune = 1;
while (contiune) {
char* str_array = malloc(sizeof(char) + sizeof(char));
printf("Please type something : ");
str_copy(str_array);
printf("'str_array' have this : %s \n", str_array);
printf("-------------------------------------------------\n");
if (str_array[0] == '1') {
contiune = 0;
}
free(str_array);
}
}
And, as a result of the performance,
The following problems have occurred.
Strange values sometimes appear from the 5th character of the intermittently printed value
(To reproduce this issue, it is recommended to remove the while loop and try repeatedly)
In the case of repeatedly receiving a value by using the while loop, an error occurs after 4 repetitions.
If the allocated memory of tmp, which is a void type pointer, is released after line 22(e.g., 'free(tmp);'), when executed, no output and an error occurs immediately.
For the above 3 problems, I am not sure what is the cause and how to fix it.
Please let me know if there is a solution.
And, if there is a bad coding method in my code in terms of efficiency or various aspects, I would appreciate it if you let me know.
*Programming execution environment : Visual studio 2019
to explain what you're doing wrong I'm going to use a minimal example here
void change_x(int x) {
x = 2;
}
int main() {
int x = 1;
change_x(x);
printf("%i\n", x); // it'll print 1 not 2
return 0;
}
here the integer x is copied when the function is called and changing it won't really change the x in main. similarly you are doing in your code that str_array_f = tmp; it really won't change the str_array but the copied value. and you're trying to free a pointer that was reallocated before.
the fix for the example above is not to pass the value x instead pass the address of x (which is equivalent to pass by reference in other languages)
void change_x(int* x) {
*x = 2;
}
int main() {
int x = 1;
change_x(&x);
printf("%i\n", x); // it'll print 1 not 2
return 0;
}
and for your code
void str_copy(char** str_array_f) {...} // change the parameter
*str_array_f = tmp; // de reference and use it.
str_copy(&str_array); // call with it's address
And one more thing, don't reallocate more often it's not efficient. instead just just allocate your "array" type with a minimum size and when it's filled reallocate it with the size of 2 times of it (or 1.5 if you like)

Weird issue when reallocating memory in C

I am trying to get into C and as a training example, I decided to write a simple dynamically sized list. But I am facing a weird problem, where the code only works up to an initial list size of 4. Starting at List size 5, I get an error.
typedef struct {
int* data;
int alloc_size;
int length;
} List;
List create(int init_size) {
List out;
out.data = (int*) malloc(init_size * sizeof(int));
out.alloc_size = init_size;
out.length = 0;
return out;
}
void list_push(List* list, int elem) {
if (list->length == list->alloc_size) {
list->data = (int*) realloc(list->data, 2 * list->alloc_size);
list->alloc_size *= 2;
}
*(list->data + list->length) = elem;
list->length++;
}
int list_pop(List* list) {
list->length--;
return *(list->data + list->length);
}
int main() {
List list = create(5);
for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
list_push(&list, i);
}
while (list.length > 0) {
printf("%d\n", list_pop(&list));
}
return 0;
}
Up to create(4), everything works as expected. But if the list is created with create(5) (i.e. an initial size of 5), I get the following error: malloc: Incorrect checksum for freed object 0x7f7ff5c01778: probably modified after being freed. Corrupt value: 0x700000006. I can't really wrap my head around what would cause this to only work up to specific initial sizes, as the list size is dynamically reallocated anyway.
There are a couple of problems with this line
list->data = (int*) realloc(list->data, 2 * list->alloc_size);
The most evident is that 2 * list->alloc_size should be multiplied by the size in bytes of each element (sizeof(int) or sizeof(*(list->data)) in this case).
The most subtle is that the return value of realloc (and of the previous malloc) is not checked, but unconditionally assigned to list->data. The problem is that, on failure, it returns NULL, while the passed pointer (list->data) is not invalidated and should be freed to avoid leaks.
change to reallocation statement
list->data = (int*) realloc(list->data,sizeof(int) * 2 * list->alloc_size);
Second time you are trying to re-allocate lesser bytes than you already allocated, that's the reason for this

C: Stack element overwritten by a function call

I'm doing a school assignment, I've I've run into 2 problems. I have to simulate stacks, with arrays.
My current code is as follows:
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
typedef struct {
int capacity;
int * array;
int size;
} stack_tt;
int pop(stack_tt * stack_p);
void push(stack_tt * stack_p, int value);
int top(stack_tt * stack_p);
stack_tt * newStack(void);
int empty(stack_tt * stack_p);
int main() {
stack_tt * myStack = newStack();
push(myStack, 123);
push(myStack, 99);
push(myStack, 4444);
while (!empty(myStack)) {
int value;
value = pop(myStack);
printf("popped: %d\n", value);
}
return 0; }
stack_tt * newStack(){
stack_tt * newS = malloc(sizeof(stack_tt) * 20);
(*newS).capacity = 1;
(*newS).size = 0;
return newS;
}
void push(stack_tt * stack_p, int value){
if ((*stack_p).size >= (*stack_p).capacity) {
(*stack_p).capacity*=2;
//realloc(stack_p, stack_p->capacity * sizeof(stack_tt));
}
(*stack_p).array = &value;
(*stack_p).size++;
}
int pop(stack_tt * stack_p){
(*stack_p).size--;
int fap = *(*stack_p).array;
return fap;
}
int empty(stack_tt * stack_p){
if ((*stack_p).size >= 1)
return 0;
return 1;
}
Fist of, when I call the line
while(!empty(myStack))
It changes the value in my array to 1.
secondly I'm not able to change individual values in my array, whenever I try things like:
(*stack_p).array[0] = value;
It doesn't know where in the memory to look.
I hope someone is able to help me out :)
There are a couple of problems with the code as I see it.
Lets take the push function where you do
(*stack_p).array = &value;
That will make the array structure member point to the local variable value, and once the function returns the variable cease to exist leaving you with a stray pointer and using that pointer will lead to undefined behavior.
The second problem with that code is that your stack will only be pointing (illegally) to the last element added.
You must allocate memory explicitly for array and use capacity to keep track of how much memory is allocated. The use size as an index into the allocated array for the pushing and popping. Something like
stack_tt * newStack(){
stack_tt * newS = malloc(sizeof(stack_tt)); // Only allocate *one* structure
newS->capacity = 0; // Start with zero capacity
newS->size = 0;
newS->array = NULL;
return newS;
}
void push(stack_tt * stack_p, int value){
if (stack_p->size + 1 > stack_p->capacity){
// Increase capacity by ten elements
int new_capacity = stack_p->capacity + 10;
int * temp_array = realloc(stack_p->array, new_capacity * sizeof(int));
if (temp_srray == NULL)
return;
stack_p->capacity = new_capacity;
stack_p->array = temp_array;
}
stack_p->array[stack_p->size++] = value;
}
int pop(stack_tt * stack_p){
if (stack_p->size > 0)
return stack_p->array[--stack_p->size];
return 0;
}
int empty(stack_tt * stack_p){
return stack_p->size == 0;
}
There is no need to allocate space for 20 structs of type stack_tt, you only need to allocate space for one:
stack_tt * newS = malloc(sizeof(stack_tt));
however you need to allocate space for elements of the struct member array:
newS->array = malloc( sizeof(int)*20);
newS->size = 0;
newS->capacity = 20;
now you can use the array member.
When you push a value to the 'stack', you shouldn't overwrite the array member with the address of the local variable, that doesn't make sense and will cause undefined behavior in addition of loosing the previously allocated memory. Instead simply assign the value to the member array, in the function push:
stack_p->array[stack_p->size] = value;
stack_p->size++;
Similarly when you pop an element, take the current element from the member array:
stack_p->size--;
int fap = stack_p->array[stack_p->size];
The rest of the functions and code should be fixed in the same manner.
You're code is good, but probably you didn't understand the usage of realloc:
//realloc(stack_p, stack_p->capacity * sizeof(stack_tt));
This function returns a pointer to the newly allocated memory, or NULL if the request fails.
The realloc (as the function suggests) takes the memory pointed by the pointer you pass, and copies that memory block in a new and resized block. So the right code should be.
stack_p->array = realloc(stack_p->array, stack_p->capacity * sizeof(stack_tt));
This other line is wrong:
(*stack_p).array = &value;
Change it with:
stack_p->array[stack_p->size] = value;
Another little suggestion, every (*stack_p). can be replaced by stack_p->, which is more elegant.
In the newStack() you're mallocing 20 structs which is kinda useless. You just need one.
Then you should malloc the array for the first time:
newS->array = malloc(sizeof(int));
newS->capacity = 1;

Strange behaviour on Realloc: invalid next size [duplicate]

This question already has an answer here:
free char*: invalid next size (fast) [duplicate]
(1 answer)
Closed 8 years ago.
I know there are tons of other realloc questions and answers and I have read almost all of them, but I still couldn't manage to fix my problem.
I decided to stop trying when I accidentaly discovered a very strange behaviour of my code.
I introduced a line to try something, but although I don't use the value of newElems in main, the line changes the behaviour.
When the line is commented, the code fails at first realloc. Including the line, the first realloc works. (it still crashes on the second one).
Any ideas on what might be happening?
int main(int argc, char** argv) {
Pqueue q = pqueue_new(3);
Node a = {.name = "a"}, b = {.name = "b"},
c = {.name = "c"}, d = {.name = "d"};
push(& q, & a, 3);
// the next one is the strange line: as you can see, it doesn't modify q
// but commenting it out produces different behaviour
Pqueue_elem* newElems = realloc(q.elems, 4 * q.capacity * sizeof *newElems);
push(& q, & b, 5);
push(& q, & c, 4);
char s[5];
Node* n;
for (int i = 1; i <= 65; ++i) {
sprintf(s, "%d", i);
n = malloc(sizeof *n);
n->name = strdup(s);
push(& q, n, i);
}
Node* current = NULL;
while ((current = pop(& q))) {
printf("%s ", current->name);
}
return 0;
}
and the push function:
void push(Pqueue* q, Node* item, int priority) {
if (q->size >= q->capacity) {
if (DEBUG)
fprintf(stderr, "Reallocating bigger queue from capacity %d\n",
q->capacity);
q->capacity *= 2;
Pqueue_elem* newElems = realloc(q->elems,
q->capacity * sizeof *newElems);
check(newElems, "a bigger elems array");
q->elems = newElems;
}
// append at the end, then find its correct place and move it there
int idx = ++q->size, p;
while ((p = PARENT(idx)) && priority > q->elems[p].priority) {
q->elems[idx] = q->elems[p];
idx = p;
}
// after exiting the while, idx is at the right place for the element
q->elems[idx].data = item;
q->elems[idx].priority = priority;
}
The pqueue_new function:
Pqueue pqueue_new(unsigned int size) {
if (size < 4)
size = 4;
Pqueue* q = malloc(sizeof *q);
check(q, "a new queue.");
q->capacity = size;
q->elems = malloc(q->capacity * sizeof *(q->elems));
check(q->elems, "queue's elements");
return *q;
}
realloc will change the amount of memory that is allocated, if needed. It is also free to move the data to another place in memory if that's more efficient (avoiding memory fragmentation).
The function, then, returns a new pointer to the new location in memory where your data is hiding. You're calling realloc, and allocating (probably) four times as much memory as before, so it's very likely that that allocated memory is situated elsewhere in memory.
In your comment, you said realloc works like free + malloc. Well, in some cases it can behave similarly, however: realloc and free are different functions, that do different tasks. Both are functions that manage the dynamic memory, so yes, obviously there are similarities, and in the case of realloc, sometimes they can seem to be doing the same thing, however: As I explained here, realloc and free are fundamentally different functions
However, by not assigning the return value of realloc to q.elems, you're left with a pointer to a memory address that is no longer valid. The rest of your program can, and probably does, exhibit signs of undefined behaviour, then.
Unless you show some more code, I suspect this will take care of the problem:
//change:
Pqueue_elem* newElems = realloc(q.elems, 4 * q.capacity * sizeof *newElems);
//to
q.elems = realloc(q.elems, 4 * q.capacity * sizeof *newElems);
Or better yet, check for NULL pointers:
Pqueue_elem* newElems = realloc(q.elems, 4 * q.capacity * sizeof *newElems);
if (newElems == NULL)
exit( EXIT_FAILURE );// + fprintf(stderr, "Fatal error...");
q.elems = newElems;//<-- assign new pointer!
Looking at your pqueue_new function, I would suggest a different approach. Have it return the pointer to Pqueue. You're working with a piece of dynamic memory, treat it accordingly, and have your code reflect that all the way through:
Pqueue * pqueue_new(size_t size)
{//size_t makes more sense
if (size < 4)
size = 4;
Pqueue* q = malloc(sizeof *q);
check(q, "a new queue.");
q->capacity = size;
q->elems = malloc(q->capacity * sizeof *(q->elems));
check(q->elems, "queue's elements");
return q;
}
Alternatively, pass the function a pointer to a stack variable:
void pqueue_new(Pqueue *q, size_t size)
{
if (q == NULL)
{
fprintf(stderr, "pqueue_new does not do NULL pointers, I'm not Chuck Norris");
return;//or exit
}
if (size < 4)
size = 4;
check(q, "a new queue.");
q->capacity = size;
q->elems = malloc(q->capacity * sizeof *(q->elems));
check(q->elems, "queue's elements");
}
//call like so:
int main ( void )
{
Pqueue q;
pqueue_new(&q, 3);
}
Those would be the more common approaches.
Thank you all for the suggestions! I wouldn't have solved it without them,
The strange behaviour was caused by an off by one error. I was reallocating the queue only when q->size >= q->capacity, but since q was indexed from 0, it meant that before realloc I was writing in a forbidden location (q->elems[q->size]), which messed everything up.

Expanding an array of ints using realloc crashes!

I'm trying to expand an array of ints on the heap using realloc but the programme is crashing when I use my custom function "ExpandArrayOfInts" but works fine when I write the expander code within main.
Here is the code (file: main.c) with #defines for both approaches.
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
int ExpandArrayOfInts(int* arrayToExpand, int expandBy, int inArraySize, int* outArraySize);
int main (int argc, char** argv)
{
#if 1//CODE THAT WORKS
int arraySize = 10;
int* arrayDnmc = NULL;
int* arrayDnmcExpndd;
for (int i = 0; i< 10; ++i)
{
arrayDnmcExpndd = (int*)realloc(arrayDnmc, (arraySize + (i * 10)) * sizeof(int));
if (arrayDnmcExpndd != NULL)
{
arrayDnmc = arrayDnmcExpndd;
memset(arrayDnmc, 0, (arraySize + (i * 10)) * sizeof(int));
}
else
{
printf("Failed to (re)alloc memory for arrayDnmc!\n");
free(arrayDnmc);
return -1;
}
}
free(arrayDnmc);
#else //CODE THAT DOESN'T WORK (Which I'm trying to make it work)
int maxSize = 100;
int arraySize = 10;
int* arrayDnmc = NULL;
arrayDnmc = (int*)malloc(arraySize * sizeof(int));
if (arrayDnmc != NULL)
{
memset(arrayDnmc, 0, arraySize * sizeof(int));
}
else
{
printf("malloc failure!\n");
return -1;
}
while (arraySize < maxSize)
{
if (0 != ExpandArrayOfInts(arrayDnmc, 5, arraySize, &arraySize))
{
printf("Something went wrong.\n");
break;
}
//do something with the new array
printf("new size: %i\n", arraySize);
}
free(arrayDnmc);
#endif
return 0;
}
int ExpandArrayOfInts(int* arrayToExpand, int expandBy, int inArraySize, int* outArraySize)
{
int newSize = inArraySize + expandBy;
int* arrayTemp = (int*)realloc(arrayToExpand, newSize * sizeof(int));
if (arrayTemp != NULL)
{
arrayToExpand = arrayTemp;
*outArraySize = newSize;
return 0;
}
return -1;
}
The part that doesn't work gives the following output:
new size: 15
new size: 20
and then I get the crash message:
"Windows has triggered a breakpoint in c_cplusplus_mixing.exe.
This may be due to a corruption of the heap, which indicates a bug in c_cplusplus_mixing.exe or any of the DLLs it has loaded.
This may also be due to the user pressing F12 while c_cplusplus_mixing.exe has focus.
The output window may have more diagnostic information."
The call stack doesn't seem very meaningful (at least for a novice like myself).
Call Stack:
ntdll.dll!775c542c()
[Frames below may be incorrect and/or missing, no symbols loaded for ntdll.dll]
ntdll.dll!7758fdd0()
ntdll.dll!7755b3fc()
Note, I'm using visual studio 2008 and running Debug build. (Release doesn't work either).
Could anyone please point me to where I'm going wrong! and please let me know if more details are needed.
Many thanks in advance,
Hasan.
The problem is that ExpandArrayOfInts is receiving a pointer to an int instead of a pointer to the pointer that has to reallocate. It should look like this:
int ExpandArrayOfInts(int** arrayToExpand, int expandBy, int inArraySize, int* outArraySize)
and then you would call it like this:
ExpandArrayOfInts(&arrayDnmc, 5, arraySize, &arraySize))
I'd recommend you to look for questions related to pointers in stackoverflow so that you get a better understanding of them.
From the realloc() documentation on my system:
realloc() returns a pointer to the
newly allocated memory, which is
suitably aligned for any kind of
variable and may be different from
ptr, or NULL if the request fails.
Your ExpandArrayOfInts() declaration and implementation does not allow realloc to modify the actual pointer in main() - it implicitly assumes that its value cannot change. When realloc() moves the memory area and does return a different pointer, it calls free() on the pointer it was called with. The rest of your program, though, goes on using the original value which is now invalid, hence the crash.
You should use a pointer-to-a-pointer to pass the memory area pointer by reference, instead:
int ExpandArrayOfInts(int** arrayToExpand, int expandBy, int inArraySize, int* outArraySize)
.
.
.
*arrayToExpand = (int*)realloc(*arrayToExpand, newSize * sizeof(int));

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