gcc -Wall -Wuninitialized is not throwing warning for uninitialized variable - c

Question

gcc version - gcc (Ubuntu 4.8.4-2ubuntu1~14.04.1) 4.8.4
Compiling below code with -Wall -Wuninitialized is throwing warning as expected
warning: ‘test’ is used uninitialized in this function [-Wuninitialized]
#include<stdio.h>
#include<stdlib.h>
void check (int test )
{
printf("%d",test);
}
int
main()
{
int test;
check(test);
return 0;
}
But compiling below code with -Wall -Wuninitialized is not throwing warning
#include<stdio.h>
#include<stdlib.h>
void check (int test )
{
printf("%d",test);
}
int
main()
{
int test;
int condition = 0;
if(condition == 27)
test = 10;
check(test);
return 0;
}
Shouldn't it throw warning?. is it anyway related to compiler optimization?

Answer 1

What an user understands as a false positive may be different for the particular
user. Some users are interested in cases that are hidden because of
actions of the optimizers combined with the current environment.
However, many users aren't, since that case is hidden because it
cannot arise in the compiled code. The canonical example is (MM05):
int x;
if (f ())
x = 3;
return x;
where 'f' always return non-zero for the current environment, and
thus, it may be optimised away. Here, a group of users would like to
get an uninitialized warning since 'f' may return zero when compiled
elsewhere. Yet, other group of users would consider spurious a warning
about a situation that cannot arise in the executable being compiled.
https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/Better_Uninitialized_Warnings#Proposal
EDIT: MMO5 is already fixed
https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/Better_Uninitialized_Warnings#MM05

Answer 2

Yes, gcc is not warning you because the code is optimized away. Some people think this is the right thing, because it might be that way by a compile time configuration value. Others think it's the wrong thing, because it hides possible mistakes.
You are not the first to notice this problem with GCC. There's a whole proposal about it.
clang with -Wall detects the problem and even suggests a fix.
$ make
cc -Wall -g test.c -o test
test.c:15:7: warning: variable 'test' is used uninitialized whenever 'if' condition is false
[-Wsometimes-uninitialized]
if(condition == 27)
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
test.c:18:10: note: uninitialized use occurs here
check(test);
^~~~
test.c:15:4: note: remove the 'if' if its condition is always true
if(condition == 27)
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
test.c:12:12: note: initialize the variable 'test' to silence this warning
int test;
^
= 0
1 warning generated.