Splint: "Value strings[] used before definition" with dynamic array - c

Question

I'm using a dynamic array of strings in C:
char** strings;
I initialize it:
int max = 10;
strings = malloc(sizeof(char*) * max);
And copy a couple of dummy strings:
char* str = "dummy";
for (int i = 0; i < max; i++) {
strings[i] = malloc(strlen(str) + 1);
strncpy(strings[i], str, strlen(str) + 1);
}
Yet when I try to print this:
for (int i = 0; i < max; i++)
printf("array = %s", strings[i])
I get this error from Splint:
Value strings[] used before definition
An rvalue is used that may not be initialized to a value on some execution
path. (Use -usedef to inhibit warning)
Checking for NULL like this will not help:
for (int i = 0; i < max; i++)
if (strings[i] != NULL)
printf("array = %s", strings[i])
since strings[i] is still used "before definition".
Any ideas on how to solve this?
Edit: Will try this with a linked list instead, I think.
Also, complete code listing:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main()
{
char** strings;
int i;
int max = 10;
char* str = "hello";
// Dynamic array with size max
strings = malloc(sizeof(char*) * max);
// Abort if NULL
if (strings == NULL)
return (-1);
// Define strings
for (i = 0; i < max; i++)
{
strings[i] = malloc(strlen(str) + 1);
// Abort if NULL
if (strings[i] == NULL)
{
// Undetected memory leak here!
free(strings);
return (-1);
}
strncpy(strings[i], str, strlen(str) + 1);
}
// Print strings
for (i = 0; i < max; i++)
{
if (strings[i] != NULL)
printf("string[%d] = %s\n", i, strings[i]);
}
// Free strings
for (i = 0; i < max; i++)
{
if (strings[i] != NULL)
free(strings[i]);
}
free(strings);
return 0;
}

Answer 1

I do not have Splint on my machine, so i cannot test with it, just an another way to your task:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main()
{
int i, len, max;
char* str = "hello";
len = strlen(str) + 1;
max = 10;
char strings[max][len];
for (i = 0; i < max; i++) {
strcpy(strings[i], str);
}
for (i = 0; i < max; i++) {
printf("string[%d] = %s\n", i, strings[i]);
}
return 0;
}

Answer 2

Avoid creating non-continuous memory it would be better approach if you allocate memory in single malloc call.
Memory can be freed in single free call instead of multiple free call
max_rows * sizeof(char) will allocate 2 * 1
((strlen(str) * N) + 1) will allocate memory for every N element.
Here is my approch
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(){
size_t max_rows = 2;
char* str = "dummpy";
char* vec_s = (char *) malloc( max_rows * sizeof(char) * ((strlen(str) * max_rows) + 1));
for (int i = 0; i < max_rows; i++){
strcpy((vec_s + i), str);
printf("vec_s[%d]=%s\n", i, (vec_s + i));
}
free(vec_s);
return 0;
}