How implicit declaration works - c

When you don't include and use malloc, we get implicit declaration warning.
"warning: incompatible implicit declaration of built-in function ‘malloc’"
This warning is due to fact that compiler assumes malloc defined as int malloc(size) while it is void* malloc(size).
But how does it know about void* malloc(size)? We have not included anything in header files. So how is it comparing it against something that is not included.
And after that, how does my code work? How does it find correct malloc definition and use it?
Is there any sequence order in which function definitions are scanned?

When you call a function f that has never been defined, an implicit declaration like this takes place:
int f();
Note that you can still pass arguments to f, since it was not declared int f(void); (this is for backwards compatibility with K&R C).
Thus, the compiler doesn't "know" that malloc receives a size argument, in fact you can pass it what you want, it doesn't care.
So, the mere fact that the code works is pure luck. In the case of malloc, if the code works, it just means that the size of an integer is the same size as a pointer - no more, no less - so, you can still call malloc and assign its result to a pointer, since no bits were trimmed / are missing.
The true function is found in the linking stage, after compilation takes place. By this time, your code was already compiled with a wrong function prototype. Of course, if the linker can't find the function anywhere in its path, an error is reported and everything is aborted.
For the case of malloc, and other standard library functions, there may be builtin functions to increase performance. There's even an option for gcc to disable builtin functions (-fno-builtin or -fno-builtin-function). From gcc manpage:
GCC normally generates special code to handle certain built-in
functions more efficiently; for instance, calls to "alloca" may become
single instructions that adjust the stack directly, and calls to
"memcpy" may become inline copy loops. The resulting code is often
both smaller and faster, but since the function calls no longer appear
as such, you cannot set a breakpoint on those calls, nor can you
change the behavior of the functions by linking with a different
library. In addition, when a function is recognized as a built-in
function, GCC may use information about that function to warn about
problems with calls to that function, or to generate more efficient
code, even if the resulting code still contains calls to that
function.
So, in the particular case of malloc, this is how the compiler "knows" its usual signature. Try to compile this code with gcc:
int main(void) {
char *a = malloc(12, 13, 14, 15);
return 0;
}
You will see it will abort with a compilation error:
test.c:3: error: too many arguments to function `malloc'
If you use the option -fnobuiltin, the error goes away and the warning is different:
test.c:3: warning: implicit declaration of function `malloc'
This is the same warning you get every time you use a regular function that was not previously defined, because now the compiler is ignoring what he "knows" about these functions. This example uses gcc, but other compilers will have similar behavior.

But how does it know about void* malloc(size)? We have not included anything in header files. So how is it comparing it against something that is not included.
Most modern compilers have a built-in (i. e. hard-coded in the compiler) list of common standard library functions, so the compiler knows what the declaration should be even without the function being declared (explicitly or implicitly) or called.
This does not mean that the correct declaration will be used (because the implicit declaration rule overrides the compilers apparent knowledge), but at least you know that you're doing something wrong.
The exact purpose of these built-ins is that the compiler can warn you if you forget to include a header file. (There other purposes as well, such as the opportunity to perform intrinsic optimization by knowing the semantics/implementation of a built-in function, but those do not apply here.)

The reason you got this specific warning is malloc being a built-in function in this specific compiler (as the warning states). This function receives special treatment from the compiler. The compiler has intrinsic knowledge about how this function has to be declared, so when the implicit declaration contradicts the proper declaration, the warning is issued immediately.
In general case, with ordinary (non-built-in) functions, you will get a similar waning for an implicitly declared function when the compiler actually discovers the first explicit declaration for the same function (assuming there's a mismatch between the two). In that case the warning will be issued later: not at the point of the call, but at the point of explicit declaration. That's the way it works with ordinary functions.
But with such standard (built-in) functions as malloc the compiler allows itself a bit of "cheating".

It doesn't find the correct definition if you don't declare it properly (either with an explicit declaration in your source code, or by including the proper header). It uses a default, implicit declaration for any functions that are called before they're declared. The implicit declaration includes the assumption that the function returns int.
It's then comparing the default declaration with the way that you called the function. It notices that you're assigning the result to a pointer variable rather than an integer, so it warns you that these are incompatible.

Related

Why does gcc produce an error for implicit declaration of functions returning not int? [duplicate]

What is meant by the term "implicit declaration of a function"? A call to a standard library function without including the appropriate header file produces a warning as in the case of:
int main(){
printf("How is this not an error?");
return 0;
}
Shouldn't using a function without declaring it be an error? Please explain in detail. I searched this site and found similar questions, but could not find a definitive answer. Most answers said something about including the header file to get rid of the warning, but I want to know how this is not an error.
It should be considered an error. But C is an ancient language, so it's only a warning.
Compiling with -Werror (GCC) fixes this problem.
When C doesn't find a declaration, it assumes this implicit declaration: int f();, which means the function can receive whatever you give it, and returns an integer. If this happens to be close enough (and in case of printf, it is), then things can work. In some cases (e.g., the function actually returns a pointer, and pointers are larger than ints), it may cause real trouble.
Note that this was fixed in newer C standards (C99 and C11). In these standards, this is an error. However, GCC doesn't implement these standards by default, so you still get the warning.
Implicit declarations are not valid in C.
C99 removed this feature (present in C89).
GCC chooses to only issue a warning by default with -std=c99, but a compiler has the right to refuse to translate such a program.
To complete the picture, since -Werror might considered too "invasive",
for GCC (and LLVM), a more precise solution is to transform just this warning in an error, using the option:
-Werror=implicit-function-declaration
See How can I make this GCC warning an error?.
Regarding general use of -Werror: Of course, having warningless code is recommendable, but in some stage of development it might slow down the prototyping.
Because of historical reasons going back to the very first version of C, it passes whatever type the argument is. So it could be an int or a double or a char*. Without a prototype, the compiler will pass whatever size the argument is and the function being called had better use the correct argument type to receive it.
For more details, look up K&R C.
An implicitly declared function is one that has neither a prototype nor a definition, but is called somewhere in the code. Because of that, the compiler cannot verify that this is the intended usage of the function (whether the count and the type of the arguments match). Resolving the references to it is done after compilation, at link-time (as with all other global symbols), so technically it is not a problem to skip the prototype.
It is assumed that the programmer knows what he is doing and this is the premise under which the formal contract of providing a prototype is omitted.
Nasty bugs can happen if calling the function with arguments of a wrong type or count. The most likely manifestation of this is a corruption of the stack.
Nowadays this feature might seem as an obscure oddity, but in the old days it was a way to reduce the number of header files included, hence faster compilation.
C is a very low-level language, so it permits you to create almost any legal object (.o) file that you can conceive of. You should think of C as basically dressed-up assembly language.
In particular, C does not require functions to be declared before they are used. If you call a function without declaring it, the use of the function becomes its (implicit) declaration. In a simple test I just ran, this is only a warning in the case of built-in library functions like printf (at least in GCC), but for random functions, it will compile just fine.
Of course, when you try to link, and it can't find foo, then you will get an error.
In the case of library functions like printf, some compilers contain built-in declarations for them so they can do some basic type checking, so when the implicit declaration (from the use) doesn't match the built-in declaration, you'll get a warning.

Why doesn't gcc require I `#include stdio.h` in my `helloworld.c` [duplicate]

What is meant by the term "implicit declaration of a function"? A call to a standard library function without including the appropriate header file produces a warning as in the case of:
int main(){
printf("How is this not an error?");
return 0;
}
Shouldn't using a function without declaring it be an error? Please explain in detail. I searched this site and found similar questions, but could not find a definitive answer. Most answers said something about including the header file to get rid of the warning, but I want to know how this is not an error.
It should be considered an error. But C is an ancient language, so it's only a warning.
Compiling with -Werror (GCC) fixes this problem.
When C doesn't find a declaration, it assumes this implicit declaration: int f();, which means the function can receive whatever you give it, and returns an integer. If this happens to be close enough (and in case of printf, it is), then things can work. In some cases (e.g., the function actually returns a pointer, and pointers are larger than ints), it may cause real trouble.
Note that this was fixed in newer C standards (C99 and C11). In these standards, this is an error. However, GCC doesn't implement these standards by default, so you still get the warning.
Implicit declarations are not valid in C.
C99 removed this feature (present in C89).
GCC chooses to only issue a warning by default with -std=c99, but a compiler has the right to refuse to translate such a program.
To complete the picture, since -Werror might considered too "invasive",
for GCC (and LLVM), a more precise solution is to transform just this warning in an error, using the option:
-Werror=implicit-function-declaration
See How can I make this GCC warning an error?.
Regarding general use of -Werror: Of course, having warningless code is recommendable, but in some stage of development it might slow down the prototyping.
Because of historical reasons going back to the very first version of C, it passes whatever type the argument is. So it could be an int or a double or a char*. Without a prototype, the compiler will pass whatever size the argument is and the function being called had better use the correct argument type to receive it.
For more details, look up K&R C.
An implicitly declared function is one that has neither a prototype nor a definition, but is called somewhere in the code. Because of that, the compiler cannot verify that this is the intended usage of the function (whether the count and the type of the arguments match). Resolving the references to it is done after compilation, at link-time (as with all other global symbols), so technically it is not a problem to skip the prototype.
It is assumed that the programmer knows what he is doing and this is the premise under which the formal contract of providing a prototype is omitted.
Nasty bugs can happen if calling the function with arguments of a wrong type or count. The most likely manifestation of this is a corruption of the stack.
Nowadays this feature might seem as an obscure oddity, but in the old days it was a way to reduce the number of header files included, hence faster compilation.
C is a very low-level language, so it permits you to create almost any legal object (.o) file that you can conceive of. You should think of C as basically dressed-up assembly language.
In particular, C does not require functions to be declared before they are used. If you call a function without declaring it, the use of the function becomes its (implicit) declaration. In a simple test I just ran, this is only a warning in the case of built-in library functions like printf (at least in GCC), but for random functions, it will compile just fine.
Of course, when you try to link, and it can't find foo, then you will get an error.
In the case of library functions like printf, some compilers contain built-in declarations for them so they can do some basic type checking, so when the implicit declaration (from the use) doesn't match the built-in declaration, you'll get a warning.

On which version of C following code will compile fine? [duplicate]

What is meant by the term "implicit declaration of a function"? A call to a standard library function without including the appropriate header file produces a warning as in the case of:
int main(){
printf("How is this not an error?");
return 0;
}
Shouldn't using a function without declaring it be an error? Please explain in detail. I searched this site and found similar questions, but could not find a definitive answer. Most answers said something about including the header file to get rid of the warning, but I want to know how this is not an error.
It should be considered an error. But C is an ancient language, so it's only a warning.
Compiling with -Werror (GCC) fixes this problem.
When C doesn't find a declaration, it assumes this implicit declaration: int f();, which means the function can receive whatever you give it, and returns an integer. If this happens to be close enough (and in case of printf, it is), then things can work. In some cases (e.g., the function actually returns a pointer, and pointers are larger than ints), it may cause real trouble.
Note that this was fixed in newer C standards (C99 and C11). In these standards, this is an error. However, GCC doesn't implement these standards by default, so you still get the warning.
Implicit declarations are not valid in C.
C99 removed this feature (present in C89).
GCC chooses to only issue a warning by default with -std=c99, but a compiler has the right to refuse to translate such a program.
To complete the picture, since -Werror might considered too "invasive",
for GCC (and LLVM), a more precise solution is to transform just this warning in an error, using the option:
-Werror=implicit-function-declaration
See How can I make this GCC warning an error?.
Regarding general use of -Werror: Of course, having warningless code is recommendable, but in some stage of development it might slow down the prototyping.
Because of historical reasons going back to the very first version of C, it passes whatever type the argument is. So it could be an int or a double or a char*. Without a prototype, the compiler will pass whatever size the argument is and the function being called had better use the correct argument type to receive it.
For more details, look up K&R C.
An implicitly declared function is one that has neither a prototype nor a definition, but is called somewhere in the code. Because of that, the compiler cannot verify that this is the intended usage of the function (whether the count and the type of the arguments match). Resolving the references to it is done after compilation, at link-time (as with all other global symbols), so technically it is not a problem to skip the prototype.
It is assumed that the programmer knows what he is doing and this is the premise under which the formal contract of providing a prototype is omitted.
Nasty bugs can happen if calling the function with arguments of a wrong type or count. The most likely manifestation of this is a corruption of the stack.
Nowadays this feature might seem as an obscure oddity, but in the old days it was a way to reduce the number of header files included, hence faster compilation.
C is a very low-level language, so it permits you to create almost any legal object (.o) file that you can conceive of. You should think of C as basically dressed-up assembly language.
In particular, C does not require functions to be declared before they are used. If you call a function without declaring it, the use of the function becomes its (implicit) declaration. In a simple test I just ran, this is only a warning in the case of built-in library functions like printf (at least in GCC), but for random functions, it will compile just fine.
Of course, when you try to link, and it can't find foo, then you will get an error.
In the case of library functions like printf, some compilers contain built-in declarations for them so they can do some basic type checking, so when the implicit declaration (from the use) doesn't match the built-in declaration, you'll get a warning.

Implicit declaration of recursive function in C [duplicate]

What is meant by the term "implicit declaration of a function"? A call to a standard library function without including the appropriate header file produces a warning as in the case of:
int main(){
printf("How is this not an error?");
return 0;
}
Shouldn't using a function without declaring it be an error? Please explain in detail. I searched this site and found similar questions, but could not find a definitive answer. Most answers said something about including the header file to get rid of the warning, but I want to know how this is not an error.
It should be considered an error. But C is an ancient language, so it's only a warning.
Compiling with -Werror (GCC) fixes this problem.
When C doesn't find a declaration, it assumes this implicit declaration: int f();, which means the function can receive whatever you give it, and returns an integer. If this happens to be close enough (and in case of printf, it is), then things can work. In some cases (e.g., the function actually returns a pointer, and pointers are larger than ints), it may cause real trouble.
Note that this was fixed in newer C standards (C99 and C11). In these standards, this is an error. However, GCC doesn't implement these standards by default, so you still get the warning.
Implicit declarations are not valid in C.
C99 removed this feature (present in C89).
GCC chooses to only issue a warning by default with -std=c99, but a compiler has the right to refuse to translate such a program.
To complete the picture, since -Werror might considered too "invasive",
for GCC (and LLVM), a more precise solution is to transform just this warning in an error, using the option:
-Werror=implicit-function-declaration
See How can I make this GCC warning an error?.
Regarding general use of -Werror: Of course, having warningless code is recommendable, but in some stage of development it might slow down the prototyping.
Because of historical reasons going back to the very first version of C, it passes whatever type the argument is. So it could be an int or a double or a char*. Without a prototype, the compiler will pass whatever size the argument is and the function being called had better use the correct argument type to receive it.
For more details, look up K&R C.
An implicitly declared function is one that has neither a prototype nor a definition, but is called somewhere in the code. Because of that, the compiler cannot verify that this is the intended usage of the function (whether the count and the type of the arguments match). Resolving the references to it is done after compilation, at link-time (as with all other global symbols), so technically it is not a problem to skip the prototype.
It is assumed that the programmer knows what he is doing and this is the premise under which the formal contract of providing a prototype is omitted.
Nasty bugs can happen if calling the function with arguments of a wrong type or count. The most likely manifestation of this is a corruption of the stack.
Nowadays this feature might seem as an obscure oddity, but in the old days it was a way to reduce the number of header files included, hence faster compilation.
C is a very low-level language, so it permits you to create almost any legal object (.o) file that you can conceive of. You should think of C as basically dressed-up assembly language.
In particular, C does not require functions to be declared before they are used. If you call a function without declaring it, the use of the function becomes its (implicit) declaration. In a simple test I just ran, this is only a warning in the case of built-in library functions like printf (at least in GCC), but for random functions, it will compile just fine.
Of course, when you try to link, and it can't find foo, then you will get an error.
In the case of library functions like printf, some compilers contain built-in declarations for them so they can do some basic type checking, so when the implicit declaration (from the use) doesn't match the built-in declaration, you'll get a warning.

How does the warning of implicit declaration of any function affect my code ?

See I have made a library which has several .h & several .c files.
Now under some circumstances I have not removed a warning that says
warning: implicit declaration of function ‘getHandle’
Now I want to ask you, does this cause any problem in the binary of my library?
Will it negatively affect the execution of my library on embedded platforms or anywhere else?
In C90, a call to a function with no visible declaration creates an implicit declaration of a function returning int and taking the promoted types of the arguments. If your getHandle function returns a pointer, for example, then the compiler will generate code assuming that it returns an int. Assigning the result to a pointer object should at least trigger another warning. It might work ok (if int and the pointer type are the same size, and int and pointer function results are returned in the same way), or it could go badly wrong (if, for example, int is 32 bits and pointers are 64 bits, or if pointer results are returned in 68K-style address registers).
The C99 standard removed implicit int from the language. Calling a function with no visible declaration is a constraint violation, requiring a diagnostic and possibly causing your program to be rejected.
And if you just fix the problem, you don't have to waste time figuring out how and whether it will work if you don't fix it.
In such a case the compiler cannot verify that the usage of getHandle is proper - that is, whether the return value and the arguments are of the right type and count. It will just accept the way you call it without any explicit statement that this is the right way.
Adding a prototype of the function is a way to tell the compiler that this is the intended usage of the function and it will be a compile-time error not to comply to that.
It may cause some nasty bugs in case there is a mismatch between the way it's called and the way the function expects its arguments. The most likely effect will be a corruption of the stack.
If there isn't a mismatch, it won't make any difference at runtime.

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