Re: technology discussion → does the world need a "new" C ?

bart <bc@freeuk.com> writes:

Arrays are passed by reference:
>
  void F(int a[20]) {}
>
  int main(void) {
    int x[20];
    F(x);
  }

This is the sort of thing that bad tutors say to students so that they
never learn C properly.  All parameter passing in C is by value.  All of
it.  You just have to know (a) what the syntax means and (b) what values
get passed.

void F(int a[20]) ... declares a to be of type int *.  Feel free to rail
about that as much as you like but that is what that syntax means.

The x in F(x) is converted to a pointer to x[0] since the x is not an
operand of &, sizeof etc.  F(x) passes a pointer by value.  F receives a
pointer value in a.

Although the type of 'a' inside 'F' will be int* rather than
int(*)[20].

No.  a is of type int *.

--
Ben.