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

On 09/07/2024 16:58, Ben Bacarisse wrote:

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.

The end result is that a parameter declared with value-array syntax is passed using a reference rather than by value.
And it does so because the language says, not because the ABI requires it. A 2-byte array is also passed by reference.

 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 *.

And that is different 'int*' how, about from having an extra space which C says is not signigicant in this context?