[SOLVED] c programming with gcc: variables?

[kaiseroskilo]

i'm practicing in very basic c programs using the gcc compiler.I found that when i create two variables let's say

int a,b

and

a=15;
b=3;
a=b;
b--;

then a equals 2.I thought that this isn't normal in C isn't it?
I haven't had the time to read the gcc documentation yet...so i think it has something to do with my compiler's default settings.I use the

gcc filename.c -o filename

command to compile.Are all variables defined like pointers?

[GNU-Fan]

Please give the complete program. Then we will find the mistake better.

> Are all variables defined like pointers?
No.

[kaiseroskilo]

well here it is...its supposed to make an histogram with the lengths of the words that it gets from the input

#include <stdio.h>
#define IN 1
#define OUT 0
#define MAXN 15

int main(void){

    int wl,a[MAXN],i,j,state;
    int f1,f2;
        
    for(i=0;i<MAXN;i++) a[i]=0;
    state=OUT;wl=0;
    while((i=getchar())!=EOF){
        if((i=='\n') || (i=='\t') || (i==' ')){
            if(wl!=0) a[wl]++; 
            state=OUT;
            wl=0;
            }
        else state=IN;
        if(state==IN) wl++;
        }
    
    f1=1;                                                   //f1 is the index and f2 is the max value
    f2=a[1];
    for(i=1;i<MAXN+1;i++){
        if(f2<a[i]){
             f2=a[i];
             f1=i;
        }
    }

    for(j=f2;j>0;j--){    
        for(i=1;i<MAXN+1;i++){
            if(j==a[i]) {
                printf("* ");
                a[i]--;
            }
            else printf("  ");
            }
    }

    printf("\n");
    
    for(i=1;i<MAXN+1;i++) {
        if(i<10) printf("--");
        else printf("---");
        }
    printf("\n");
    for(i=1;i<MAXN+1;i++) printf("%d ",i);
    printf("\nthe max value was %d found in column %d\n",f2,f1);
    
    
    return 0;
}

[kaiseroskilo]

The problem is that when f2 becomes 0 although its supposed to have a value >0.

i found that
1) if i replace

for(j=f2;j>0;j--){...}

with

j=f2;
for(;j>0;j--){...}

the value of f2 remains intact.

2) if i define f2 as

extern int f2;

f2 retains its value.

any ideas?

[GNU-Fan]

I think you have one or more buffer overflows. Maybe, if you use the first style, the memory for f2 is allocated right behind the array. Hence its values is changed when you don't expect it.

Let's look at it closely.
You define:

int a[15];

The fist element is a[0], and a[14] is the last one.

Later you write several times, basicallly:

for(i=1;i<15+1;i++){
        if(f2<a[i]){
             f2=a[i];
             f1=i;
        }
    }

This means you start working on a[1] and finish at a[15], which is one integer beyond the edge (a[14]). I suspect it is that place where f2 is stored.
If you use extern, the f2 is stored somewhere else in memory and you get away with the error you made (for now).

[kaiseroskilo]

great! thanks! i thought it had something to do with memory allocation.