Re: printf

Shane <shane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
[...]
Suffice to say I have tried
printf((char *)pointer_to_bin_data);
and
printf((int *)pointer_to_bin_data);

I *hope* that didn't work.

The first argument to printf is a format string (actually a pointer to
a format string). The first call at least passes soething of the
right type, but it's probably going to print whatever
pointer_to_bin_data points to on stdout as raw binary data, up to the
first '\0' character that it happens to see -- but if it happens to
run across a '%' character, it's likely to interpret it as a directive
and try to consume more arguments. Kaboom.

The second call doesn't even pass the correct type. Your compiler
should complain about it; if it doesn't, you probably forgot the
required '#include <stdio.h>'.

--
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) kst-u@xxxxxxx <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
San Diego Supercomputer Center <*> <http://users.sdsc.edu/~kst>
"We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do this."
-- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"
.

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