No error message when format string is passed as variable to printf functions family

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

 



The following code falls under UB according to C standard 7.19.6.1 p9
due to usage of "%B" modifier:

"If a conversion specification is invalid, the behavior is undefined."

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdarg.h>

void error(const char *fmt, ...)
{
	va_list argp;
	fprintf(stderr, "error: ");
	va_start(argp, fmt);
	vfprintf(stderr, fmt, argp);
	vprintf(fmt, argp);
	va_end(argp);
	fprintf(stderr, "\n");
}

int main(void)
{
	error("%d", 2);

	printf("%B\n", 2);
	exit(0);
}

However, even though there is no requirement imposed on a compiler to
produce error message in UB it's interesting to see that error is only
produced in line 20 where `printf' is used:

c-faq.c:21:2: warning: unknown conversion type character ‘B’ in format
[-Wformat]

There is no error in line 10 and 11:

	vfprintf(stderr, fmt, argp);
	vprintf(fmt, argp);

Interestingly, if fmt does not come from a variable but is written as
`"%B' an error is produced:

vprintf(fmt, argp); -> vprintf("%B", argp);

warning: unknown conversion type character ‘B’ in format [-Wformat]

At the end of the day, it all comes down to passing format string as
variable - the code below also does not produce error:

const char *str = "Last printf: %B\n";
printf(str, 2);

Can someone explain why this happens?





[Index of Archives]     [Linux C Programming]     [Linux Kernel]     [eCos]     [Fedora Development]     [Fedora Announce]     [Autoconf]     [The DWARVES Debugging Tools]     [Yosemite Campsites]     [Yosemite News]     [Linux GCC]

  Powered by Linux