Why cannot a const variable be used to outline an Array’s preliminary dimension in C?

What’s an array?

An array is a set of things of the identical knowledge kind saved at contiguous reminiscence places.

This makes it simpler to calculate the place of every ingredient by merely including an offset to a base worth, i.e., the reminiscence location of the primary ingredient of the array (typically denoted by the identify of the array). The bottom worth is index 0 and the distinction between the 2 indexes is the offset.

Const Variables:

There are a sure algorithm for the declaration and initialization of the fixed variables:

• The const variable can’t be left un-initialized on the time of the project.
• It can’t be assigned worth anyplace in this system.
• Specific worth wanted to be supplied to the fixed variable on the time of declaration of the fixed variable.

Why can’t fixed values be used to outline an array’s preliminary dimension?

In easy phrases, it’s the disadvantage of the C programming language. The sizes of statically-bounded arrays have to be fixed expressions, whereas in C that’s solely one thing like a literal fixed or a sizeof() expression, however not a const-typed variable. The explanations are listed beneath:

• In C language, a const-qualified variable isn’t a relentless expression. A relentless expression is one thing that may be evaluated at compile time – a numeric literal like 10 or 3.14159, a string literal like “Howdy”, a sizeof expression, or some expression made up of the identical like 10 + sizeof( “Howdy”).
• For array declarations at file scope (outdoors the physique of any perform) or as members of struct or union varieties, the array dimension should be a relentless expression.
• For auto arrays (arrays declared throughout the physique of a perform that isn’t static), you should use a variable or expression whose worth isn’t identified till runtime, however solely in C99 or later.

Within the following code, const int can’t be used as an array dimension:

Output:

timeout: did not run command ‘./b2204e76-8907-4eb8-a8d6-ce153abe1dc1’: No such file or listing

That is one other deficiency within the C language, which is fastened later in C++. In that language, a const-qualified variable does rely as a relentless expression.

On this case, if we’re utilizing const contained in the principal() perform then const worth can be utilized to initialize array dimension and this system runs with none compile-time or run-time error.

Notice: A relentless variable can be utilized to initialize the array dimension however earlier than declaring an array, the const variable should be assigned some worth. However the knowledge gadgets might be accessible if we’re utilizing const variable.