Returning an array using C

Question

I am relatively new to C and I need some help with methods dealing with arrays. Coming from Java programming, I am used to being able to say int [] method()in o

Answer 1

You can use code like this:

char *MyFunction(some arguments...)
{
    char *pointer = malloc(size for the new array);
    if (!pointer)
        An error occurred, abort or do something about the error.
    return pointer; // Return address of memory to the caller.
}

When you do this, the memory should later be freed, by passing the address to free.

There are other options. A routine might return a pointer to an array (or portion of an array) that is part of some existing structure. The caller might pass an array, and the routine merely writes into the array, rather than allocating space for a new array.