How Can You Determine the Number of Strings in a C++ Static Array?

[Medicol]

1. Using new to create a memory block for a static array of strings. How to know the number of strings in an array of strings

Homework Equations

new

The Attempt at a Solution

1. static char ** array=new char*[]; // why the empty [] ? Will I get a minus point if coding like this ? My teacher says subscript data should be known in advance
.
2. If I have a library function that has the signature

char** doSomething(...);

I am using it like this

char**ret=doSomething();

I then would like to know the number of strings returned from that function.
I am taking the first course in IT programming, I chose C++ language.

 

[jedishrfu]

I think you have to count them until the pointer is a null.

You could use a while loop and increment a counter while the ret pointer != NULL.

 

[rcgldr]

Since the problem statement mentions "static" array of strings, then I assume it's a fixed number of strings, and that's it's an array of pointers to the first characters of a set of strings. The function could include a parameter that would be a pointer or a reference to a string count that the function sets. There could also be a parameter to return the pointer to the array, or it could be a return value. Note that a static variable's name scope is local, but it's duration is for the entire time a program (thread) is running, so it should be safe to return a pointer to a static variable in a function. Since these are static arrays, there's no need for new (I chose as to represent array of strings):

static char * as[4] = {"one", "two", "three", "four"};

optionally if using a null pointer to indicate the end of an array:

static char * as[5] = {"one", "two", "three", "four", (char *)0};

or an array with all null pointers:

static char * as[5];