From: scs@eskimo.com (Steve Summit)
Subject: Re: Functions
Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 08:50:17 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <199605271550.IAA07326@mail.eskimo.com>
In-Reply-To: <4o4p05$5s7@oly.olympic.net>

> I realize that only the values of the variables are passed to the function
> on a stack, which makes it impossible for the calling function to alter
> the values in the main function. Thus why is it possible for strcat() to
> alter a string value in the main function, from the strcat function.

There are two ways of looking at this.

The simplified way (which is also ever-so-slightly incorrect) is to say that arrays are an exception to the rule that function arguments are passed by value. You can say that strcat() accepts two arrays, and that arrays are passed by reference, in which case the function can modify the contents of the array back up there in the caller.

The completely correct way to explain it (which is also somewhat confusing at first) is to say that arrays are never passed to functions at all. Instead, a pointer to the array's first element is passed. (In fact, you will usually see strcat() documented as accepting two pointers to char.) The function receives a copy of the pointer, as usual, so it cannot modify the pointer up in the caller. But, the copied pointer it receives obviously points to the same place (in this case, to the same array containing the same string) as the original, so the function can modify the memory (i.e. the string) pointed to by the pointer.