Open In App

Incompatibilities between C and C++ codes

Improve
Improve
Like Article
Like
Save
Share
Report

The C/C++ incompatibilities that cause most real problems are not subtle. Most are easily caught by compilers.
This section gives examples of C code that is not C++ :

1) In C, functions can be defined using a syntax that optionally specifies argument types after the list of arguments:




// C code that uses argument types after
// the list of arguments.
#include<stdio.h>
void fun(a, b)int a;int b;     // Invalid in C++
{
    printf("%d %d", a, b);
}
  
// Driver code
int main()
{
    fun(8, 9);
    return 0;
}


Output:
8 9 
Error in C++ :-  a and b was not declared in this scope 

2) In C and in pre-standard versions of C++, the type specifier defaults to int.




// C code to show implicit int declaration.
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
    // implicit int in C, not allowed in C++
    const a = 7;    
      
    printf("%d", a);
    return 0;
}


Output:
7
Error in C++ :-  a does not name a type 

3) In C, a global data object may be declared several times without using the extern specifier. As long as at most one such declaration provides an initializer, the object is considered defined only once.




// C code to demonstrate multiple global
// declarations of same variable.
#include<stdio.h>
  
// Declares single integer a, not allowed in C++
int a;   int a;  
int main()
{
    return 0;
}


Error in C++ :-  Redefinition of int a

4) In C, a void* may be used as the right-hand operand of an assignment to or initialization of a variable of any pointer type.




// C code to demonstrate implicit conversion
// of void* to int*
#include<stdio.h>
#include<malloc.h>
void f(int n)
{
    // Implicit conversion of void* to int*
    // Not allowed in C++.
    int* p = malloc(n* sizeof(int));  
}
  
// Driver code
int main()
{
    f(7);
    return 0;
}


Error in C++ :-  Invalid conversion of void* to int*

5) In C, an array can be initialized by an initializer that has more elements than the array requires.




// C code to demonstrate that extra character
// check is not done in C.
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
    // Error in C++
    char array[5] = "Geeks";      
  
    printf("%s", array);
    return 0;
}


Output:

Geeks
Error in C++ :-  Initializer-string for array of chars is too long

6) In C, a function declared without specifying any argument types can take any number of arguments of any type at all. Click here to know more about this.




// In C, empty brackets mean any number
// of arguments can be passed
#include<stdio.h>
  
void fun() {  } 
int main(void)
{
    fun(10, "GfG", "GQ");  
    return 0;
}


Error in C++ :-  Too many arguments to function 'void fun()'

Related Articles:

If you like GeeksforGeeks (We know you do!) and would like to contribute, you can also write an article using write.geeksforgeeks.org or mail your article to review-team@geeksforgeeks.org.



Last Updated : 29 Jun, 2017
Like Article
Save Article
Previous
Next
Share your thoughts in the comments
Similar Reads