The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
introduced in C99:
struct foo {
int stuff;
struct boo array[];
};
By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.
Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
this change:
"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]
sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.
This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.
[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")
Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <[email protected]>
---
samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c | 2 +-
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c b/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c
index 32234481ad7d..ad3e56042f96 100644
--- a/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c
+++ b/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ struct amt_host_if_msg_header {
struct amt_host_if_resp_header {
struct amt_host_if_msg_header header;
uint32_t status;
- unsigned char data[0];
+ unsigned char data[];
} __attribute__((packed));
const uuid_le MEI_IAMTHIF = UUID_LE(0x12f80028, 0xb4b7, 0x4b2d, \
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gustavo A. R. Silva <[email protected]>
> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2020 21:54
> To: Winkler, Tomas <[email protected]>
> Cc: [email protected]
> Subject: [PATCH] treewide: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array
Ack.
>
> The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language extension to
> the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare variable-length types
> such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2], introduced in C99:
>
> struct foo {
> int stuff;
> struct boo array[];
> };
>
> By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning in case
> the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which will help us prevent
> some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being inadvertently introduced[3]
> to the codebase from now on.
>
> Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by this change:
>
> "Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator may
> not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of zero-length arrays,
> sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]
>
> sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
> members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in which
> the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to zero-length
> arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding some bugs. So, this
> work (flexible-array member conversions) will also help to get completely rid of
> those sorts of issues.
>
> This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.
>
> [1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
> [2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
> [3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")
>
> Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <[email protected]>
> ---
> samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c | 2 +-
> 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>
> diff --git a/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c b/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c
> index 32234481ad7d..ad3e56042f96 100644
> --- a/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c
> +++ b/samples/mei/mei-amt-version.c
> @@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ struct amt_host_if_msg_header { struct
> amt_host_if_resp_header {
> struct amt_host_if_msg_header header;
> uint32_t status;
> - unsigned char data[0];
> + unsigned char data[];
> } __attribute__((packed));
>
> const uuid_le MEI_IAMTHIF = UUID_LE(0x12f80028, 0xb4b7, 0x4b2d, \