MISRA C:2012 Rule 9.5

Where designated initializers are used to initialize an array object the size of the array shall be specified explicitly

Description

Rule Definition

Where designated initializers are used to initialize an array object the size of the array shall be specified explicitly¹ .

Rationale

If the size of an array is not specified explicitly, it is determined by the highest index of the elements that are initialized. When using long designated initializers, it might not be immediately apparent which element has the highest index.

Troubleshooting

If you expect a rule violation but do not see it, refer to Diagnose Why Coding Standard Violations Do Not Appear as Expected.

Examples

Using Designated Initializers Without Specifying Array Size

int a[5] = {[0]= 1, [2] = 1, [4]= 1, [1] = 1};        /* Compliant */
int b[] = {[0]= 1, [2] = 1, [4]= 1, [1] = 1};         /* Non-compliant */
int c[] = {[0]= 1, [1] = 1, [2]= 1, [3]=0, [4] = 1};  /* Non-compliant */

void display(int);

void main() {
    func(a,5);
    func(b,5);
    func(c,5);
}

void func(int* arr, int size) {
    for(int i=0; i<size; i++)
        display(arr[i]);
}

In this example, the rule is violated when the arrays b and c are initialized using designated initializers but the array size is not specified.

Check Information

Group: Initialization

Category: Required

AGC Category: Readability

Version History

Introduced in R2014b