Issue 0343: Initializing qualified wchar_t arrays

This issue has been automatically converted from the original issue lists and some formatting may not have been preserved.

Authors: Joseph Myers <joseph@codesourcery.com>, Joseph Myers (UK)
Date: 2007-03-24
Reference document: ISO/IEC WG14 N1224
Submitted against: C99
Status: Fixed
Fixed in: C11
Converted from: summary-c99.htm, dr_343.htm

Summary

6.7.8 paragraph 15 says:

[#15] An array with element type compatible with wchar_t may be initialized by a wide string literal, optionally enclosed in braces. [...]

What of arrays with element type a qualified version of wchar_t? Is

    #include <stddef.h>
    const wchar_t x[] = L"foo";

valid? Surely it must be intended to be, but the type const wchar_t isn't compatible with wchar_t.

(The validity for character strings (paragraph 14) depends on "character type" including qualified character types. The definition of character types in 6.2.5 paragraph 15 does not mention qualified types. Other parts of the Standard also make more sense if "character type" is taken to include qualified character types; for example, 6.5 paragraph 7 of which the last point says "a character type" but the first four points come in matching pairs for qualified and unqualified types, and 6.3.2.3 paragraph 7.)

Suggested Technical Corrigendum

6.7.8 paragraph 15, change "wchar_t" to "a qualified or unqualified version of wchar_t".

Comment from WG14 on 2007-09-07:

Proposed Technical Corrigendum

Change 6.7.8 paragraph 15:

"wchar_t"

to

"a qualified or unqualified version of wchar_t".