There seems to be a problem with how gcc parses the \x escape sequences. It doesn't look at just the first 2 hex digits, but will take the right most 2 hex digits in a string of hex digits. [Recreate] ---------------[ SNIP ]--------------------- // test.c #include <stdio.h> #include <string.h> int main() { char *string = "\x01\x02\x03Bob"; printf("len: %d\n", strlen(string) ); return 1; } ---------------[ SNIP ]--------------------- [Compilation options] gcc -Wall test.c -o test [Expected Results] You would expect this to print out "len: 6", but it actually prints out "len: 5" It seems that its parsing the last \x escape as the hex value 0x3B instead of 2 characters, 0x03 and 'B'. [Platforms] I've noticed this problem in gcc 4.1.0 and 4.0.1 (on a mac). Heres more info on one of the systems I've experiences this on: gcc (GCC) 4.1.0 (SUSE Linux) Using built-in specs. Target: i586-suse-linux Configured with: ../configure --enable-threads=posix --prefix=/usr --with-local-prefix=/usr/local --infodir=/usr/share/info --mandir=/usr/share/man --libdir=/usr/lib --libexecdir=/usr/lib --enable-languages=c,c++,objc,fortran,java,ada --enable-checking=release --with-gxx-include-dir=/usr/include/c++/4.1.0 --enable-ssp --disable-libssp --enable-java-awt=gtk --enable-gtk-cairo --disable-libjava-multilib --with-slibdir=/lib --with-system-zlib --enable-shared --enable-__cxa_atexit --enable-libstdcxx-allocator=new --without-system-libunwind --with-cpu=generic --host=i586-suse-linux Thread model: posix gcc version 4.1.0 (SUSE Linux) $ uname -a linux haldol 2.6.16.13-4-default #1 Wed May 3 04:53:23 UTC 2006 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux
No GCC is correct. The standard says: Each octal or hexadecimal escape sequence is the longest sequence of characters that can constitute the escape sequence. So that means the B is going to be taken and be used for the hexadecimal escape sequence.
Yep, looks like you are right from the standard. That sucks then. I wish it were the other way because I don't see a way to enter a literal single character in hex followed a by single character [A-Z0-9] without escape sequences. Thanks for the quick response.
(In reply to comment #2) > Yep, looks like you are right from the standard. That sucks then. I wish it > were the other way because I don't see a way to enter a literal single > character in hex followed a by single character [A-Z0-9] without escape > sequences. char *string = "\x01\x02\x03" "Bob"; should work.
if gcc hex escapes is right, then gcc octal escape is wrong (it just look at first 3 octals) "\123" = "S" "\0123" = "\n3" ?? "\00123" = "\1" "23" ?? personally, i like this octal escape "bug"
The standard syntax production for octal-escape-sequence (C11 6.4.4.4#1) only allows one, two or three digits.
if gcc hex escape AND octal is right, does it contradict comment #1 ? "octal or hexadecimal ... longest sequence that constitute escape sequence" I noticed OLD python (2.0) also use the C rule regarding hex escapes, but later switch to a more sensible 2 hex = 1 byte rule (\xX or \xXX)
"longest sequence of characters that can constitute the escape sequence" resolves an ambiguity between alternative parses permitted by the syntax; it doesn't need to deal with anything that is not permitted by the syntax. Four or more octal characters in an octal sequence are not a parse permitted by the syntax, whereas more than two hex characters in a hex sequence are a parse permitted by the syntax.