BUG: Cannot Watch Undimensioned Array

MS-DOS    | WINDOWS

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft CodeView for MS-DOS, versions 4.0 and 4.01
• Microsoft CodeView for Windows, version 4.1

SYMPTOMS

The versions of CodeView listed above do not properly display undimensioned arrays in C++ code, such as the argv formal parameter to the main() function. The array value does not appear in the locals window, if it is a local variable or function parameter. An attempt to place a quick watch on the array yields an error dialog box. A watch on the array yields a random integer value. In the Visual Workbench, and CVW, watching the first array element (array[0]) causes this error to appear in the watch window:

   CXX0030: Error: expression cannot be evaluated

  [BP+0008] char * array[?] = 0xnnnn:0xnnnn

RESOLUTION

Modify the code to declare the array as a pointer to a pointer. For example, change

   void main (int argc, char *argv[])

   void main (int argc, char **argv)

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in CodeView versions 4.0 and 4.01 for MS-DOS, and version 4.10 for Windows. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.