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C

C static code analysis

Unique rules to find Bugs, Vulnerabilities, Security Hotspots, and Code Smells in your C code

  • All rules 315
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  • Code Smell207

  • Quick Fix 19
Filtered: 10 rules found
cppcoreguidelines
    Impact
      Clean code attribute
        1. Function-like macros should not be used

           Code Smell
        2. Boolean operations should not have numeric operands, and vice versa

           Bug
        3. A cast shall not remove any const or volatile qualification from the type of a pointer or reference

           Code Smell
        4. Loop variables should be declared in the minimal possible scope

           Code Smell
        5. Relational and subtraction operators should not be used with pointers to different arrays

           Bug
        6. Arguments evaluation order should not be relied on

           Bug
        7. User-defined types should not be passed as variadic arguments

           Bug
        8. Local variables and member data should not be volatile

           Code Smell
        9. Types and variables should be declared in separate statements

           Code Smell
        10. Type specifiers should be listed in a standard order

           Code Smell

        Function-like macros should not be used

        intentionality - clear
        maintainability
        Code Smell
        • cppcoreguidelines
        • based-on-misra
        • preprocessor
        • bad-practice
        • cert

        Why is this an issue?

        More Info

        Even if function-like macros may look similar to functions, they work differently. For example, functions provide parameter type-checking, whereas macros do not. Furthermore, since macros result in textual replacements, the code within a macro argument may be evaluated multiple times or in unexpected ways.

        Generally, functions provide a more secure and reliable mechanism than function-like macros. This safety usually outweighs the speed advantages allegedly offered by macros. Therefore, whenever possible, functions should be preferred.

        Noncompliant code example

        #define CUBE (X) ((X) * (X) * (X)) // Noncompliant
        
        void func(void) {
          int i = 2;
          int a = CUBE(++i); // Noncompliant. Expands to: int a = ((++i) * (++i) * (++i))
          // ...
        }
        

        Compliant solution

        inline int cube(int i) {
          return i * i * i;
        }
        
        void func(void) {
          int i = 2;
          int a = cube(++i); // yields 27
          // ...
        }
        

        Exceptions

        In a few situations, actual functions can’t replace function-like macros because the macro relies on features that only work with textual replacement. For instance:

        • Using manipulation of tokens, such as ## (token-pasting) and # (stringification).
        • Getting information about the context into which the macro is expanded by using __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, or other similar compiler-specific constructs. Note that C++20 std::source_location can be a good replacement for some of these use cases — see S6190.

        This rule will ignore macros that make use of those features.

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