What are all the common undefined behaviours that a C++ programmer should know about?

yesraaj picture yesraaj · Dec 15, 2008 · Viewed 67.9k times · Source

What are all the common undefined behaviours that a C++ programmer should know about?

Say, like:

a[i] = i++;

Answer

Diomidis Spinellis picture Diomidis Spinellis · Dec 15, 2008

Pointer

  • Dereferencing a NULL pointer
  • Dereferencing a pointer returned by a "new" allocation of size zero
  • Using pointers to objects whose lifetime has ended (for instance, stack allocated objects or deleted objects)
  • Dereferencing a pointer that has not yet been definitely initialized
  • Performing pointer arithmetic that yields a result outside the boundaries (either above or below) of an array.
  • Dereferencing the pointer at a location beyond the end of an array.
  • Converting pointers to objects of incompatible types
  • Using memcpy to copy overlapping buffers.

Buffer overflows

  • Reading or writing to an object or array at an offset that is negative, or beyond the size of that object (stack/heap overflow)

Integer Overflows

  • Signed integer overflow
  • Evaluating an expression that is not mathematically defined
  • Left-shifting values by a negative amount (right shifts by negative amounts are implementation defined)
  • Shifting values by an amount greater than or equal to the number of bits in the number (e.g. int64_t i = 1; i <<= 72 is undefined)

Types, Cast and Const

  • Casting a numeric value into a value that can't be represented by the target type (either directly or via static_cast)
  • Using an automatic variable before it has been definitely assigned (e.g., int i; i++; cout << i;)
  • Using the value of any object of type other than volatile or sig_atomic_t at the receipt of a signal
  • Attempting to modify a string literal or any other const object during its lifetime
  • Concatenating a narrow with a wide string literal during preprocessing

Function and Template

  • Not returning a value from a value-returning function (directly or by flowing off from a try-block)
  • Multiple different definitions for the same entity (class, template, enumeration, inline function, static member function, etc.)
  • Infinite recursion in the instantiation of templates
  • Calling a function using different parameters or linkage to the parameters and linkage that the function is defined as using.

OOP

  • Cascading destructions of objects with static storage duration
  • The result of assigning to partially overlapping objects
  • Recursively re-entering a function during the initialization of its static objects
  • Making virtual function calls to pure virtual functions of an object from its constructor or destructor
  • Referring to nonstatic members of objects that have not been constructed or have already been destructed

Source file and Preprocessing

  • A non-empty source file that doesn't end with a newline, or ends with a backslash (prior to C++11)
  • A backslash followed by a character that is not part of the specified escape codes in a character or string constant (this is implementation-defined in C++11).
  • Exceeding implementation limits (number of nested blocks, number of functions in a program, available stack space ...)
  • Preprocessor numeric values that can't be represented by a long int
  • Preprocessing directive on the left side of a function-like macro definition
  • Dynamically generating the defined token in a #if expression

To be classified

  • Calling exit during the destruction of a program with static storage duration