const char* error when compiling

[maria258]

I am using mplab hitech pic16f877a, and am trying to compile these:

1. void PutLogo(const char * logo)
2. void PutMessage(static char *Message)
3. PutMessage(( char*)"\x16\x38\x18Graphic demo.");

Is there any other way to change these around so that the compiler can build this program without errors? I tried to find an alternative using the maual but couldnt understand what to do.
thanks
Maria

 

[bigdogguru]

Can you post the exact compile log with errors?

Uploading your project would be very helpful as well.

If not please post the code snippets relevant to the error messages.

 

[FvM]

The problem is related to the question, if the Hitec compiler has any means to represent ROM pointers and how they are dereferenced. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with Hitech. I guess, you'll rather find the answer in the Hitech forum.

You can of course use a *char pointer and copy the constant string to a buffer before calling the function, but I guess, that's exactly what you want to avoid? It's however pretty clear, that you can't simply type cast a constant string to regular string with a PIC16 or PIC18 processor.

 

[bigdogguru]

The error in line three can be most likely corrected by the following code snippet:

const char * cp = "\x16" "\x38" "\x18" "Graphic demo.";

PutMessage(cp);

Two adjacent string constants (i.e. two strings separated only by white space) are concatenated by the compiler. Thus:

const char * cp = "hello" "world";

The Hi-Tech C Compiler requires closing and re-opening the quotes following escapes when forming literals.

Thus, use "\x42" "AH" for "BAH".

I am fairly familiar with the Hi-Tech C Compiler as it is my compiler of choice for PICs.
I believe I could help you solve the other two errors, but I will need to see your code to fully understand the context of the error messages.

 

[FvM]

The error in line three can be most likely corrected by the following code snippet:
const char * cp = "\x16" "\x38" "\x18" "Graphic demo.";
PutMessage(cp);

According to the above function prototype, *Message is a RAM pointer. I don't see, how Hitech C will be able to generate a pointer to cp without copying the string to RAM.

 

[bigdogguru]

Actually, unlike the first two, it's not a function prototype, it's a function call.

They're attempting to cast a literal as a "char * " from "const char * " and we both know that isn't going to happen.

So I assumed out of their frustration they were trying "everything" in an attempt to solve the problem of forming a literal with escape characters.

Otherwise they would have attempted to create an array of characters including the escapes and passed it to the function.

Frankly, this is why we need to see their entire code listing. We can make suggestions all day long, but without knowing the full context it's pointless.

 

[FvM]

Actually, unlike the first two, it's not a function prototype, it's a function call.

I was referring to the function prototype void PutMessage(static char *Message)

We can make suggestions all day long, but without knowing the full context it's pointless.

I agree. Primarly I wasn't guessing about the original problem. I just stated, that a ROM pointer respectively a const string won't be accepted as actual parameter.