Question

How do I return an array of strings from a recursive function?

For example::

char ** jumble( char *jumbStr)//reccurring function
{
   char *finalJumble[100];

   ...code goes here...call jumble again..code goes here

   return finalJumble;
} 

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

In C, you cannot return a string from a function. You can only return a pointer to a string. Therefore, you have to pass the string you want returned as a parameter to the function (DO NOT use global variables, or function local static variables) as follows:

char *func(char *string, size_t stringSize) {
    /* Fill the string as wanted */
    return string;
}

If you want to return an array of strings, this is even more complex, above all if the size of the array varies. The best IMHO could be to return all the strings in the same string, concatenating the strings in the string buffer, and an empty string as marker for the last string.

char *string = "foo\0bar\0foobar\0";

Your current implementation is not correct as it returns a pointer to variables that are defined in the local function scope.

(If you really do C++, then return an std::vector<std::string>.)