Question

When I change the last parameter in the function header from char Findthis[64] to char * Findthis when debugging the Testthis=&*Look_in; assignment breaks. Look_in has a memory address and member values but Testthis is not being assigned that pointer location. Why is this happening?

struct Node * ProbableMatch(struct Node * Look_in, int MaxNodes,
char Findthis[64])
{
    char Findit[64];
    strcpy_s(Findit,64,Findthis);
    struct Node * CurrentHighProb;
    CurrentHighProb=new(Node);
    struct Node * Testthis;
    Testthis=new(Node);
    Testthis=&*Look_in;

    while((Testthis) || (i!=(ccounter-1)))
{ //This Testthis does not cause exception
    string str1;
    string str2;

    n1=sizeof(Testthis->NAME);
    n2=sizeof(Findit);

    n=0;
    while((Testthis->NAME[n]!='\0') && (n<=n1)){
              //While Testthis->NAME here causes the exception
         if(Testthis->NAME[n]=='-'){Testthis->NAME[n]=' ';} 
        n++;
    }//end of while

//_DIFFERENT PART OF PROGRAM____

 std::string Findme;
 cout<<"Enter varible to find. Type quit to quit, case sensative."<<endl;
 cin>>Findme;
 char * writable = new char[Findme.size()+1];
 std::copy(Findme.begin(),Findme.end(),writable);
 writable[Findme.size()] = '\0';

 if((Findme.compare("quit")!=0) ^ (Findme.compare("Quit")!=0) ^ (Findme.compare("QUIT")!=0)){
    ProbableMatch(head,ccounter,writable);
 }

 delete [] writable;

//_ NODE____

struct Node 
{   public: 
    int VARID,counter,prob;
    char NAME[64];
    char DESCRIPTION[1024];
    struct Node* next;
}node, *pNode=&node;

Answer 1

Ok looks like the std::string to char * conversion was causing leaks.

Switched to a vector option as suggested here: How to convert a std::string to const char* or char*?

Problem went away. I’ll have to trace the actual memory later but I find it odd that that string memory was placed right next to the begining of the linked-list.