int main() vs void main()

masinick · Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2024 9:35 pm Post subject: int main() vs void main()

The answer, in order to ensure that your program always behaves in a predicable manner, is to explicitly define the main program as int main().

Read why in the article at safercode.com.

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Brian Masinick
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nukes · Linux Guru Joined: 29 Aug 2024 Posts: 4558

you would think this goes without saying.... the calling convention on x86 returns values in eax, so if you declared the function void (which isn't what _start is expecting anyway) then the exit code will just be whatever happens to be in that register at the end of the function.

Link not working for me... not resolving.

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masinick · Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2024 2:58 am Post subject:

The link is http://www.safercode.com/blog/2008/10/14/int-main-vs-void-main.html and it works. What you said is the point of the message. An int value is expected to be returned. void (no value), is incorrect, and an implicit declaration, HOPING that your compiler will return an int is asking way too much and could well yield incorrect results as well.

int as the function type is the correct answer.

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