Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then don't allow it to decay: void arr_fn(char (*arr)[15]) { enum { len = sizeof *arr }; printf("len of array: %d\n", len); printf("Got: %.*s\n", len, *arr); } void sptr_fn(char ptr[static 15]) { printf("Got: %s\n", ptr); } int main(void) { char array[15] = "Hello, World!"; arr_fn(&array); sptr_fn(array); return 0; } Using gcc (and similarly clang) removing the '15' from 'array', and allowing it to allocate it as 14…
That is the static trick. The issues as it stands today are: - It is still a warning instead of an error, and we all know how many projects have endless lists of warnings - Only GCC and clang issue such warning, if we want to improve C, security must be imposed to all implementations https://c.godbolt.org/z/fEKzT4WfM
However the other form 'char (*arr)[15]' has always been available, and is complained of in other compilers.
I believe I remember using it in DOS based C-89 compilers back in the early 90s, possibly also in K&R (via lint) in the 80s.
NB: icc, msvc, mvc complain about the misuse of the traditional version if one adjusts your godbolt example.
Yes one has to build with warnings forcing errors, which takes a bit of work to achieve if the code has previously been built without that.