Invalid use of standard library routine

Wrong arguments to standard library function

Description

This defect occurs when you use invalid arguments with a function from the standard library. This defect picks up errors related to other functions not covered by float, integer, memory, or string standard library routines.

Risk

Invalid arguments to a standard library function result in undefined behavior.

Fix

The fix depends on the root cause of the defect. For instance, the argument to a printf function can be NULL because a pointer was initialized with NULL and the initialization value was not overwritten along a specific execution path.

See examples of fixes below.

If you do not want to fix the issue, add comments to your result or code to avoid another review. See:

• Address Results in Polyspace User Interface Through Bug Fixes or Justifications if you review results in the Polyspace user interface.

• Address Results in Polyspace Access Through Bug Fixes or Justifications (Polyspace Access) if you review results in a web browser.

• Annotate Code and Hide Known or Acceptable Results if you review results in an IDE.

Examples

Calling printf Without a String

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

void print_null(void) {

  printf(NULL); 
}

The function printf takes only string input arguments or format specifiers. In this function, the input value is NULL, which is not a valid string.

Correction — Use Compatible Input Arguments

One possible correction is to change the input arguments to fit the requirements of the standard library routine. In this example, the input argument was changed to a character.

#include <stdio.h>

void print_null(void) {
    char zero_val = '0';
    printf((const char*)zero_val); 
}

Result Information

Group: Programming

Language: C | C++

Default: On

Command-Line Syntax: OTHER_STD_LIB

Impact: High

Version History

Introduced in R2013b