CODEWITHSUNDEEP
cprogram-entry-point
puwlah
puwlah

Reputation: 113

What is the difference between the definitions "int main (void)" and "int main (int argc, char *argv[])" and when to use which?

As per the current standard and cppreference these two are the correct way to define the main() function. I know what the parameters mean in either definition, and am not seeking clarifications on that aspect. What I'd like to understand is:

  1. When to use int main (void) v/s int main (int argc, char *argv[]).
  2. Hypothetically, when the program doesn't expect command-line arguments, is there any difference to the compiler (let's say gcc and clang) at all?
  3. (Just for the sake of writing self-documenting code) should I use int main (void) when the program doesn't expect command line arguments and int main (int argc, char *argv[]) when it does?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 807

Answers (1)

Miguel Carvalho
Miguel Carvalho

Reputation: 416

I think you can get a good answer here. Reading this article, my answers to your questions are:

  1. Use int main (int argc, char *argv[]) whenever you need to access the program's arguments;
  2. I do not expect to be any difference to the compiler in both ways, once, in this experiment, both C programs had the same assembly output;
  3. I recommend you to use int main (void) whenever your program does not need to access the arguments. This way, it is clear for other people that your program do not use them. In future, if you need to access the program's arguments, changing the syntax of the main() function is not that hard.

Upvotes: 4

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