Why are argc and argv not const?

Asked Mar 01 '16 at 21:51

Active Mar 01 '16 at 21:51

Viewed 414 times

The C standard allows these 2 signatures for the main function:

int main (void);
int main (int argc, char* argv[]);

It also specifies that:

The parameters argc and argv and the strings pointed to by the argv array shall be modifiable by the program, and retain their last-stored values between program startup and program termination.

I am surprised by that choice. I think it would have been more natural to make argc and argv const. It is often regarded as bad practice to modify these variables.

Am I missing something? Why has that choice been made?

asked Mar 01 '16 at 21:51

DevShark

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My question is not restricted to argc, and is asked for C, not C++. – DevShark Mar 01 '16 at 21:56
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@DevShark Did you not read the duplicate? It is about history (i.e. C) and specifically mentions that the signature of `main` predates `const`. – John3136 Mar 01 '16 at 22:07
Although little used, there is a third signature available: `int main( int argc, char* argv[], char * env[] )` – user3629249 Mar 01 '16 at 22:55
Interesting, I was not aware of that. – DevShark Mar 01 '16 at 22:58

Why are argc and argv not const?

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