A dreadful thing

[kpreid]

some type *foo;
size_t count = ...;

...

foo = malloc(count * sizeof * foo);

Comments

[dougo.livejournal.com]

But if it's followed by an asterisk, doesn't it parse as a variable? Or if it's a reserved word, shouldn't it just not parse at all?

[kpreid.livejournal.com]

sizeof is a reserved word and so is always a prefix operator. Given that it's there, the next * is the prefix dereference operator. So it's identical to the normal ( count * sizeof ( * foo ) )

[dougo.livejournal.com]

OH. Good lord. :(