How do I create an array of strings in C?

Question

I am trying to create an array of strings in C. If I use this code:

char (*a[2])[14];
a[0]=\"blah\";
a[1]=\"hmm\";

gcc gives me \"warning:

Answer 1

If the strings are static, you're best off with:

const char *my_array[] = {"eenie","meenie","miney"};

While not part of basic ANSI C, chances are your environment supports the syntax. These strings are immutable (read-only), and thus in many environments use less overhead than dynamically building a string array.

For example in small micro-controller projects, this syntax uses program memory rather than (usually) more precious ram memory. AVR-C is an example environment supporting this syntax, but so do most of the other ones.