C++ forbids variable-size array

Question

I am using some existing code that someone else has written, and I cannot get it to compile (limited C experience here but I am trying to learn!).

utilities.

Answer 1

The error is correct. VLA(variable size arrays) are forbidden in C++. This is a VLA:

char filename1char[filenameLength];

What you probably meant is this:

char *filename1 = new char[filenameLength];

Which is not a VLA, but an array of chars allocated on the heap. Note that you should delete this pointer using operator delete[]:

delete[] filename1;