KITFORMA · EDITORIAL ANSWER
Why does modifying a char pointer initialized from a string literal crash?
KitForma editorial guide. A pointer to a string literal does not make that literal writable. Attempting to alter its storage has undefined behavior even when the pointer type was accepted by the compiler.
Step-by-step answer
A pointer to a string literal does not make that literal writable. Attempting to alter its storage has undefined behavior even when the pointer type was accepted by the compiler.
Use a writable array initialized from the literal, such as
char label[] = "draft", when editing in place. Use const char pointers for read-only borrowed strings. For dynamic copies, allocate sufficient capacity including the terminator and define who frees the result.
Test the mutation on the writable copy and leave the literal untouched. A platform that happens to place literals in writable memory does not provide portability. Const qualification documents intent but is not a substitute for valid storage lifetime.Sources and verification
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