is f().c legal? How about (&(f()))->c ?

[David Lai]

Here f() returns a structure.

I am trying to figure out why C compilers like the latter expression
and cant handle the first expression.  From what I gather from the
ANSI specs, it says that a function call is not an lvalue (*).  Therefore
the latter expression should be illegal (& requires an lvalue).

As far as I can tell the first expression is legal... the . operator
anly requires that the left hand side be a struct or union, it does not
have to be an lvalue.

So why is it that the C compilers (Sun and HP-UX's) both complain that
the expression f().c is illegal, but run fine on (&(f()))->c.

Seems to me that the logic is reversed here.

(*) I got that info from Harbinson and Steele.  I have the May Draft of ANSI,
    but cant find the page where it mentions that.  Can anyone point me to
    the appropriate ANSI section number?
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David Lai (vedge!lai at larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu || ...watmath!onfcanim!vedge!lai)