Excess Elements in Scalar Initializer Warning in C

This article will learn how to resolve the warning message excess elements in scalar initializer. This warning comes when we initialize the array with too many elements.

Solve the Warning Message excess elements in scalar initializer in C

Example code 1:

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    int array [2][3][4] = 
   {
       { {11, 22, 33}, { 44, 55, 66} },
       { {161, 102, 13}, {104, 15, 16}, {107, 18, 19}},
       { {100, 20, 30, 400}, {500, 60, 70, 80}, {960, 100, 110, 120}},
   };
}

The program runs successfully, but we get the below warning.

In function 'main':
[Warning] excess elements in array initializer
[Warning] (near initialization for 'array')

The above error comes because the declared is int[2][3][4], but we are trying to initialize it as if it were an int [3][3][4].

To resolve this error, we have to correct the size of the array.

Corrected code:

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    int array [3][3][4] = 
   {
       { {11, 22, 33}, { 44, 55, 66} },
       { {161, 102, 13}, {104, 15, 16}, {107, 18, 19}},
       { {100, 20, 30, 400}, {500, 60, 70, 80}, {960, 100, 110, 120}},
   };
}

Example code 2:

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    static char (*check)[13] = {
    {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13},
    {11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 100, 110, 120, 130}
};
}

We also get the same warning; the compiler gives the warning because we have passed two-pointer, but only a single pointer to an array of 13 elements exists. More elements than necessary are declared.

We can resolve this in two ways.

Corrected code 1: Here, we create an array of two-pointers.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    //static char *check[2] = {
    char ar1[] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13};
    char ar2[] = {11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 100, 110, 120, 130};
    char *check[] ={ar1,ar2};
}

Corrected code 2: Here, we have only one array pointer. The pointer points to an array of 10 elements. We can increment the array pointer to grab the next 10 elements.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    char (*check)[10] = (char [][10]) { 
    {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10},
    {0, 31, 29, 31, 30, 31, 30, 31, 31, 30}};
    
}