Why Can't We Pass Arrays to Functions by Value?

Why the Inability to Pass Arrays to Functions by Value?

In programming, we encounter the perplexing issue of not being able to pass arrays to functions by value. This limitation stands in contrast to our ability to pass complex class instances to functions. To delve into the underlying reason, we must explore the historical roots of this convention.

The rule that "arrays decay into pointers when passed to a function" simplifies the memory management process. Copying arrays would introduce complexity and ambiguity, as the behavior would vary depending on the function parameters and declarations.

However, it is possible to achieve an indirect pass by value by utilizing structures. For instance:

struct A {
  int arr[2];
};

void func(struct A);

In this scenario, the array is passed indirectly through the struct A object, effectively achieving a pass-by-value mechanism. This workaround allows for a cleaner and more predictable behavior when passing arrays to functions.

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