stuck with my speller with this error..help me out!

Question

dictionary.c:30:24: error: declaration shadows a variable in the global scope [-Werror,-Wshadow] bool check(const char* word) ^

dictionary.c:24:6: note: previous declaration is here char word[LENGTH + 1]; ^

dictionary.c:100:22: error: declaration shadows a variable in the global scope [-Werror,-Wshadow] int hash(const char* word) ^

dictionary.c:24:6: note: previous declaration is here char word[LENGTH + 1]; ^

Answer 1

You have a global variable word, and you have function parameters named word. Within those functions, word would always refer to the function parameter, while the global variable will be "shadowed" by the parameter, and not be accessible by its name. That's why this is a warning, and with -Werror an error.

There are multiple possible solutions.

1. Rename one or the other, so there's no possible name conflict
2. Determine whether the global variable makes sense, or if it might be better to declare it locally where needed (load?). Without the global variable, there's also no conflict (unless you declare it within check or hash).