I have this code:

ifstream reader;
reader.open("myFile.bmp", ios::binary);

//Read the headers and stuff, fill some variables
unsigned char *bitmapArray = new unsigned char[imageWidth * imageHeight * 4]; //array with enough values for RGBA of the BMP

int c = 0;
while(!reader.eof())
{
    reader.read(pixelInfo, 3); //pixelInfo is a char[3]

    //Filling RGBA info into my bitmapArray
    bitmapArray[c] = pixeInfo[0];
    bitmapArray[c + 1] = pixeInfo[1];
    bitmapArray[c + 2] = pixeInfo[2];
    bitmapArray[c + 3] = 255; 
    c += 4; //increasing C for the next values
}
reader.close();

//Here I use bitmapArray for some stuff

delete[] bitmapArray; //This gives me HEAP CORRUPTION error

If I don't mess with bitmapArray inside the while loop (simply commenting 4 lines, still leaving the reader there), it goes through fine.

The size of the image I'm using is 40000 bytes long, if I declare the array as "unsigned char bitmapArray[40000];" I still get the same error, but if I add a single char it doesn't - "unsigned char bitmapArray[40001];"

I checked the address the debugger says it's corrupted, but it isn't nowhere close to the starting/ending addresses of bitmapArray.

The error is: "HEAP CORRUPTION DETECTED: after Normal block (#161) at 0x00413F58. CRT detected that the application wrote to memory after end of heap buffer."

Why is this happening?

You're reading 3 bytes at a time and writing 4 bytes at a time.

Ops, typed without thinking, didn't notice that.

I managed to find what is causing the HEAP CORRUPTION, it's because of the cast from signed char to unsigned char in the while loop, if I use a signed char array it works fine only to go through the debugger, but I can't use signed char for the rest of the code. Is there any solution for this?

[quote name='Danicco' timestamp='1356728125' post='5015177']


I managed to find what is causing the HEAP CORRUPTION, it's because of the cast from signed char to unsigned char in the while loop, if I use a signed char array it works fine only to go through the debugger, but I can't use signed char for the rest of the code. Is there any solution for this?

[/quote]

I doubt casting from signed to unsigned could cause a heap corruption (unless the overflow from signed to unsigned mess up your calculation). When it comes to debugging heap corruption, do not rely on results alone. Corrupted heap is one of those things that may produce different results when run at different times under different conditions, and you can't trust what the debugger says as it's likely to point at a totally different place in the code and thinks that's where the problem is, while in reality it's somewhere else.. The only solution is to reinspect all your code and unit test them.

[quote name='Bregma' timestamp='1356738355' post='5015229']
If I were a gambler, my money would rest on the fact that you do not check the success of the read() call, and the fact that ifstream::eof() doesn't work they way you're using it.
[/quote]

Yep, that was it, although I did:

while(c < bitmapArrayLength)
{
    //etc
}

It seems the reader.eof() was writing beyond the array bounds and attempting to delete it was messing everything up.

Thanks for the help!