C6500

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warning C6500: invalid annotation: value for <name> property is invalid

Note
This warning occurs only in code that is using a deprecated version of the source-code annotation language (SAL). We recommend that you port your code to use the latest version of SAL. For more information, see Using SAL Annotations to Reduce C/C++ Code Defects.

This warning indicates that a property value used in the annotation is not valid. For example, it can occur if an incorrect level of dereference is used in the Deref property, or if you use a constant value that is larger than size_t for properties like ElementSize.

The following code generates this warning because an incorrect level of dereference is used in the Pre condition:

// C  
#include <CodeAnalysis\SourceAnnotations.h>  
void f( [SA_Pre( Deref=2, Access=SA_Read )] char buffer[] );  
  
// C++  
#include <CodeAnalysis\SourceAnnotations.h>  
using namespace vc_attributes;  
  
void f( [Pre( Deref=2, Access=Read )] char buffer[] );  

To correct this warning, specify the correct level of dereference, as shown in the following sample code:

// C  
#include <CodeAnalysis\SourceAnnotations.h>  
void f( [SA_Pre( Deref=1, Access=SA_Read )] char buffer[] );  
  
// C++  
#include <CodeAnalysis\SourceAnnotations.h>  
using namespace vc_attributes;  
  
void f( [Pre( Deref=1, Access=Read )] char buffer[] );  

This warning is generated for both Pre and Post conditions.

Deref