unable to save QCStrings properly in a buffer

[nass]

aha! so i managed to do thesaving part properly but now i am having trouble with doing the inverse, that is reading from the shared memory the strings.
i thought that the idea was:
read the lengths of each string
memcpy all the string to a char* all_the_strings variable,
and then declare as many char* variables as there are strings (preknown) and
memcpy each_strings_length characters from the all_the_strings variable
to each separate char *...
here is how i mplemented that:

void readingTheShMem()
{
	    int tOTL=0;
	    int tONL=0;
	    int tSNL=0;
	    int tSLL=0;
	    int tIDL=0;
	    int tMDL=0;
	    int readingLength;
 
	    //lock the file for writing	    
	    memset (&lock, 0, sizeof(lock));
	    lock.l_type = F_WRLCK;
	    fcntl (fd, F_SETLKW, &lock);
 
	    struct ShMem *infoVar=(ShMem*)((char*)file_memory);
 
	    tOTL = infoVar->oTL;
	    tONL = infoVar->oNL;
	    tSNL = infoVar->sNL;
	    tSLL = infoVar->sLL;
	    tIDL = infoVar->iDL;
	    tMDL = infoVar->mDL; 
	    readingLength = tOTL + tONL + tSNL + tSLL + tIDL + tMDL ;
	    char *readingStrs[readingLength];
	    printf("reading length = %d\n", readingLength);
	    printf("the infoVar->oAndS_str reading points to=%p\n",&(infoVar->oAndS_str));
	    memcpy(readingStrs, &(infoVar->oAndS_str), readingLength);    	    
 
	    //unlock the file to allow access
	    lock.l_type = F_UNLCK;
	    fcntl (fd, F_SETLKW, &lock);
 
	    char *tOT[tOTL]; memcpy(tOT,readingStrs,tOTL);
	    printf("tOTL = %d and oT ptr = %p\n", tOTL, readingStrs);
	    char *tON[tONL]; memcpy(tON,(readingStrs+tOTL),tONL);
	    printf("tONL = %d and oN ptr = %p\n", tONL, (readingStrs+tOTL));
	    char *tSN[tSNL]; memcpy(tSN,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL),tSNL);
	    printf("tSNL = %d and sN ptr = %p\n", tSNL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL));
	    char *tSL[tSLL]; memcpy(tSL,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL),tSLL);
	    printf("tSLL = %d and sL ptr = %p\n", tSLL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL));
	    char *tID[tIDL]; memcpy(tID,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL),tIDL);
	    printf("tIDL = %d and iD ptr = %p\n", tIDL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL));
	    char tMD[tMDL]; memcpy(tMD,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL+tIDL),tMDL);
	    printf("tMDL = %d and mD ptr = %p\n", tMDL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL+tIDL));
 
	    printf("oT = %s\n",tOT);
	    printf("oN = %s\n",tON);
	    printf("sN = %s\n",tSN);
	    printf("sL = %s\n",tSL);
	    printf("iD = %s\n",tID);
	    printf("mD = %s\n",tMD);
 
	    operatorTel = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tOT);
	    operatorName = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tON);
	    stationNum = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tSN);
	    stationLoc = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tSL);
	    installationDate = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tID);
	    maintenanceDate = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tMD);
 
         //do smth with these variables now
 
	}

void readingTheShMem()
{
	    int tOTL=0;
	    int tONL=0;
	    int tSNL=0;
	    int tSLL=0;
	    int tIDL=0;
	    int tMDL=0;
	    int readingLength;
	    
	    //lock the file for writing	    
	    memset (&lock, 0, sizeof(lock));
	    lock.l_type = F_WRLCK;
	    fcntl (fd, F_SETLKW, &lock);
	     
	    struct ShMem *infoVar=(ShMem*)((char*)file_memory);
	    
	    tOTL = infoVar->oTL;
	    tONL = infoVar->oNL;
	    tSNL = infoVar->sNL;
	    tSLL = infoVar->sLL;
	    tIDL = infoVar->iDL;
	    tMDL = infoVar->mDL; 
	    readingLength = tOTL + tONL + tSNL + tSLL + tIDL + tMDL ;
	    char *readingStrs[readingLength];
	    printf("reading length = %d\n", readingLength);
	    printf("the infoVar->oAndS_str reading points to=%p\n",&(infoVar->oAndS_str));
	    memcpy(readingStrs, &(infoVar->oAndS_str), readingLength);    	    

	    //unlock the file to allow access
	    lock.l_type = F_UNLCK;
	    fcntl (fd, F_SETLKW, &lock);
	    
	    char *tOT[tOTL]; memcpy(tOT,readingStrs,tOTL);
	    printf("tOTL = %d and oT ptr = %p\n", tOTL, readingStrs);
	    char *tON[tONL]; memcpy(tON,(readingStrs+tOTL),tONL);
	    printf("tONL = %d and oN ptr = %p\n", tONL, (readingStrs+tOTL));
	    char *tSN[tSNL]; memcpy(tSN,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL),tSNL);
	    printf("tSNL = %d and sN ptr = %p\n", tSNL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL));
	    char *tSL[tSLL]; memcpy(tSL,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL),tSLL);
	    printf("tSLL = %d and sL ptr = %p\n", tSLL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL));
	    char *tID[tIDL]; memcpy(tID,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL),tIDL);
	    printf("tIDL = %d and iD ptr = %p\n", tIDL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL));
	    char tMD[tMDL]; memcpy(tMD,(readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL+tIDL),tMDL);
	    printf("tMDL = %d and mD ptr = %p\n", tMDL, (readingStrs+tOTL+tONL+tSNL+tSLL+tIDL));
	    
	    printf("oT = %s\n",tOT);
	    printf("oN = %s\n",tON);
	    printf("sN = %s\n",tSN);
	    printf("sL = %s\n",tSL);
	    printf("iD = %s\n",tID);
	    printf("mD = %s\n",tMD);

	    operatorTel = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tOT);
	    operatorName = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tON);
	    stationNum = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tSN);
	    stationLoc = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tSL);
	    installationDate = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tID);
	    maintenanceDate = QString::fromLocal8Bit((const char*)tMD);
	    
         //do smth with these variables now
	    
	}

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and the output i get

reading length = 41
the infoVar->oAndS_str reading points to = 0xb7736168
tOTL = 8 and oT ptr = 0xbfcfa020
tONL = 4 and oN ptr = 0xbfcfa168
tSNL = 4 and sN ptr = 0xbfcfa20c
tSLL = 5 and sL ptr = 0xbfcfa2b0
tIDL = 10 and iD ptr = 0xbfcfa37d
tMDL = 10 and mD ptr = 0xbfcfa517
ϿПϿ�Ͽ ϿPϿ8hihi1234hello10/10/200022/22/2000;
oN = |
sN =
sL = �h
iD = Ͽ
mD =

reading length = 41
the infoVar->oAndS_str reading points to = 0xb7736168
tOTL = 8 and oT ptr = 0xbfcfa020
tONL = 4 and oN ptr = 0xbfcfa168
tSNL = 4 and sN ptr = 0xbfcfa20c
tSLL = 5 and sL ptr = 0xbfcfa2b0
tIDL = 10 and iD ptr = 0xbfcfa37d
tMDL = 10 and mD ptr = 0xbfcfa517
ϿПϿ�Ͽ ϿPϿ8hihi1234hello10/10/200022/22/2000;
oN = |
sN =
sL = �h
iD = Ͽ
mD =

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do you have any idea where my train of thinking is faulting?
nass