问如何在C中递归返回字符串值？

EN

//'hash' is the hash to be replicated
//'leading' is for recursive iteration (1st call should have leading=="")
//'limit' is the maximum string length to be tested

string crack(string hash, string leading, int limit)
{
    string cracked=NULL, force=NULL, test=NULL;

    //as per definition of C's crypt function - validated
    char salt[3] = {hash[0], hash[1], '\0'};

    // iterate letters of the alphabet - validated
    for(char c='A'; c<='z'; c++)
    {
        // append c at the end of string 'leading' - validated
        test = append(leading,c);

        // apply hash function to tested string - validated
        force = crypt(test,salt);

        // if hash replicated, store answer in 'cracked' - validated
        if(strcmp(hash,force)==0)
        {
            cracked = test;
        }
        else
        {
            // if within length limit, iterate next character - validated
            if(strlen(test)<=limit+1)
            {
                // THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEM OCCURS
                // value received when solution found
                // is always empty string ("", not NULL)
                // tried replacing this with strcpy, same result
                cracked = crack_des(hash,test,limit);
            }
        }

        // if answer found, break out of loop - validated
        if(cracked){break;}

        // test only alphabetic characters - validated
        if(c=='Z'){c='a' - 1;}
    }

    free(test);

    // return NULL if not cracked to continue iteration on level below
    // this has something to do with the problem
    return cracked;
} // end of function