Infinity getchar with reallocation - c

hi i am a trying to make the console read characters and increase the size with realloc until i hit ctr+z and end the loop.The terminal is displayng segmentation fault.The program should work like this:
f
f
f
f
f
f
Hit ctrl + z
print the characters.
How to fix this?
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main()
{
int size = 2;
char* buffer = NULL;
buffer = (char*) malloc(size*sizeof(char));
if(buffer==NULL)
{
puts("Allocation failed");
}
printf("Enter character: ");
while(1)
{
buffer = getchar();
size++;
buffer = (char*) realloc(buffer,size*sizeof(char));
if(buffer==NULL)
{
puts("Allocation failed");
}
}
printf("%c",buffer);
free(buffer);
}

buffer = getchar(); should be giving you compiler warnings...
getchar() returns an int and this clobbers the pointer to the allocated heap memory... You want some kind of indexing or something to put the character into the buffer, not slam the buffer's address..
You're struggling with this. It's important to note that realloc( NULL ... acts just like malloc(), so you can "grow" the array from zero as needed calling realloc from just one location.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main() {
int ch, size = 0; // trust me
char *buffer = NULL;
printf( "Enter characters: " );
while( ( ch = getchar() ) != EOF ) {
char *tmp = (char*)realloc( buffer, (size+1) * sizeof *tmp );
if( tmp == NULL ) {
puts( "Allocation failed" );
exit( 1 );
}
buffer = tmp; // the possibly new memory address
buffer[ size++ ] = (char)ch; // the new character just entered.
}
// NB: buffer is NOT a null terminated C string.
// It is an array of characters that can be printed, though.
printf( "\nGot this: %.*s", size, buffer );
return 0;
}
Enter characters: Quick Brown Foxes ^Z
Got this: Quick Brown Foxes

Instead of this:
buffer = getchar();
This:
*buffer = getchar();
But you should also support detecting for EOF in case of redirected input:
while(1)
{
int result = getchar();
if (result == EOF)
{
break;
}
*buffer = (char)result;

Related

C loop to read lines of input

I want to create a program in C that takes an arbitrary number of lines of arbitrary length as input and then prints to console the last line that was inputted. For example:
input:
hi
my name is
david
output: david
I figured the best way to do this would be to have a loop that takes each line as input and stores it in a char array, so at the end of the loop the last line ends up being what is stored in the char array and we can just print that.
I have only had one lecture in C so far so I think I just keep setting things up wrong with my Java/C++ mindset since I have more experience in those languages.
Here is what I have so far but I know that it's nowhere near correct:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
printf("Enter some lines of strings: \n");
char line[50];
for(int i = 0; i < 10; i++){
line = getline(); //I know this is inproper syntax but I want to do something like this
}
printf("%s",line);
}
I also have i < 10 in the loop because I don't know how to find the total number of lines in the input which, would be the proper amount of times to loop this. Also, the input is being put in all at once from the
./program < test.txt
command in Unix shell, where test.txt has the input.
Use fgets():
while (fgets(line, sizeof line, stdin)) {
// don't need to do anything here
}
printf("%s", line);
You don't need a limit on the number of iterations. At the end of the file, fgets() returns NULL and doesn't modify the buffer, so line will still hold the last line that was read.
I'm assuming you know the maximum length of the input line.
This one here will surely do the job for you
static char *getLine( char * const b , size_t bsz ) {
return fgets(b, bsz, stdin) );
}
But remember fgets also puts a '\n' character at the end of buffer so perhaps something like this
static char *getLine( char * const b , size_t bsz ) {
if( fgets(b, bsz, stdin) ){
/* Optional code to strip NextLine */
size_t size = strlen(b);
if( size > 0 && b[size-1] == '\n' ) {
b[--size] = '\0';
}
/* End of Optional Code */
return b;
}
return NULL;
}
and your code needs to be altered a bit while calling the getline
#define BUF_SIZE 256
char line[BUF_SIZE];
for(int i = 0; i < 10; i++){
if( getLine(line, BUF_SIZE ) ) {
fprintf(stdout, "line : '%s'\n", line);
}
}
Now it is how ever quite possible to create function like
char *getLine();
but then one needs to define the behavior of that function for instance if the function getLine() allocates memory dynamically then you probably need use a free to de-allocate the pointer returned by getLine()
in which case the function may look like
char *getLine( size_t bsz ) {
char *b = malloc( bsz );
if( b && fgets(b, bsz, stdin) ){
return b;
}
return NULL;
}
depending on how small your function is you can entertain thoughts about making it inline perhaps that's a little off topic for now.
In order to have dynamic number of input of dynamic length, you have to keep on reallocating your buffer when the input is of greater length. In order to store the last line, you have to take another pointer to keep track of it and to stop the input from the terminal you have to press EOF key(ctrl+k). This should do your job.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
char *get_last_line(FILE* fp, size_t size){
//The size is extended by the input with the value of the provisional
char *str, *last_str = NULL;
int ch;
size_t len = 0, last_len = 0;
str = realloc(NULL, sizeof(char)*size);//size is start size
if(!str)return str;
while(ch=fgetc(fp)){
if(ch == EOF){
break;
}
if(ch == '\n'){
str[len]='\0';
last_len = len;
last_str = realloc(last_str,sizeof(char)*last_len);
last_str[last_len]='\0';
//storing the last line
memcpy(last_str,str,sizeof(char)*last_len);
str = realloc(NULL, sizeof(char)*size);//size is start size
len = 0;
}
else {
str[len++]=ch;
if(len==size){
str = realloc(str, sizeof(char)*(size+=16));
if(!str)return str;
}
}
}
free(str);
return last_str;
}
int main(void){
char *m;
printf("input strings : ");
m = get_last_line(stdin, 10);
printf("last string :");
printf("%s\n", m);
free(m);
return 0;
}

Input a char string with any size [duplicate]

If I don't know how long the word is, I cannot write char m[6];,
The length of the word is maybe ten or twenty long.
How can I use scanf to get input from the keyboard?
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void)
{
char m[6];
printf("please input a string with length=5\n");
scanf("%s",&m);
printf("this is the string: %s\n", m);
return 0;
}
please input a string with length=5
input: hello
this is the string: hello
Enter while securing an area dynamically
E.G.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
char *inputString(FILE* fp, size_t size){
//The size is extended by the input with the value of the provisional
char *str;
int ch;
size_t len = 0;
str = realloc(NULL, sizeof(*str)*size);//size is start size
if(!str)return str;
while(EOF!=(ch=fgetc(fp)) && ch != '\n'){
str[len++]=ch;
if(len==size){
str = realloc(str, sizeof(*str)*(size+=16));
if(!str)return str;
}
}
str[len++]='\0';
return realloc(str, sizeof(*str)*len);
}
int main(void){
char *m;
printf("input string : ");
m = inputString(stdin, 10);
printf("%s\n", m);
free(m);
return 0;
}
With the computers of today, you can get away with allocating very large strings (hundreds of thousands of characters) while hardly making a dent in the computer's RAM usage. So I wouldn't worry too much.
However, in the old days, when memory was at a premium, the common practice was to read strings in chunks. fgets reads up to a maximum number of chars from the input, but leaves the rest of the input buffer intact, so you can read the rest from it however you like.
in this example, I read in chunks of 200 chars, but you can use whatever chunk size you want of course.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
char* readinput()
{
#define CHUNK 200
char* input = NULL;
char tempbuf[CHUNK];
size_t inputlen = 0, templen = 0;
do {
fgets(tempbuf, CHUNK, stdin);
templen = strlen(tempbuf);
input = realloc(input, inputlen+templen+1);
strcpy(input+inputlen, tempbuf);
inputlen += templen;
} while (templen==CHUNK-1 && tempbuf[CHUNK-2]!='\n');
return input;
}
int main()
{
char* result = readinput();
printf("And the result is [%s]\n", result);
free(result);
return 0;
}
Note that this is a simplified example with no error checking; in real life you will have to make sure the input is OK by verifying the return value of fgets.
Also note that at the end if the readinput routine, no bytes are wasted; the string has the exact memory size it needs to have.
I've seen only one simple way of reading an arbitrarily long string, but I've never used it. I think it goes like this:
char *m = NULL;
printf("please input a string\n");
scanf("%ms",&m);
if (m == NULL)
fprintf(stderr, "That string was too long!\n");
else
{
printf("this is the string %s\n",m);
/* ... any other use of m */
free(m);
}
The m between % and s tells scanf() to measure the string and allocate memory for it and copy the string into that, and to store the address of that allocated memory in the corresponding argument. Once you're done with it you have to free() it.
This isn't supported on every implementation of scanf(), though.
As others have pointed out, the easiest solution is to set a limit on the length of the input. If you still want to use scanf() then you can do so this way:
char m[100];
scanf("%99s",&m);
Note that the size of m[] must be at least one byte larger than the number between % and s.
If the string entered is longer than 99, then the remaining characters will wait to be read by another call or by the rest of the format string passed to scanf().
Generally scanf() is not recommended for handling user input. It's best applied to basic structured text files that were created by another application. Even then, you must be aware that the input might not be formatted as you expect, as somebody might have interfered with it to try to break your program.
There is a new function in C standard for getting a line without specifying its size. getline function allocates string with required size automatically so there is no need to guess about string's size. The following code demonstrate usage:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main(void)
{
char *line = NULL;
size_t len = 0;
ssize_t read;
while ((read = getline(&line, &len, stdin)) != -1) {
printf("Retrieved line of length %zu :\n", read);
printf("%s", line);
}
if (ferror(stdin)) {
/* handle error */
}
free(line);
return 0;
}
If I may suggest a safer approach:
Declare a buffer big enough to hold the string:
char user_input[255];
Get the user input in a safe way:
fgets(user_input, 255, stdin);
A safe way to get the input, the first argument being a pointer to a buffer where the input will be stored, the second the maximum input the function should read and the third is a pointer to the standard input - i.e. where the user input comes from.
Safety in particular comes from the second argument limiting how much will be read which prevents buffer overruns. Also, fgets takes care of null-terminating the processed string.
More info on that function here.
EDIT: If you need to do any formatting (e.g. convert a string to a number), you can use atoi once you have the input.
Safer and faster (doubling capacity) version:
char *readline(char *prompt) {
size_t size = 80;
char *str = malloc(sizeof(char) * size);
int c;
size_t len = 0;
printf("%s", prompt);
while (EOF != (c = getchar()) && c != '\r' && c != '\n') {
str[len++] = c;
if(len == size) str = realloc(str, sizeof(char) * (size *= 2));
}
str[len++]='\0';
return realloc(str, sizeof(char) * len);
}
Read directly into allocated space with fgets().
Special care is need to distinguish a successful read, end-of-file, input error and out-of memory. Proper memory management needed on EOF.
This method retains a line's '\n'.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#define FGETS_ALLOC_N 128
char* fgets_alloc(FILE *istream) {
char* buf = NULL;
size_t size = 0;
size_t used = 0;
do {
size += FGETS_ALLOC_N;
char *buf_new = realloc(buf, size);
if (buf_new == NULL) {
// Out-of-memory
free(buf);
return NULL;
}
buf = buf_new;
if (fgets(&buf[used], (int) (size - used), istream) == NULL) {
// feof or ferror
if (used == 0 || ferror(istream)) {
free(buf);
buf = NULL;
}
return buf;
}
size_t length = strlen(&buf[used]);
if (length + 1 != size - used) break;
used += length;
} while (buf[used - 1] != '\n');
return buf;
}
Sample usage
int main(void) {
FILE *istream = stdin;
char *s;
while ((s = fgets_alloc(istream)) != NULL) {
printf("'%s'", s);
free(s);
fflush(stdout);
}
if (ferror(istream)) {
puts("Input error");
} else if (feof(istream)) {
puts("End of file");
} else {
puts("Out of memory");
}
return 0;
}
I know that I have arrived after 4 years and am too late but I think I have another way that someone can use. I had used getchar() Function like this:-
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
//I had putten the main Function Bellow this function.
//d for asking string,f is pointer to the string pointer
void GetStr(char *d,char **f)
{
printf("%s",d);
for(int i =0;1;i++)
{
if(i)//I.e if i!=0
*f = (char*)realloc((*f),i+1);
else
*f = (char*)malloc(i+1);
(*f)[i]=getchar();
if((*f)[i] == '\n')
{
(*f)[i]= '\0';
break;
}
}
}
int main()
{
char *s =NULL;
GetStr("Enter the String:- ",&s);
printf("Your String:- %s \nAnd It's length:- %lu\n",s,(strlen(s)));
free(s);
}
here is the sample run for this program:-
Enter the String:- I am Using Linux Mint XFCE 18.2 , eclispe CDT and GCC7.2 compiler!!
Your String:- I am Using Linux Mint XFCE 18.2 , eclispe CDT and GCC7.2 compiler!!
And It's length:- 67
Take a character pointer to store required string.If you have some idea about possible size of string then use function
char *fgets (char *str, int size, FILE* file);
else you can allocate memory on runtime too using malloc() function which dynamically provides requested memory.
i also have a solution with standard inputs and outputs
#include<stdio.h>
#include<malloc.h>
int main()
{
char *str,ch;
int size=10,len=0;
str=realloc(NULL,sizeof(char)*size);
if(!str)return str;
while(EOF!=scanf("%c",&ch) && ch!="\n")
{
str[len++]=ch;
if(len==size)
{
str = realloc(str,sizeof(char)*(size+=10));
if(!str)return str;
}
}
str[len++]='\0';
printf("%s\n",str);
free(str);
}
I have a solution using standard libraries of C and also creating a string type (alias of char*) like in C++
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
typedef char* string;
typedef struct __strstr {
char ch;
struct __strstr *next;
}Strstr;
void get_str(char **str) {
char ch, *buffer, a;
Strstr *new = NULL;
Strstr *head = NULL, *tmp = NULL;
int c = 0, k = 0;
while ((ch = getchar()) != '\n') {
new = malloc(sizeof(Strstr));
if(new == NULL) {
printf("\nError!\n");
exit(1);
}
new->ch = ch;
new->next = NULL;
new->next = head;
head = new;
}
tmp = head;
while (tmp != NULL) {
c++;
tmp = tmp->next;
}
if(c == 0) {
*str = "";
} else {
buffer = malloc(sizeof(char) * (c + 1));
*str = malloc(sizeof(char) * (c + 1));
if(buffer == NULL || *str == NULL) {
printf("\nError!\n");
exit(1);
}
tmp = head;
while (tmp != NULL) {
buffer[k] = tmp->ch;
k++;
tmp = tmp->next;
}
buffer[k] = '\0';
for (int i = 0, j = strlen(buffer)-1; i < j; i++, j--) {
a = buffer[i];
buffer[i] = buffer[j];
buffer[j] = a;
}
strcpy(*str, buffer);
// Dealloc
free(buffer);
while (head != NULL) {
tmp = head;
head = head->next;
free(tmp);
}
}
}
int main() {
string str;
printf("Enter text: ");
get_str(&str);
printf("%s\n", str);
return 0;
}

C: read string into dynamic array

Hi im trying to read user input of "unlimited" length into an char array. It works fine for shorter strings, but for more than around 30 characters the programm crashes. Why does this happen and how can i fix this?
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
char* read_string_from_terminal()//reads a string of variable length and returns a pointer to it
{
int length = 0; //counts number of characters
char c; //holds last read character
char *input;
input = (char *) malloc(sizeof(char)); //Allocate initial memory
if(input == NULL) //Fail if allocating of memory not possible
{
printf("Could not allocate memory!");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
while((c = getchar()) != '\n') //until end of line
{
realloc(input, (sizeof(char))); //allocate more memory
input[length++] = c; //save entered character
}
input[length] = '\0'; //add terminator
return input;
}
int main()
{
printf("Hello world!\n");
char* input;
printf("Input string, finish with Enter\n");
input = read_string_from_terminal();
printf("Output \n %s", input);
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
realloc(input, (sizeof(char))); //allocate more memory only allocates 1 char. Not 1 more char. #MikeCAT
(sizeof(char)*length+1) is semantically wrong. Should be (sizeof(char)*(length+1)), but since sizeof (char) == 1, it makes no functional difference.
Need space for the null character. #MikeCAT
Should test for reallocation failure.
char c is insufficient to distinguish all 257 different responses from getchar(). Use int. getchar() may return EOF. #Andrew Henle
Minor: Better to use size_t for array indexes than int. int maybe too narrow.
In the end code needs to do something like:
size_t length = 0;
char *input = malloc(1);
assert(input);
int c;
...
while((c = getchar()) != '\n' && c != EOF) {
char *t = realloc(input, length + 1);
assert(t);
input = t;
input[length++] = c;
}
...
return input;
int main(void) {
...
input = read_string_from_terminal();
printf("Output \n %s", input);
free(input);
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

Dynamic string array in C with malloc and realloc won't exit a loop

I've been trying to make a simple console application in C (using dev-c++) that reads characters and places them in an array while dynamically lengthening the array to accomodate for as many characters as you want until you press enter. The code is this:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <conio.h>
main()
{
int x=0;
char * ch1;
ch1 = (char*) malloc(1);
do
{
ch1[x] = getche();
x++;
ch1 = (char*) realloc (ch1,x);
} while (ch1[x-1]!='\n');
printf("Input Sentence Is :%s",ch1);
free(ch1);
}
while the program executes fine with no errors, after you type your sentence and press enter instead of simply printing your sentence the 'cursor' shifts back to the begining of the window and you can keep typing above the previous characters.
Edit: I know this is not an optimal way to do it since you lose the backspace ability for example i just wanted to see if it would work after we were taught malloc and realloc today.
I'm all-but-certain this is what you're trying to do. The difference between it and your code should be obvious:
Uses calloc() for the initial buffer to ensure it is terminated,
Checks for input stream EOF as well as CR and LF chars.
x represents the buffer length, not the string length.
String termination is established on each successful expansion.
Memory allocation failures are accounted.
Standard-compliant declaration of main(),
Uses the standard-compliant getchar() for input.
Code:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main()
{
char *ch1 = calloc(1,1), *tmp;
size_t x = 1;
int c;
if (!ch1)
{
perror("Failed to allocate string buffer.");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
while ((c = getchar()) != EOF && c != '\r' && c != '\n')
{
tmp = realloc(ch1, x+1);
if (!tmp)
{
// note: the string at ch1 still valid.
perror("Failed to resize string buffer.");
break;
}
ch1 = tmp;
ch1[x - 1] = c;
ch1[x++] = 0;
}
printf("Input Sentence: %s\n", ch1);
free(ch1);
return 0;
}
Hope it helps.
On my current system (SUSE SLES-11) I can't compile this due to the non-portable conio.h. Here's my solution;
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <conio.h>
#include <errno.h>
int main()
{
int rCode = 0;
char *buf = NULL;
size_t bufSize = 0;
int done = 0;
/* Allocate a single byte to hold a string-termination
* character '\0'
*/
errno=0;
buf = malloc(bufSize + 1);
if(NULL == buf)
{
rCode=errno?errno:ENOMEM;
fprintf(stderr, "malloc() failed. errno=%d\n", errno);
goto CLEANUP;
}
++bufSize;
buf[0] = '\0';
/** Loop until done. **/
while(!done)
{
char *tmp; /* Used to safely realloc(). */
int ch = getche(); /* read the next character. */
switch(ch)
{
case '\r': /* Check for end-of-line characters. */
case '\n': /* (I agree with Paul Z's comment. */
done = (-1); /* TRUE */
/* Do not include these characters in the final buffer. */
continue;
default:
/* Change the last character of the buf from '\0' to ch. */
buf[bufSize] = ch;
/* Increase the size of buf so that a new '\0' character can
* be appended.
*/
errno=0;
tmp=realloc(buf, bufSize+1);
if(NULL == tmp)
{
rCode=errno?errno:ENOMEM;
fprintf(stderr, "realloc() failed. errno:%d\n", errno);
goto CLEANUP;
}
buf=tmp; // EDIT (Thanks Floris for catching this!)
buf[bufSize++] = '\0';
break;
}
}
printf("Input Sentence Is: %s\n", buf);
CLEANUP:
if(buf)
free(buf);
return(rCode);
}

How can I read an input string of unknown length?

If I don't know how long the word is, I cannot write char m[6];,
The length of the word is maybe ten or twenty long.
How can I use scanf to get input from the keyboard?
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void)
{
char m[6];
printf("please input a string with length=5\n");
scanf("%s",&m);
printf("this is the string: %s\n", m);
return 0;
}
please input a string with length=5
input: hello
this is the string: hello
Enter while securing an area dynamically
E.G.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
char *inputString(FILE* fp, size_t size){
//The size is extended by the input with the value of the provisional
char *str;
int ch;
size_t len = 0;
str = realloc(NULL, sizeof(*str)*size);//size is start size
if(!str)return str;
while(EOF!=(ch=fgetc(fp)) && ch != '\n'){
str[len++]=ch;
if(len==size){
str = realloc(str, sizeof(*str)*(size+=16));
if(!str)return str;
}
}
str[len++]='\0';
return realloc(str, sizeof(*str)*len);
}
int main(void){
char *m;
printf("input string : ");
m = inputString(stdin, 10);
printf("%s\n", m);
free(m);
return 0;
}
With the computers of today, you can get away with allocating very large strings (hundreds of thousands of characters) while hardly making a dent in the computer's RAM usage. So I wouldn't worry too much.
However, in the old days, when memory was at a premium, the common practice was to read strings in chunks. fgets reads up to a maximum number of chars from the input, but leaves the rest of the input buffer intact, so you can read the rest from it however you like.
in this example, I read in chunks of 200 chars, but you can use whatever chunk size you want of course.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
char* readinput()
{
#define CHUNK 200
char* input = NULL;
char tempbuf[CHUNK];
size_t inputlen = 0, templen = 0;
do {
fgets(tempbuf, CHUNK, stdin);
templen = strlen(tempbuf);
input = realloc(input, inputlen+templen+1);
strcpy(input+inputlen, tempbuf);
inputlen += templen;
} while (templen==CHUNK-1 && tempbuf[CHUNK-2]!='\n');
return input;
}
int main()
{
char* result = readinput();
printf("And the result is [%s]\n", result);
free(result);
return 0;
}
Note that this is a simplified example with no error checking; in real life you will have to make sure the input is OK by verifying the return value of fgets.
Also note that at the end if the readinput routine, no bytes are wasted; the string has the exact memory size it needs to have.
I've seen only one simple way of reading an arbitrarily long string, but I've never used it. I think it goes like this:
char *m = NULL;
printf("please input a string\n");
scanf("%ms",&m);
if (m == NULL)
fprintf(stderr, "That string was too long!\n");
else
{
printf("this is the string %s\n",m);
/* ... any other use of m */
free(m);
}
The m between % and s tells scanf() to measure the string and allocate memory for it and copy the string into that, and to store the address of that allocated memory in the corresponding argument. Once you're done with it you have to free() it.
This isn't supported on every implementation of scanf(), though.
As others have pointed out, the easiest solution is to set a limit on the length of the input. If you still want to use scanf() then you can do so this way:
char m[100];
scanf("%99s",&m);
Note that the size of m[] must be at least one byte larger than the number between % and s.
If the string entered is longer than 99, then the remaining characters will wait to be read by another call or by the rest of the format string passed to scanf().
Generally scanf() is not recommended for handling user input. It's best applied to basic structured text files that were created by another application. Even then, you must be aware that the input might not be formatted as you expect, as somebody might have interfered with it to try to break your program.
There is a new function in C standard for getting a line without specifying its size. getline function allocates string with required size automatically so there is no need to guess about string's size. The following code demonstrate usage:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main(void)
{
char *line = NULL;
size_t len = 0;
ssize_t read;
while ((read = getline(&line, &len, stdin)) != -1) {
printf("Retrieved line of length %zu :\n", read);
printf("%s", line);
}
if (ferror(stdin)) {
/* handle error */
}
free(line);
return 0;
}
If I may suggest a safer approach:
Declare a buffer big enough to hold the string:
char user_input[255];
Get the user input in a safe way:
fgets(user_input, 255, stdin);
A safe way to get the input, the first argument being a pointer to a buffer where the input will be stored, the second the maximum input the function should read and the third is a pointer to the standard input - i.e. where the user input comes from.
Safety in particular comes from the second argument limiting how much will be read which prevents buffer overruns. Also, fgets takes care of null-terminating the processed string.
More info on that function here.
EDIT: If you need to do any formatting (e.g. convert a string to a number), you can use atoi once you have the input.
Safer and faster (doubling capacity) version:
char *readline(char *prompt) {
size_t size = 80;
char *str = malloc(sizeof(char) * size);
int c;
size_t len = 0;
printf("%s", prompt);
while (EOF != (c = getchar()) && c != '\r' && c != '\n') {
str[len++] = c;
if(len == size) str = realloc(str, sizeof(char) * (size *= 2));
}
str[len++]='\0';
return realloc(str, sizeof(char) * len);
}
Read directly into allocated space with fgets().
Special care is need to distinguish a successful read, end-of-file, input error and out-of memory. Proper memory management needed on EOF.
This method retains a line's '\n'.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#define FGETS_ALLOC_N 128
char* fgets_alloc(FILE *istream) {
char* buf = NULL;
size_t size = 0;
size_t used = 0;
do {
size += FGETS_ALLOC_N;
char *buf_new = realloc(buf, size);
if (buf_new == NULL) {
// Out-of-memory
free(buf);
return NULL;
}
buf = buf_new;
if (fgets(&buf[used], (int) (size - used), istream) == NULL) {
// feof or ferror
if (used == 0 || ferror(istream)) {
free(buf);
buf = NULL;
}
return buf;
}
size_t length = strlen(&buf[used]);
if (length + 1 != size - used) break;
used += length;
} while (buf[used - 1] != '\n');
return buf;
}
Sample usage
int main(void) {
FILE *istream = stdin;
char *s;
while ((s = fgets_alloc(istream)) != NULL) {
printf("'%s'", s);
free(s);
fflush(stdout);
}
if (ferror(istream)) {
puts("Input error");
} else if (feof(istream)) {
puts("End of file");
} else {
puts("Out of memory");
}
return 0;
}
I know that I have arrived after 4 years and am too late but I think I have another way that someone can use. I had used getchar() Function like this:-
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
//I had putten the main Function Bellow this function.
//d for asking string,f is pointer to the string pointer
void GetStr(char *d,char **f)
{
printf("%s",d);
for(int i =0;1;i++)
{
if(i)//I.e if i!=0
*f = (char*)realloc((*f),i+1);
else
*f = (char*)malloc(i+1);
(*f)[i]=getchar();
if((*f)[i] == '\n')
{
(*f)[i]= '\0';
break;
}
}
}
int main()
{
char *s =NULL;
GetStr("Enter the String:- ",&s);
printf("Your String:- %s \nAnd It's length:- %lu\n",s,(strlen(s)));
free(s);
}
here is the sample run for this program:-
Enter the String:- I am Using Linux Mint XFCE 18.2 , eclispe CDT and GCC7.2 compiler!!
Your String:- I am Using Linux Mint XFCE 18.2 , eclispe CDT and GCC7.2 compiler!!
And It's length:- 67
Take a character pointer to store required string.If you have some idea about possible size of string then use function
char *fgets (char *str, int size, FILE* file);
else you can allocate memory on runtime too using malloc() function which dynamically provides requested memory.
i also have a solution with standard inputs and outputs
#include<stdio.h>
#include<malloc.h>
int main()
{
char *str,ch;
int size=10,len=0;
str=realloc(NULL,sizeof(char)*size);
if(!str)return str;
while(EOF!=scanf("%c",&ch) && ch!="\n")
{
str[len++]=ch;
if(len==size)
{
str = realloc(str,sizeof(char)*(size+=10));
if(!str)return str;
}
}
str[len++]='\0';
printf("%s\n",str);
free(str);
}
I have a solution using standard libraries of C and also creating a string type (alias of char*) like in C++
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
typedef char* string;
typedef struct __strstr {
char ch;
struct __strstr *next;
}Strstr;
void get_str(char **str) {
char ch, *buffer, a;
Strstr *new = NULL;
Strstr *head = NULL, *tmp = NULL;
int c = 0, k = 0;
while ((ch = getchar()) != '\n') {
new = malloc(sizeof(Strstr));
if(new == NULL) {
printf("\nError!\n");
exit(1);
}
new->ch = ch;
new->next = NULL;
new->next = head;
head = new;
}
tmp = head;
while (tmp != NULL) {
c++;
tmp = tmp->next;
}
if(c == 0) {
*str = "";
} else {
buffer = malloc(sizeof(char) * (c + 1));
*str = malloc(sizeof(char) * (c + 1));
if(buffer == NULL || *str == NULL) {
printf("\nError!\n");
exit(1);
}
tmp = head;
while (tmp != NULL) {
buffer[k] = tmp->ch;
k++;
tmp = tmp->next;
}
buffer[k] = '\0';
for (int i = 0, j = strlen(buffer)-1; i < j; i++, j--) {
a = buffer[i];
buffer[i] = buffer[j];
buffer[j] = a;
}
strcpy(*str, buffer);
// Dealloc
free(buffer);
while (head != NULL) {
tmp = head;
head = head->next;
free(tmp);
}
}
}
int main() {
string str;
printf("Enter text: ");
get_str(&str);
printf("%s\n", str);
return 0;
}

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