Infinite loop code in C - c

Question

In the below program I try to input a number between 1 to 100 but if I enter a 'character' or "string" ( like s or sova ) during the execution time of scanf() statement it creates a infinite loop. so I try to do .... when I input a string or a character it shown me a message like "wrong value entered. enter again" and it will enter again...
Thanx;
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
int a;
scanf("%d",&a);
while(!(a>=1&&a<=100))
{
printf("wrong value entered. enter again\n");
scanf("%d",&a);
}
printf("you enter %d. Thanxz",a);
return 0;
}

Answer 1

You need to check the return value of scanf
If the user has not entered a integer, you need to eat the input. The scanf function will continually say not a integer, try again. So if scanf returns 0 you need to deal with it

Answer 2

When you use scanf you are working with buffered input, this means that when you enter a value say "123" and press ENTER then "123" plus the ending character (ENTER) will all be added to the buffer. scanf then removes 123 since %d specifies that an integer should be read but if a user enters something invalid like a string instead then the buffer will not be emptied.
A better way to read input from the keyboard is to use fgets() where you specify a max length to read. Once you have the input you can use sscanf() to retrieve the numeric value from it. The ENTER till then not irritate your input.
char buffer[128];
fgets( buffer, 128, stdin );
sscanf( buffer, "%d", &a );
Also always check return values from functions as a rule of thumb so that you can do appropriate action if the function fails.

Answer 3

If the return value from scanf is not equal to the number of item you like the user to input, read all characters of the input buffer until there is a '\n'. But instead of copying a whole loop over and over again to the places in your code where the user should input something, you could wrap the loop in a function like this:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdarg.h>
#include <string.h>
void input(const char *format,...)
{
va_list ap;
int r;
/* number of items [to read] */
int noi=0;
for(r=0;r<strlen(format)-1;r++)
{
if(format[r]=='%')
{
if(format[r+1]!='%')
noi++;
else
r++;
}
}
do
{
va_start(ap,format);
r=vscanf(format,ap);
va_end(ap);
if(r!=noi)
{
switch(r)
{
case EOF:
case 0:
printf("All wrong, try again!\n");
break;
default:
printf("Unexpected value after item no %d!\n",r);
}
while(getc(stdin)!='\n');
}
else
break;
} while(1);
}
Hope that helps,
Jan

Answer 4

Try this.
#include <stdio.h>
#define FLUSH while (getchar() != '\n') // macro to eat invalid input
int main (void) {
int a = 0;
printf ("Enter an integer: ");
scanf("%d", &a);
while (a < 1 || a > 100) {
FLUSH;
printf("Invalid input. Please try again: ");
scanf("%d",&a);
}
printf("You entered %d.\nThanks!\n", a);
return 0;
}
Your code shows several coding habits that need to be changed:
Include (void) in the parameter list of main().
Leave spaces on either side of binary operators: while(!(a>=1&&a<=100)) is needlessly ugly and hard to read.
Simplify your logical expressions. Why use (! (a>=1 && a<=100)) when it means the same thing as (a < 1 || a > 100), and the latter is so much easier to read?
Prompt for user input when needed. Don't have the cursor just sit at a blank line with no indication to the user about what to do.
Use proper grammar and capitalization in your prompts. There's no reason to be lazy in your programming.