GETS - C is not working for me - c

I am having trouble with inserting string in to char variable. Problem appeares when I put it into function. When I debug my program, it displays printf but it skipes gets
here is my code:
int uloz(SPRAVA *p){
char string[200];
printf("Your message here: ");
gets(string);
printf("You have entered: %s", string);
getchar();
return 0;
}

Use scanf(" %30[^\n]%*c",string);
[^\n] will accept anything till \n.
30 will limit the length of number of characters to max 30.
initial space(' ') will consume any \n already in stdin stream. (optional & i have not verified it)
& Finally, %*c will consume \n pressed after entering string.
I think, scanf(" %30[^\n]%*[^\n]%*c",string); would be a good option, to discard remaining characters (after 30) that were entered. However this is completely unverified. Just added as a possible idea. Test before use. :-)

There's a newline in the stdio buffer (left over by some previous scanf) so gets is immediately satisfied.
There's no easy way to fix it but you could try discarding input, before the fgets:
while((c = getchar()) != '\n' && c != EOF)
/* discard the character */;
The true solution is to avoid mixing scanf and fgets.
Use fgets instead of gets.

Related

Why can't the first string element be accessed if a limit is read using scanf() in c

int main(){
char str[10][50],temp[50];
int lim,i,j;
printf("Enter lim: ");
scanf("%d",&lim);
for(i=0;i<lim;++i){
printf("Enter string[%d]: ",i+1);
gets(str[i]);
}
Here the str[0](Enter string[1]: ) can't be read. The reading starts from 'Enter string[2]: '(str[1]).
But if instead of lim, an integer is passed to loop as below, program executes correctly. What may be reason for this scenario ?
int main(){
char str[10][50],temp[50];
int lim,i,j;
for(i=0;i<5;++i){
printf("Enter string: ");
gets(str[i]);
}
Your scanf() for the number has left a newline in the input stream, which will feed the first gets().
Have a look here for help:
http://sekrit.de/webdocs/c/beginners-guide-away-from-scanf.html
How to read / parse input in C? The FAQ
Also, you do not want to use gets() anymore.
Why is the gets function so dangerous that it should not be used?
Firstly don't use gets() use fgets() instead. From the manual page of gets()
Never use gets(). Because it is impossible to tell without knowing the
data in advance how many characters gets() will read, and because
gets() will continue to store characters past the end of the buffer,
it is extremely dangerous to use. It has been used to break computer
security. Use fgets() instead.
Secondaly stdin is line buffered, when you use scanf() like scanf("%d",&lim); and press ENTER, the newline \n char is left into stdin stream that causes gets() to not to read str[0].
For e.g
for(i=0;i<lim;++i){
printf("Enter string[%d]:\n ",i);
fgets(str[i],sizeof(str[i]),stdin);
}
Also note that when you use fgets() it will store \n into buffer at the end. If you don't want \n at the end of str[index] you have to remove it.
Also don't Forget to check the return value of fgets().
For e.g
char *ptr = NULL;
ptr=fgets(str[i],sizeof(str[i]),stdin);
if( ptr != NULL && str[strlen(str[i])-1] == '\n'){
str[strlen(str[i])-1] = '\0'; /* replace \n with \0 */
}

scanf not working correclty in this c program

I have wrote a small code to get value from Fahrenheit to Celsius. I wanted to keep inputting data until I press any other key than 'y'. But this loop doesn't work that way and stops after one iteration.
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
char ch='y';
int far, cen;
do {
printf("again\n");
scanf("%d",&far);
//cen = (5.0/9.0)*(far-32);//integer division will truncate to zero so we can make 5/9 to 5.0 / 9.0
cen = (5*(far-32))/9;//or this way we can use this formula
printf("\n%d\t%d",far, cen);
printf("ch=%c",ch);
scanf("%c",&ch);
}while(ch == 'y');
return 0;
}
What is the problem here?
P.S
I added a line and made a new code like this
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
char ch='y';
int far, cen;
do {
printf("again\n");
scanf("%d",&far);//here we press carriage return. this value is in stdin
//cen = (5.0/9.0)*(far-32);//integer division will truncate to zero so we can make 5/9 to 5.0 / 9.0
cen = (5*(far-32))/9;//or this way we can use this formula
printf("\n%d\t%d",far, cen);
scanf("%c",&ch);//putting a space before %c makes the newline to be consumed and now it will work well
if((ch == '\r')|| (ch == '\n'))
printf("1\n");
printf("ch=%c",ch);//this takes the carriage return in stdin buffer
}while(ch == 'y');
return 0;
}
I need to know carriage return here is \r or \n?
When the value for scanf("%d",&far); is entered and press enter, the scanf stores the carriage return in the buffer. When it encounters the second scanf in the code scanf("%c",&ch); it takes the carriage return present in the buffer as the input to 'ch'. So it doesn't wait for the user input.
Please have a look at the post here
As indicated in one of the reply the solution is to put a space in scanf
scanf(" %c",&ch);
You should always check the return value of scanf. Your first use of scanf may fail if the user does not enter a valid integer, in which case, you are using far without initialising it (which is undefined behaviour). scanf returns the number of items that were successfully scanned. If you are requesting scanf to scan one integer, then it should return 1 if it successfully managed to scan an integer.
int scanresult = scanf("%d", &far);
if (scanresult != 1)
{
puts("Invalid input or unexpected end of input");
return 1;
}
In addition, the %c conversion specifier is unique in that it does not cause scanf to gobble up any preceding whitespace unlike the other conversion specifiers. To force scanf to gobble up the whitespace (such as linefeeds, carriage returns, spaces, tabs etc), simply put a space character before the %c, e.g.
scanresult = scanf(" %c", &ch);
For scanf, the space character is actually a directive to parse and skip all whitespace.
This is because of the previous newline character remaining in the buffer. You can simply replace scanf by this line:
while((ch = getchar()) == '\n');
You'll be needing the same technique in combination with ungetc() in many occasions.
Add fflush() function, just above scanf("%c", &ch). Because buffer of CONSOLE INPUT stores characters that not returned to program. Which is ENTER pressed in previous scanf:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char ch='y';
int far, cen;
do {
printf("again\n");
scanf("%d",&far);
//cen = (5.0/9.0)*(far-32);//integer division will truncate to zero so we can make 5/9 to 5.0 / 9.0
cen = (5*(far-32))/9;//or this way we can use this formula
printf("\n%d\t%d",far, cen);
printf("ch=%c",ch);
scanf("%c",&ch); // This scanf will be ignored, because loads last
// character from buffer that can be recognized
// by scanf which is pressed "ENTER" from previous scanf
printf("%d", ch) // Shows 10, which is ASCII code of newline
fflush(stdin); // Clear buffer
scanf("%c",&ch); // Now it will prompt you to type your character.
// printf("%c"ch); //Without fflush, it must show 10, which is \n code
}while(ch == 'y');
return 0;
}
if after Y you press "space" or "return" this is the character you will find in %C

getchar() not working in c

getchar() is not working in the below program, can anyone help me to solve this out. I tried scanf() function in place of getchar() then also it is not working.
I am not able to figure out the root cause of the issue, can anyone please help me.
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
int x, n=0, p=0,z=0,i=0;
char ch;
do
{
printf("\nEnter a number : ");
scanf("%d",&x);
if (x<0)
n++;
else if (x>0)
p++;
else
z++;
printf("\nAny more number want to enter : Y , N ? ");
ch = getchar();
i++;
}while(ch=='y'||ch=='Y');
printf("\nTotal numbers entered : %d\n",i);
printf("Total Negative Number : %d\n",n);
printf("Total Positive number : %d\n",p);
printf("Total Zero : %d\n",z);
return 0 ;
}
The code has been copied from the book of "Yashvant Kanetkar"
I think, in your code, the problem is with the leftover \n from
scanf("%d",&x);
You can change that scanning statement to
scanf("%d%*c",&x);
to eat up the newline. Then the next getchar() will wait for the user input, as expected.
That said, the return type of getchar() is int. You can check the man page for details. So, the returned value may not fit into a char always. Suggest changing ch to int from char.
Finally, the recommended signature of main() is int main(void).
That's because scanf() left the trailing newline in input.
I suggest replacing this:
ch = getchar();
With:
scanf(" %c", &ch);
Note the leading space in the format string. It is needed to force scanf() to ignore every whitespace character until a non-whitespace is read. This is generally more robust than consuming a single char in the previous scanf() because it ignores any number of blanks.
When the user inputs x and presses enter,the new line character is left in the input stream after scanf() operation.Then when try you to read a char using getchar() it reads the same new line character.In short ch gets the value of newline character.You can use a loop to ignore newline character.
ch=getchar();
while(ch=='\n')
ch=getchar();
When you using scanf getchar etc. everything you entered stored as a string (char sequence) in stdin (standard input), then the program uses what is needed and leaves the remains in stdin.
For example: 456 is {'4','5','6','\0'}, 4tf is {'4','t','f','\0'} with scanf("%d",&x); you ask the program to read an integer in the first case will read 456 and leave {'\0'} in stdin and in the second will read 4 and leave {''t','f',\0'}.
After the scanf you should use the fflush(stdin) in order to clear the input stream.
Replacing ch = getchar(); with scanf(" %c", &ch); worked just fine for me!
But using fflush(stdin) after scanf didn't work.
My suggestion for you is to define a Macro like:
#define __GETCHAR__ if (getchar()=='\n') getchar();
Then you can use it like:
printf("\nAny more number want to enter : Y , N ? ");
__GETCHAR__;
I agree that it is not the best option, but it is a little bit more elegant.
Add one more line ch = getchar();
between scanf("%d",&x); and ch = getchar();
then your code work correctly.
Because when you take input from user, in this time you press a new line \n after the integer value then the variable ch store this new line by this line of code ch = getchar(); and that's why you program crash because condition can not work correctly.
Because we know that a new line \n is also a char that's why you code crash.
So, for skip this new line \n add one more time ch = getchar();
like,
ch = getchar(); // this line of code skip your new line when you press enter key after taking input.
ch = getchar(); // this line store your char input
or
scanf("%d",&x);
ch = getchar(); // this line of code skip your new line when you press enter key after taking input.
pieces of code work correctly.

C first fgets() is being skipped while the second runs [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
Using scanf and fgets in the same program?
(4 answers)
Closed 7 years ago.
The question is:
Why does the first fgets statement is being skipped?
I read somewhere that it might be because of SCANF() that I used before.
I am trying to figure it out but I can't.
Can someone give me the solution (I should probably re-write the first bit of code to avoid scanf, but how?).
This in the code I am struggling with:
for(;;)
{
//Ask if the user wants to add another CD - Y/N
fputs("\nWould you like to enter new CDs details? y or n\n", stdout);
scanf(" %c" ,&type);
if (toupper(type) != 'Y')
break;
puts("");
//getting in the album information
printf("\tLets enter the details of the CD %d:\n\n", count + 1);
fputs("Title?\n", stdout);
//this fgets statement is being skipped
fgets(title[count], sizeof title[count], stdin);
title[count][strlen(title[count]) - 1] = '\0';
fputs("Atrist? \n", stdout);
fgets(artist[count], sizeof artist[count], stdin);
artist[count][strlen(artist[count]) - 1] = '\0';
}
This is because the last ENTER keypress, which causes a newline is left in the input buffer. This is picked up by the first fgets().
You can add a while(getchar() != '\n'); before the first fegts() to avoid this.
[EDIT: Or, for better, as mentioned by Chux Thanks to him in below comment,use something like
int ch; while((ch = getchar()) != '\n' && ch != EOF);
to handle the 'newline' as well as EOF.]
That said, it is never a good choice to mix scanf() and fgets(). Use fgets() always, it is possible and better.
Yes, it's because your scanf() didn't read more than a single character, but the user pressed return. The return remains in the input buffer, so fgets() immediately sees that and returns.
Don't mix them, use only fgets().
Simply change
scanf(" %c" ,&type);
to
scanf(" %c%*c" ,&type);
The reason that the first fgets gets skipped is that your scanf leaves a newline character in the stdin. fgets sees this character and consumes it, thus not waiting for furthur input.
The %*c tells scanf to read and discard a character.

Don't understand how to input/print and compare string in loop in C

I'm newcomer to C and I am stuck. I want to write simple program, which will take input from keyboard and output it if it isn't an 'exit' word. I've tried few different approaches and none of them works. Almost in all cases I get infinite output of the first input.
Here is one of my approaches:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char word[80];
while (1) {
puts("Enter a string: ");
scanf("%79[^\n]", word);
if (word == "exit")
break;
printf("You have typed %s", word);
}
return 0;
}
I thought after it finish every loop it should give me prompt again, but it doesn't.
What I am doing wrong.
Please if you know give me some advice.
Thanks in advance. Really, guys I will be so happy if you help me to understand what I am doing wrong.
Oh, by the way I've noticed that when I typed some word and press 'Enter', the result string also include Enter at the end. How can I get rid of this ?
Improper string compare - use strcmp().
if (word == "exit") simply compares 2 address: the address of the first char in word and the address of the first char in string literal "exit". Code needs to compare the content beginning at those addresses: strcmp() does that.
Left-over '\n' from the previous line's Enter. Add a space to scanf() format to consume optional leading white-space. Also check scanf() results.
scanf() specifiers like "%d", "%u" and "%f" by themselves consume optional leading white-space. 3 exceptions: "%c", "%n" and "%[".
Add '\n' at end of printf() format. # Matt McNabb
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char word[80];
while (1) {
puts("Enter a string: ");
// v space added here
if (scanf(" %79[^\n]", word) != 1)
break; // Nothing saved into word or EOF or I/O Error
if (strcmp(word, "exit") == 0)
break;
printf("You have typed %s\n", word);
}
return 0;
}
Nice that OP used a proper width limited value of 79 in scanf()
Oh, by the way I've noticed that when I typed some word and press 'Enter', the result string also include Enter at the end. How can I get rid of this ?
This is because you don't output a newline after printf("You have typed %s", word);. The next statement executed is puts("Enter a string: "); . So you will see You have typed helloEnter a string:. To fix this, change to printf("You have typed %s\n", word);
As others have mentioned, use strcmp to compare strings in C.
Finally, the scanf format string "%79[^\n]" does not match a newline. So the input stream still contains a newline. Next time you reach this statement the newline is still in the stream , and it still doesn't match because you specifically excluded newlines.
You will need to discard that newline (and any other input on the line) before getting the next line. One way to do that is to change the input to scanf("%79[^\n]%*[^\n]", word); getchar(); That means:
Read up to 79 non-newlines
Read all the non-newline things , and don't store them
Read a character (which must be a newline now) and don't store it
Finally it would be a good idea to check the return value of scanf so that if there is an error then you can exit your program instead of going into an infinite loop.
The specifier [^\n] will abort scanf if the next character is a newline (\n), without reading the newline. Because of that, the scanf calls after the first one won't read any input.
If you want to read single words, use the %79s specifier and the following code to remove the \n at the end of your string:
if(word[strlen(word)]=='\n')
word[strlen(word)]='\0';
If you want to read whole lines, you can remove the newline from the input buffer this way:
char line[80];
int i;
while(1)
{
puts("Enter a string:");
i=-1;
scanf("%79[^\n]%n",line,&i);
//%n returns the number of characters read so far by the scanf call
//if scanf encounters a newline, it will abort and won't modify i
if(i==-1)
getchar(); //removes the newline from the input buffer
if(strcmp(line,"exit")==0)
break;
printf("You have typed %s\n",line);
}
return 0;
It is better to clear (to have a reproducible content) with memset(3) the memory buffer before reading it, and you should use strcmp(3) to compare strings. Also, consider using fflush(3) before input (even if it is not actually necessary in your case), don't forget to test result of scanf(3), also most printf(3) format control strings should end with a \n -for end-of-line with flushing- so:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char word[80];
while(1) {
puts("Enter a string: ");
memset (word, 0, sizeof(word)); // not strictly necessary
fflush(stdout); // not strictly necessary
if (scanf("%79[^\n]", word)<=0) exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
if (!strcmp(word,"exit"))
break;
printf("You have typed %s\n", word);
};
return 0;
}
I would suggest reading a whole line with fgets(3) and getting rid of its ending newline (using strchr(3)). Also read about getline(3)
Don't forget to compile with all warnings and debug info (e.g. gcc -Wall -g) and learn how to use the debugger (e.g. gdb)
Your first problem is that you can't compare a string with '=='. So:
if (word == "exit")
should be
if ( strncmp( word, "exit", 4 ) == 0 )
(You could also use strncmp( word, "exit", strlen(word) ) if you know that word is zero-terminated and safe from bad values. There's a few other options also.)
Your second problem is that scanf() is not consuming the input, probably because it's not matching what you've told it to expect. Here is a good explanation of how to do what you want to do:
http://home.datacomm.ch/t_wolf/tw/c/getting_input.html

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