How the scanf function works? - c

I have coded the following codes,but there was a problem
char p[20];
int n;
errno = 0;
n = scanf("%[^\n]",p);
if (1 == n)
{
printf("%s\n",p);
scanf("%[^\n]",p); /*no waiting for input*/
printf("%s\n",p);
}

n = scanf("%[^\n]",p);
This says scan every character except \n ie ENTER key. So it allows you to enter a string and you would have pressed ENTER. This ENTER character is still in stdin buffer which will terminate your next scanf statement
scanf("%[^\n]",p);/*no executed*/
and hence it seems to you that it dint execute! scanf, reads first from the buffer, if it doesn't find sufficient data there, then waits for your input.
Feed the ENTER you entered first to some function like getchar(). ie add a getchar() before your second scanf and now your second scanf will accept input from stdin
Something like
if (1 == n)
{
printf("%s %d\n",p,n);
getchar();
scanf("%[^\n]",p);/*no executed*/
printf("%s\n",p);
}

Related

C, can not read input

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main()
{
int i,j;//count
int c;//for EOF test
int menu;
unsigned int firstSize = 12811;
unsigned int lastSize;
char * text=malloc(firstSize);
if(text == NULL){
printf("\n Error. no Allocation.");
exit(-1);
}
printf("\n for input 1e,for autoinput press 2.");
scanf("%d",&menu);
if(menu==1){
printf("enter text..");
c = EOF;
i = 0;
lastSize = firstSize;
while (( c = getchar() ) != '\n' && c != EOF)
{
text[i++]=(char)c;
//if i reached maximize size then realloc size
if(i == lastSize)
{
lastSize = i+firstSize;
text = realloc(text, lastSize);
}
}
This is the part of code which is where the problem lies.
Output when I type 1 for the scanf is:
for input 1e,for autoinput press 2.
1
enter text..
It does not let me to give input for the getchar().
But when I delete scanf for menu and use menu=1;, I can easily give input for the getchar() and it gives me output correctly:
printf("\n for input 1e,for autoinput press 2.");
scanf("%d",&menu);
instead of that
printf("\n for input 1e,for autoinput press 2.");
//scanf("%d",&menu);
menu=1;
Is it about printf scanf issues that I don't know about? In java, before taking second input, we need to put some blank. Is it like that?
The problem is that you press Enter after entering a number for your scanf. The number is consumed by the scanf while the newline character generated by the enter key press resides in the standard input stream(stdin).
When the execution of the program reaches the while loop:
while (( c = getchar() ) != '\n' && c != EOF)
getchar() sees the newline character, grabs it, assigns it to c and then, the loop doesn't execute as the condition(c != '\n') is false. This is what you were unexpecting.
You can add
while (( c = getchar() ) != '\n' && c != EOF);
anywhere between the scanf and your getchar() to clear the stdin.
An alternative way would be to use scanf("%d%*c",&menu); as suggested by #user3121023 in the comments. %*c instructs scanf to read and discard a character. It will discard the newline character if the user had typed in a number and then pressed enter for the scanf.
Other stuff:
c = EOF; isn't required. Neither is the cast here: text[i++]=(char)c;. You also do not need two variables lastSize and firstSize. You should also check the return value of realloc.

While input is not a number, goes into Infinite loop

I'm just a beginner and am trying to make a a program that asks for a number and if a letter is input, it says "that's not a number" and asks for a number again, until a number is input.
However, my program keeps going into an infinite loop with the current code. Any help would be appreciated to fix this. Also, I would also like the program to say "please input something" if nothing is input, but don't know how to do this. Thanks.
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
float i;
printf("enter a number");
while(scanf("%f", &i) != 1)
{
puts("That is not a number.");
scanf("%f", &i);
}
}
You need to clear the bad input from stdin after your scanf fails:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
float i;
char trash[1024];
while (1)
{
printf("Please enter a number: ");
fflush(stdout);
if (1 == scanf("%f", &i))
break;
/* scanf failed: clear the bad input from stdin */
if (NULL == fgets(trash, sizeof(trash), stdin)) /* NOTE: assumes 1 entry per line and no line longer than 1023 characters */
exit((fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected EOF or error!\n"), 1));
puts("That is not a number.");
}
printf("You entered: %f!\n", i);
return 0;
}
As an alternative to the fgets() to clear the line, you could call scanf("%1023s", trash), which would only suck in the next whitespace delimited series of characters. This would allow you to handle multiple entries on a single line with mistakes intermixed, for example.
Your program goes into infinite loop because after the invalid input, (scanf("%d", &i) != 1)condition being TRUE, the invalid input which is left in the input buffer is not consumed, it's still in the buffer. So the same invalid input is read over and over again.
To avoid, once scanf() fails, you need to flush out all the input buffer contains before calling next scanf().
Maybe inside the while loop, calling getchar() until a newline or EOF will help. Also, the second scanf() can be removed, IMHO.
After your non numeric[More precisely input which doesn't match the formating of scanf()] input you need to clear the stdin. If not the same input will be read till stdin get cleaned or you terminate the program. A reference answer can be found on this question
Quoted
On success, the function returns the number of items of the argument list successfully filled. This count can match the expected number of items or be less (even zero) due to a matching failure, a reading error, or the reach of the end-of-file.
Reason for infinite loop : Since you don't clear stdin, same values will be read by scanf() and always full fill while condition resulting in a infinite loop.
Use following edited code :
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
float i;
char c;
printf("enter a number");
while(scanf("%f", &i) != 1)
{
puts("That is not a number.");
scanf("%f", &i);
while ((c = getchar()) != '\n' && c != EOF); // Flush stdin
}
}
Your code is taking input of a number. Thats why if you even give input a letter, it will take the ASCII value of the letter, which is a valid number. And Further more please take a character as an input. Here I have modified your code which should work
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
char i;
printf("enter a number");
while(1)
{
scanf("%c",&i);
if (c >=48 && c <= 57) // here ascii value of numbers between 0-9 is 48-57 respectively
{
puts("That is a number.");
break;
}
else
{
puts("That is not a number.");
scanf("%c",&i);
}
}
}

Entering more characters skips prompts

well I have a buffer of I'm assuming 10 characters. I notice when I enter 9 characters though it will skip prompt EX.
Enter a p value:
123456789
Enter a q value:
Enter a k value:
But if I put in 8 or less it will accept it normally as the program is intended, even if the user inputs letters or special characters.
My code:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <limits.h>
#include <ctype.h>
int main()
{
char pbuffer[10], qbuffer[10], kbuffer[10];
int p=0, q=0, k=0;
int r, i, Q, c, count, sum;
char a[3];
a[0]='y';
while(a[0]=='y' || a[0]=='Y')
{
printf("Enter a p value: \n");
fgets(pbuffer, sizeof(pbuffer), stdin);
p = strtol(pbuffer, (char **)NULL, 10);
printf("Enter a q value: \n");
fgets(qbuffer, sizeof(qbuffer), stdin);
q = strtol(qbuffer, (char **)NULL, 10);
printf("Enter a k value: \n");
fgets(kbuffer, sizeof(kbuffer), stdin);
k = strtol(kbuffer, (char **)NULL, 10);
while(p<q+1)
{
Q=p;
sum=0;
count=0;
while(Q>0)
{
count++;
r = Q%10;
sum = sum + pow(r,k);
Q = Q/10;
}
if ( p == sum && i>1 && count==k )
{
printf("%d\n",p);
}
p++;
a[0]='z';
}
while((a[0]!='y') && (a[0]!='Y') && (a[0]!='n') && (a[0]!='N'))
{
printf("Would you like to run again? (y/n) ");
fgets(a, sizeof(a), stdin);
}
}
return 0;
}
fgets will read in as many characters as it can until it hits either a newline, EOF, or the size of the buffer. It also saves one extra character for a string-terminating \0. So, if you type in 123456789\n and have a 10-character buffer, fgets knows that it can only fit 9 characters in that buffer, so it reads in the first 9 and appends a NULL, giving you 123456789\0 in your buffer, and \n still in STDIN. Then, you call fgets a second time. It doesn't wait for input, because there is already a \n in STDIN, so it reads up to that \n, which happens to be only one character. So, your second buffer is now \n\0, and STDIN is now empty.
Either make your buffers large enough to store the strings that you're going to input, or flush STDIN after every fgets. Likely something like:
while((c = getchar()) != '\n' && c != EOF)
/* Ignore the character */ ;
Add this line after the fgets
scanf("\n");
Instead of reading into a char buffer first, you could use scanf(), e.g. scanf("%d", &p) could replace both fgets() and strtol().
Actually fgets retains the \n character when the size argument provided to it is less than the characters entered. In your case you provided value 10 as size to fgets.
so When you enter 9 characters, it fills the buffer with them and waits for an enter from you to stop reading. And when you press the enter it just puts the null character in the end of it and forward the enter to next prompt and hence skipping it.
check the examples in the answer to a question https://stackoverflow.com/a/11180652/1386897.
Flush the stdin after to the calls to fgets using
int c;
while((c = getchar()) != '\n' && c != EOF);
The reason why fgets dosen't wait for the user to enter data is because fgets knows that the buffer is full (9 chars and one space for \0) and appends a \0 in the end of the string and leaves the \n in the stdin which is taken by the next fgets

Calling scanf() after another string input function creates phantom input

Here's a small program:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char str[21], choice[21]; int size;
while(1){
printf("$ ");
fgets(str, 20, stdin);
printf("Entered string: %s", str);
if(str[0] == 'q') {
printf("You sure? (y/n) ");
scanf("%s", choice);
if(choice[0] == 'y' || choice[0] == 'Y')
break;
}
}
return 0;
}
It reads a string using fgets(). If the string starts with a q, it confirms if the user wants to quit, and exits if the user types y.
When I run it and type q, this happens:
$ q
Entered string: q
You sure? (y/n) n
$ Entered string:
$
Note the $ Entered string:. Clearly, fgets() got an empty character or something as input, even though I didn't type anything.
What's going on?
As described in other answer scanf call leaves the newline in the input buffer you can also use getchar() after scanf like this :
scanf("%20s", choice);// always remember( & good) to include field width
// in scanf while reading
Strings otherwise it will overwrite buffer in case of large strings `
getchar(); //this will eat up the newline
Besides , you should also use fgets like this :
fgets(str,sizeof str, stdin); //Its better
It because the scanf call reads a character, but leaves the newline in the buffer. So when you next time call fgets is finds that one newline character and reads it resulting in an empty line being read.
The solution is deceptively simple: Put a space after the format in the scanf call:
scanf("%s ", choice);
/* ^ */
/* | */
/* Note space */
This will cause scanf to read and discard all training whitespace, including newlines.
Use a 'char' of a specific size char choice [1]
OR
char c[1];
c = getchar();
if(c[0] == 'y' || c[1] == 'y'){
// DO SOMETHING
}

Why is getchar() reading '\n' after a printf statement?

I'm prompting the user to enter the length of an array, initializing a char[] array with this input, and then prompting the user to type a message to enter into the char[] array.
I'm reading the first character of the user's message with getchar().
However, getchar() is reading the new-line escape '\n' before it is reading any user input. It seems to be getting '\n' from the previous printf statement that prompts the user...
Here is the relevant code:
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void) {
int len = 0,
originalLen = 0;
printf("\n\nWhat is the length of the array? ");
scanf("%d", &originalLen);
char str[originalLen]; // intitializing the array
printf("Enter a message to enter into the array: ");
char target = getchar();
str[len] = target;
// why is getchar() reading '\n'?
if (target == '\n') {
printf("\n...what happened?\n");
}
return 0;
} // end of main
It's because the previous scanf does not read the newline after the number.
This can be solved two ways:
Use e.g. getchar to read it
Add a space after the scanf format (e.g. scanf("%d ", ...))
You can use getchar in a loop to flush out stdin before reading the next character.
while((target = getchar()) != '\n' && target != EOF)
When you enter the number and hit the ENTER key, a number and a character are placed in the input buffer, they are namely:
The entered number and
The newline character(\n).
The number gets consumed by the scanf but the newline remains in the input buffer, which is read by getchar().
You need to consume the \n before calling getchar() by using:
scanf("%d ", &originalLen);
^^^
This tells scanf to read the number and an additional character, which is \n.

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