<< < … 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 > >>   Sort: Date

I think somethings wrong with my compiler ...
I think something's wrong with my compiler: I just noticed that sizeof('a') is 2, not 1 (i.e. not sizeof(char)). Perhaps surprisingly, character constants in C are of type int, so sizeof('a') is sizeof(int) (though this is another area where C++ differs).
2016-03-04, 1707👍, 0💬

If NULL and 0 are equivalent as null pointer constants, which should I use?
If NULL and 0 are equivalent as null pointer constants, which should I use? Many programmers believe that NULL should be used in all pointer contexts, as a reminder that the value is to be thought of as a pointer. Others feel that the confusion surrounding NULL and 0 is only compounded by hiding 0 b...
2015-05-11, 1707👍, 0💬

How can I get random integers in a certain range?
How can I get random integers in a certain range? The obvious way, rand() % N /* POOR */ (which tries to return numbers from 0 to N-1) is poor, because the low-order bits of many random number generators are distressingly non-random. A better method is something like (int)((double)rand() / ((double)...
2015-07-29, 1706👍, 0💬

How can I increase the allowable number of simultaneously open files?
I'm getting an error, ``Too many open files''. How can I increase the allowable number of simultaneously open files? A: There are typically at least two resource limitations on the number of simultaneously open files: the number of low-level ``file descriptors'' or ``file handles'' available in the ...
2015-04-03, 1706👍, 0💬

How can I write data files which can be read on other machines with different word size, byte order, or floating point formats?
How can I write data files which can be read on other machines with different word size, byte order, or floating point formats? The most portable solution is to use text files (usually ASCII), written with fprintf and read with fscanf or the like. (Similar advice also applies to network protocols.) ...
2015-02-23, 1706👍, 0💬

Why does everyone say not to use gets?
Why does everyone say not to use gets? Unlike fgets(), gets() cannot be told the size of the buffer it's to read into, so it cannot be prevented from overflowing that buffer if an input line is longer than expected--and Murphy's Law says that, sooner or later, a larger-than-expected input line will ...
2015-10-16, 1705👍, 0💬

How can I call a function with an argument list built up at run time?
How can I call a function with an argument list built up at run time? There is no guaranteed or portable way to do this. Instead of an actual argument list, you might consider passing an array of generic (void *) pointers. The called function can then step through the array, much like main() might s...
2015-06-03, 1703👍, 0💬

How can I read/write structures from/to data files?
How can I read/write structures from/to data files? It is relatively straightforward to write a structure out using fwrite: fwrite(&amp;somestruct, sizeof somestruct, 1, fp); and a corresponding fread invocation can read it back in. What happens here is that fwrite receives a pointer to the stru...
2015-09-18, 1702👍, 0💬

If fflush wont work, what can I use to flush input?
If fflush wont work, what can I use to flush input? It depends on what you're trying to do. If you're trying to get rid of an unread newline or other unexpected input after calling scanf you really need to rewrite or replace the call to scanf. Alternatively, you can consume the rest of a partially-r...
2015-10-12, 1701👍, 0💬

How can I invoke another program (a standalone executable, or an operating system command) from within a C program?
How can I invoke another program (a standalone executable, or an operating system command) from within a C program? Use the library function system, which does exactly that. Some systems also provide a family of spawn routines which accomplish approximately the same thing. system is more ``portable'...
2015-03-18, 1701👍, 0💬

What are pragmas and what are they good for?
What are pragmas and what are they good for? The #pragma directive provides a single, well-defined ``escape hatch'' which can be used for all sorts of (nonportable) implementation-specific controls and extensions: source listing control, structure packing, warning suppression (like lint's old /* NOT...
2015-12-11, 1699👍, 0💬

Why doesnt that code work?
Why doesn't the code short int s; scanf("%d", &s); work? When converting %d, scanf expects a pointer to an int. To convert to a short int, use %hd .
2015-10-28, 1698👍, 0💬

Does C have anything like the `substr extract substrin routine present in other languages?
Does C have anything like the `substr extract substrin routine present in other languages? Not as such. To extract a substring of length LEN starting at index POS in a source string, use something like char dest[LEN+1]; strncpy(dest, &source[POS], LEN); dest[LEN] = '\0'; /* ensure \0 termination...
2016-03-07, 1697👍, 0💬

I am trying to define a few simple little function-like macros ...
I'm trying to define a few simple little function-like macros such as #define square(x) x * x but they're not always working. There are three important rules to remember when defining function-like macros: 1. The macro expansion must always be parenthesized to protect any lower-precedence operators ...
2016-02-26, 1697👍, 0💬

What does it mean when the linker says that _end is undefined?
What does it mean when the linker says that _end is undefined? That message is a quirk of the old Unix linkers. You get an error about _end being undefined only when other symbols are undefined, too--fix the others, and the error about _end will disappear.
2015-07-06, 1697👍, 0💬

This program crashes before it even runs!
This program crashes before it even runs! (When single-stepping with a debugger, it dies before the first statement in main.) You probably have one or more very large (kilobyte or more) local arrays. Many systems have fixed-size stacks, and even those which perform dynamic stack allocation automatic...
2015-05-29, 1697👍, 0💬

How do I get an accurate error status return from system on MS-DOS?
How do I get an accurate error status return from system on MS-DOS? You can't; COMMAND.COM doesn't tend to provide one. If you don't need COMMAND.COM's services (i.e. if you're just trying to invoke a simple program, without I/O redirection and such) try one of the spawn routines, instead.
2015-03-16, 1697👍, 0💬

Where can I get an ANSI-compatible lint?
Where can I get an ANSI-compatible lint? Products called PC-Lint and FlexeLint are available from Gimpel Software. The Unix System V release 4 lint is ANSI-compatible, and is available separately (bundled with other C tools) from UNIX Support Labs or from System V resellers. Another ANSI-compatible ...
2015-05-05, 1691👍, 0💬

How can I display a percentage-done indication that updates itself in place, or show one of those twirling baton progress indica
How can I display a percentage-done indication that updates itself in place, or show one of those twirling baton progress indicators? These simple things, at least, you can do fairly portably. Printing the character '\r' will usually give you a carriage return without a line feed, so that you can ov...
2015-04-27, 1691👍, 0💬

How can I swap two values without using a temporary?
How can I swap two values without using a temporary? The standard hoary old assembly language programmer's trick is: a ^= b; b ^= a; a ^= b; But this sort of code has little place in modern, HLL programming. Temporary variables are essentially free, and the idiomatic code using three assignments, na...
2015-02-06, 1687👍, 0💬

How can I flush pending input so that a user ...
How can I flush pending input so that a user's typeahead isn't read at the next prompt? Will fflush(stdin) work? fflush is defined only for output streams. Since its definition of ``flush'' is to complete the writing of buffered characters (not to discard them), discarding unread input would not be ...
2015-10-12, 1680👍, 0💬

How can I trap or ignore keyboard interrupts like control-C?
How can I trap or ignore keyboard interrupts like control-C? The basic step is to call signal, either as #include &lt;signal.h> signal(SIGINT, SIG_IGN); to ignore the interrupt signal, or as extern void func(int); signal(SIGINT, func); to cause control to transfer to function func on receipt of ...
2015-03-06, 1678👍, 0💬

I have a varargs function which accepts a float parameter
I have a varargs function which accepts a float parameter. Why isn't va_arg(argp, float) working? In the variable-length part of variable-length argument lists, the old ``default argument promotions'' apply: arguments of type float are always promoted (widened) to type double, and types char and sho...
2015-06-08, 1677👍, 0💬

How can I suppress the dreaded MS-DOS Abort, Retry, Ignore? message?
How can I suppress the dreaded MS-DOS Abort, Retry, Ignore? message? Among other things, you need to intercept the DOS Critical Error Interrupt, interrupt 24H. See the comp.os.msdos.programmer
2015-04-06, 1677👍, 0💬

<< < … 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 > >>   Sort: Date