Thread: problem with looping scanf

I'm trying to fix someones code for them but I've got myself stuck.

Code:

int main()
{
	float x = 0, temp=0 , high, low;
	int num,i,*ptr,sum = 0,mean;
	char choose;

	printf("This program will ask the user for a list of numbers.\n");
   printf("Then calculate the median or mean average.\n\n");
	printf("How many numbers are you going to put in?\n:  ");
	scanf("%d",&num);

   ptr = (int*) malloc ( num  * sizeof (int));    //Creates enough room for the array
   if (ptr == NULL) printf("Malloc failed");
   for (i=0;i<=num;i++)	{                   //Fills the array with inputted values
      printf("i = %d\n",i);
      scanf("%d",*(ptr + i)); //PROBLEM HERE
      }

After I've inputted 3 values ( I should be able to put much more in ) in crashes my dos prompt. Can anyone here see whats wrong?


This isn't full code by the way, if you are wondering why there are lots of unused variables.

Originally posted by crag2804
I'm trying to fix someones code for them but I've got myself stuck.

Code:

int main()
{
	float x = 0, temp=0 , high, low;
	int num,i,*ptr,sum = 0,mean;
	char choose;

	printf("This program will ask the user for a list of numbers.\n");
   printf("Then calculate the median or mean average.\n\n");
	printf("How many numbers are you going to put in?\n:  ");
	scanf("%d",&num);

   ptr = (int*) malloc ( num  * sizeof (int));    //Creates enough room for the array
   if (ptr == NULL) printf("Malloc failed");
   for (i=0;i<=num;i++)	{                   //Fills the array with inputted values
      printf("i = %d\n",i);
      scanf("%d",*(ptr + i)); //PROBLEM HERE
      }

After I've inputted 3 values ( I should be able to put much more in ) in crashes my dos prompt. Can anyone here see whats wrong?


This isn't full code by the way, if you are wondering why there are lots of unused variables.

stuff:
you didnt return a value from main()
when you allocate space for num ints, your for loop should look like this:
for (i=0;i<num;i++)
how much do you know of pointers? i suggest getting a good book on them. scanf expects a pointer to int arg, which is why with a regular int you take the address of it with the & operator. but why are you indirecting in
scanf("%d",*(ptr + i));
? The indirection operator yields an int from a pointer to an int. but scanf expects a pointer, not an int. so you should just do
scanf("%d", ptr + i);

also, if your malloc () fails, you print the message that it did, but then continue on to access the invalid pointer.

no return-its not the full code.
scanf("%d",*(ptr + i)); I thought was same as
scanf("%d",ptr[i]);
Is it?

Code:

ptr = (int*) malloc ( num  * sizeof (int));    //Creates enough room for the array
   if (ptr == NULL) printf("Malloc failed");
   for (i=0;i<num ;i++)	{                   //Fills the array with inputted values
      printf("i = %d\n",i);
      scanf("%d",ptr[i]);
      }

I've recompiled as that but it doesn't help still crashes. it doesn't crash if I put 2 values into the array.

Originally posted by crag2804
no return-its not the full code.
scanf("%d",*(ptr + i)); I thought was same as
scanf("%d",ptr[i]);
Is it?

/me taps into final bits of brain power before sleep sets in

why of course it is. but, both expressions *(ptr + i) and ptr[i] yield an int. scanf wants an int *. this is why when you scanfed for num you didnt do

scanf("%d",num);

you did

scanf("%d",&num);

Much in the same way, you need to take the address of the other expression to yield an int *. so:

&ptr[i]

or

&*(ptr + i)

both are valid. but the &* is of course redundant, so that expression is equivalent to

ptr + i

*(ptr + i)
and
ptr[i]

are both the same, but scanf takes a pointer, so if you used the array indexing you would have to use &ptr[i] and if you used pointer notation, which is stupid since array indexing is easier to read, you would have to say either (ptr + i) or &*(ptr + i). Don't forget that you allocated space for 3 integers but your loop goes 4 times. That's an off by one bug, the loop test should be i < num.

Thanks a lot, I guess that's what you get for coding at 3:08am. Seems so simple now.