Access Violation under VC++ 6.0

got access violation running this code, and the IDE jumps into a bunch of assembly lines

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>

	char dic[][40]  = {
		"atlas", "a volume of maps",
			"car", "a mobilized vehicle",
			"telephone", "a communication device",
			"air plane", "a flying machine",
			"", ""     /* null terminates the string */
	};
	int main(void)
	{
	char **p;
	char word[80], ch;
	do
	{
	puts("\nEnter the word you wish to seach:");
	scanf("%s",word);
	p=(char**)dic;
	do
	{
		if(!strcmp(*p,word)){
			puts("\n the meaning is");
			puts(*(p+1));
			break;
		}
		if(!strcmp(*p,word)) break;
			p=p+2;
	} while (*p);
	if(!*p)puts("continue? (Y/N)");
	scanf("%c%*c",&ch);
    }while(toupper(ch)!='N');
	return 0;
}

and the two bold part seem redundant to me, please some one explain . I got this code from a C/C++ reference.

Wouldnt you require **p instead of *p to access the values pointed by the pointer which in turn is pointed by P?

Sorry, discard my answer....
Missed your point completely...

Well the cast should have told you that something was wrong.
Seems to me you've found one of the vast number of useless tutorials out there

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>

char dic[][40] = {
    "atlas", "a volume of maps",
    "car", "a mobilized vehicle",
    "telephone", "a communication device",
    "air plane", "a flying machine",
    "", ""                      /* null terminates the string */
};
int main(void)
{
    char (*p)[40];
    char word[80], ch;
    do {
        puts("\nEnter the word you wish to seach:");
        scanf("%s", word);
        p = dic;
        do {
            if (!strcmp(*p, word)) {
                puts("\n the meaning is");
                puts(*(p + 1));
                break;
            }
            p++;        /* next word/meaning pair */
        } while (**p);  /* **p is first char of the meaning */
        puts("continue? (Y/N)");
        scanf("%*c%c", &ch);
    } while (toupper(ch) != 'N');
    return 0;
}

Pay particular attention to the way the pointer is declared.

> if (!strcmp(*p, word))
This is hard to read, and gives the impression strcmp() returns a true/false answer - it doesn't
if ( strcmp(*p, word) == 0 )

> and the two bold part seem redundant to me
Yeah, so did I, so I removed them

Originally Posted by xephyr

got access violation running this code, and the IDE jumps into a bunch of assembly lines

Code:

<...>
	char dic[][40]  = {
		"atlas", "a volume of maps",
			"car", "a mobilized vehicle",
			"telephone", "a communication device",
			"air plane", "a flying machine",
			"", ""     /* null terminates the string */
	};
<...>
	p=(char**)dic;
<...>

You are going to open your textbook and write 100 times

'typecast is evil'

When finished, you do the same with

'an array is not a pointer'