my first semi useful program

[Vertex34]

Ok here is the first semi useful program written in c. I think I will keep developing this further as I learn more, hopefully one day I will have a full gui interface for it, but thats just wishful thinking lol. Anyways though I thought I would let you guys critique it and let me know how I could change things in it to be more efficient. Maybe I could learn a thing or two. Don't be to harsh on me though.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

void fillstring(char *s,char *keys,int size);

int error = 0;

int main()
{ 
  //typing tutor program
  char c;
  char home[] = "asd\'f\"ghjkl;";
  char string[16];
  char *s;
  s = string;
  int x,range;
  error = 0;
  range = sizeof(home)-1;      
  
  fillstring(s,home,range);
  
  system("cls");
  printf("Typing Tutor 0.1\n");
  printf("Type the following line:\n");
  printf("\n%s\n",s);
  
  do
  {
      while((c = getch()) != *s)
      {
            if(c == 'r')
                 main();     
            error++;
      }
                                                              
      printf("%c",c);
      s++;
  }          
  while(*s);    
  
  printf("\n");
  printf("\nYou typed %i characters wrong!\n",error);
  if(error > 5) printf("\n         \rYou suck!");
  printf("\nTry again? [y/n]");
  c = getche();
  if(c == 'y' || c == 'Y')
  {
      system("cls");
      main();   	
  } 
  else
    exit(0); 
  
}

void fillstring(char *s,char *keys,int size)
{
    int i;
    srand((unsigned)time(NULL));
    
    for(i=0;i<16;i++)        //fill string with home row characters
    {
        *(s+i) = keys[rand()%size];
      
        while(*(s+i) == *(s+i-1))          //this loop keeps letters from repeating
              *(s+i) = keys[rand()%size];
        
                                
    }  
    *(s+16) = '\0';
    
 return 0; 
}

[R!ghtw!ng3r]

interesting, keep working on it

[linuxdude]

please don't call main recursively

[Vertex34]

Why is that not a good thing? What kinds of problems could it cause?

[chrismiceli]

Try a board search:
http://cboard.cprogramming.com/showt...recursive+main

[xErath]

All the arguments presented in that thread can happen to any recursive function. Plus the standards don't mention recursive mains (I think). The only problem I see is the organization of your code. And if you call main, write

return main();

otherwise when your main function ends and is backtracked you'll end up in the previous while loop.

[misplaced]

ummm......to my understanding, everytime you call main, a new instance of main and all it's variables will be reproduced in memory and will not go away until exit(0)....


maybe from there you can time words/minute and have different levels of difficulty

[Vicious]

For sanity's sake do something like this

void MenuFunction ( void )
{

    // Menu Code here

}

int main ( void )
{

    while ( 1 ) {

        MenuFunction ();
 
        // Do stuff and check for input
        // If the user inputs the "exit code"
        // just break out of the loop

    }

    return 0;

}

[Vertex34]

ok, i rewrote my code, is this a better way of doing it?

#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

void fillstring(char *s,char *keys,int size);
void typestring(char *s);

int error = 0;
int line = 0;
char home[] = "asdfghjkl;\'\"";
int range = sizeof(home)-1;
int main()
{ 
  char string[16];
  char *s;
  s = string;
  
        
  
  fillstring(s,home,range);
  typestring(s);
  
   
  
}

void typestring(char *s)
{
  char c;
  
  system("cls");
  printf("Typing Tutor 0.1\n");
  printf("Type the following line:\n");
  printf("\n%s\n",s);
  
  do
  {
      while((c = getch()) != *s)
      {
            if(c == 'r')
            {
                 fillstring(s,home,range);
                 typestring(s);
             }         
            error++;
      }
                                                              
      printf("%c",c);
      s++;
  }          
  while(*s);    
  
  line++;
  
  if(line < 4)
  {
      fillstring(s,home,range);
      typestring(s);
  }    
  
  printf("\n");
  printf("\nYou typed %i characters wrong!\n",error);
  if(error > 5) printf("\n         \rYou suck!");
  printf("\nTry again? [y/n]");
  c = getche();
  if(c == 'y' || c == 'Y')
  {
      system("cls");
      line = 0;
      fillstring(s,home,range);
      typestring(s);   	
  } 
  else
    exit(0);
}
    
void fillstring(char *s,char *keys,int size)
{
    int i;
    srand((unsigned)time(NULL));
    
    for(i=0;i<16;i++)        //fill string with home row characters
    {
        *(s+i) = keys[rand()%size];
      
        while(*(s+i) == *(s+i-1))          //this loop keeps letters from repeating
              *(s+i) = keys[rand()%size];
        
                                
    }  
    *(s+16) = '\0';   
}

[Thantos]

Yes get rid of global variables

[sand_man]

void fillstring(char *s,char *keys,int size);
void typestring(char *s);

prototypes dont need names

void fillstring(char *,char *,int);
void typestring(char *);

[itsme86]

There's no need for recursion at all. You're only wasting memory. Every time they say they want to try again it grows a bit and it will keep growing until they quit. Just use a loop instead of recursion.

[Dave_Sinkula]

This is accessing the array beyond its bounds.

*(s+16) = '\0';

I'd add some headers.

#include <conio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

Both getch and getche return an int.

  char c;
   /* ... */
      while((c = getch()) != *s)
   /* ... */
  c = getche();

[Vertex34]

ok here is another go at it, there is one bug in it though, when you type n to quit it hang on my comp, gotta go to class though so I will work on it some more later. Thanks for all of the input you guys have given me.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

#define HOME "asdfghjkl;\'\""
#define RANGE sizeof(HOME)-1

void fillstring(char *s,int error);
int typestring(char *s,int *size);



int main()
{ 
  char string[16];
  char *s;
  s = string;
  int do_again = 1;
  
  int er = 0;
  int *error;
  error = &er;
        
  
  while(do_again)
    do_again = typestring(s,error);
    
   
  return 0;
}

int typestring(char *s,int *error)
{
  char c;
  *error = 0;
  int line = 0;
  
  do
  {   
      fillstring(s,RANGE); 
      system("cls");
      printf("Typing Tutor 0.1\n");
      printf("Type the following lines:\n");
      printf("\n%s\n",s);
  
        do
        {
                while((c = getch()) != *s)       
                     (*error)++;
                printf("%c",c);
                s++;
        }              
        while(*s);    
  
  line++;
  
  if(line == 2)
    break;
  }        
  while(1);
  
  printf("\n");
  printf("\nYou typed %i characters wrong!\n",*error);
  if(*error > 5) printf("\nYou suck!");
  printf("\nTry again? [y/n]");
  c = getche();
  if(c == 'y' || c == 'Y')
  {
      return 1;   	
  } 
  return 0;
}
    
void fillstring(char *s,int size)
{
    int i;
    char home[] = HOME;
    
    srand((unsigned)time(NULL));
    
    for(i=0;i<16;i++)        //fill string with home row characters
    {
        *(s+i) = home[rand()%size];
      
        while(*(s+i) == *(s+i-1))          //this loop keeps letters from repeating
              *(s+i) = home[rand()%size];
        
                                
    }  
    *(s+16) = '\0';   
}

[Vertex34]

Ok I worked on it a little more and made a few more minor changes but I still cannot figure out why it hangs when I select not to try again. I did try putting a printf statement at the end of the main() right before return 0; and the program reaches that point and the printf displays that it is exiting then windows error pops up

here is my latest code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

#define HOME "asdfghjkl;\'\""
#define RANGE sizeof(HOME)-1
#define LINES 2                //number of lines to type
void fillstring(char *s,int error);
int typestring(char *s,int *size);



int main()
{ 
  char string[16];
  char *s;
  s = string;
  int do_again = 1;
  
  int er = 0;
  int *error;
  error = &er;
        
  
  while(do_again = typestring(s,error));
   
  return 0;
}

int typestring(char *s,int *error)
{
  char c;
  *error = 0;
  int line = 0;
  
  do
  {   
      fillstring(s,RANGE); 
      system("cls");
      printf("Typing Tutor 0.1\n");
      printf("Type the following lines:\n");
      printf("\n%s\n",s);
  
        do
        {
                while((c = getch()) != *s)       
                     (*error)++;
                printf("%c",c);
                s++;
        }              
        while(*s);    
  
      line++;
  
      if(line == LINES)
          break;
  }        
  while(1);
  
  printf("\n");
  printf("\nYou typed %i characters wrong!\n",*error);
  if(*error > 5) printf("\nYou suck!");
  printf("\nTry again? [y/n]");
  
  c = getche();
  
  if(c == 'y' || c == 'Y')
      return 1;   	
  else
      return 0;
}
    
void fillstring(char *s,int size)
{
    int i;
    char home[] = HOME;
    
    srand((unsigned)time(NULL));
    
    for(i=0;i<16;i++)        //fill string with home row characters
    {
        *(s+i) = home[rand()%size];
      
        while(*(s+i) == *(s+i-1))          //this loop keeps letters from repeating
              *(s+i) = home[rand()%size];
        
                                
    }  
    *(s+16) = '\0';   
}