Clearing buffer in a function

I have something that works like this

Code:

---

int main()
{
  int currentNumber;
  int currentUnit[3];
  int checkInput;

  while ((checkInput = scanf("%d%2s", &currentNumber, currentUnit)) != -1)
  {
      if (input OK) //do other stuff
      else
      {
          int clearScanfBuffer = 0;
          while ((clearScanfBuffer = getchar()) != '\n')
          {
            //just loop and do nothing and clear out bad data
          }
      }
    }
    //output some calculations
    return(0);
}

---

What I'd like to do, and can't seem to figure out what to do, is move the buffer clear code from the else statement, into it's own function out of the main loop where I can do other stuff with the data. I can get what I want to work in the main loop, but I don't want a huge chunk of code in there if I can write it something like this

Code:

---

int main()
{
  ...
  else
  {
      clear( //some arguments?? )
  }
  return(0);
}

void clear( ?? )
{
  put the clearScanfBuffer code here
}

---

The jist of my question is can I "move" that clear buffer code to it's own function, and if I can, what do I need to pass to the function to do that?

First of all to check scanf() for -1 but for EOF. Read the return value here. EOF can usually be -1, but that is not guaranteed (and EOF is prettier).

Why can't you simply do

Code:

---

int main()
{
  ...
  else
  {
      clear()
  }
  return(0);
}

void clear()
{
  int clearScanfBuffer;
  while ((clearScanfBuffer = getchar()) != '\n')
  {
        //just loop and do nothing and clear out bad data
    }
}

---

That should work perfectly fine. The clear() needs no arguments really if you work with stdin and stdout. You could make it generally and work with files also by passing the file handler.
Tip: If scanf() doesn't leave any "trash" clear() will block and wait for a '\n'. You might want to check that, except if you feel you don't really need to. Don't know any "standard" way to do so, though. Except maybe with feof() or something similar.

I see your trying to clean up the code

you can just put a semicolon at the end of the while instead of braces

Code:

---

  while ((clearScanfBuffer = getchar()) != '\n');

---