Thread: (*pointers) & Command Line problem...?

It seems like this code is one-step away from working.. but down (in lines 37-44) *lineptr seems to be 'losing' its value. i.e. it successfully prints in the printf on line37, then seems empty in the printf on line42)

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#define N 10 /*default lines of input to print*/
#define MAXLINES 5000
char *lineptr[MAXLINES];/*pointers to text lines*/
void writelines(char *lineptr[], int nlines);

main(int argc, char *argv[]) {/* prints the last n ("tail -n") lines of input with command line option*/
	int n=0,nlines;/*number of input lines read*/
	if (*++argv!='\0' && **argv=='-'){
		n=(atoi(*argv))*-1;
	}
	if ((nlines=readlines(lineptr,MAXLINES,n)) >= 0) {
		writelines(lineptr,nlines);
		return 0;
	}
	else {
		printf("error:input too big to sort \n");
		return 1;
	}

}

#define MAXLEN 1000 /*max length of any input line */
int getline(char *, int);
char *alloc(int); /* return pointer to n characters */

int readlines(char *lineptr[], int maxlines, int n) { /*readlines: read input lines into array*/
	int len, nlines,j=0; 
	char *p, line[MAXLEN];
	nlines=0;
	while ((len=getline(line,MAXLEN))>1)
		if (nlines >= maxlines || (p = alloc(len)) == NULL)
			return -1;
		else {
			line[len-1]='\0'; /*delete newline*/
			strcpy(p,line);
			*lineptr=line;
                                                printf("%s", *lineptr++); /*something seems wrong here..*/
			nlines++;
		}
	while (j<(n>0? n : N)){/*now move pointer back (n or (default) N) places for printing*/
		*lineptr--;printf("%s", *lineptr); /*now *lineptr is empty ?*/
		j++;
	}
	printf("%s", *lineptr);
	return nlines;
}

/* getline: get line into s, return length */
int getline(char s[], int lim){
	int c, i=0;
	while (--lim > 0 && (c=getchar()) != EOF && c != '\n')
		s[i++] = c;
	if (c == '\n')
		s[i++] = c;
	s[i] = '\0';
	return i;
}

#define ALLOCSIZE 10000 /* size of available space */
static char allocbuf[ALLOCSIZE]; /* storage for alloc */
static char *allocp = allocbuf; /* next free position */

char *alloc(int n)/* return pointer to n characters */
{
if (allocbuf + ALLOCSIZE - allocp >= n) { /* it fits */
allocp += n;
return allocp - n; /* old p */
} else /* not enough room */
return 0;
}

/*writelines: write output lines */
void writelines(char *lineptr[], int nlines) {
	while(*lineptr != '\0') 
		printf("%s\n test",*++lineptr);
}

This code was originally using arrays/indexes, but the task was to convert it soly to the use of pointers - hence some strange usages (which may be wrong).

But the problem seems to be in the (now highlighted) code. in the first highlight, *lineptr has values, but then (in the second highlight), it is empty. (I have tried printf's after each line to see what is in there).

Here are the highlighted lines:

Code:

int readlines(char *lineptr[], int maxlines, int n) { /*readlines: read input lines into array*/
	int len, nlines,j=0; 
	char *p, line[MAXLEN];
	nlines=0;
	while ((len=getline(line,MAXLEN))>1)
		if (nlines >= maxlines || (p = alloc(len)) == NULL)
			return -1;
		else {
			line[len-1]='\0'; /*delete newline*/
			strcpy(p,line);
			*lineptr=line;
                                                printf("%s", *lineptr++); /* *lineptr has values here*/			nlines++;
		}
	while (j<(n>0? n : N)){/*now move pointer back (n or (default) N) places for printing*/
		*lineptr--;printf("%s", *lineptr); /*now *lineptr is empty ?*/		j++;
	}

I thought the code seems familiar. It's from K&R!
In writeline func you shouldn't be comparing with \0.

Yes it is from the KR text.

I see now that 'line' was being used wrong as an array, causing the problem. Thanks to quzah, as pointing to 'p' was what the code needed to do and now works correctly.