Thread: Declaring size of stack from input file

  1. #1
    Registered User alpine's Avatar
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    Oct 2010
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    Declaring size of stack from input file

    I need to create a stack, but the size of the stack needs to be scanned in from an input file. How do I go about declaring the structure for the stack?

    Code:
    struct stack {
    	
    	int items[SIZE];
    	int top;
    };
    where SIZE is the number that's read in from the input file in main

  2. #2
    ATH0 quzah's Avatar
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    Dynamically allocate it.
    Code:
    struct stack
    {
        int *items;
        size_t maxitems;
        int top;
    };
    ...
    foo.maxitems = something i read from a file
    foo.items = malloc( maxitems * sizeof *foo.items );
    ...
    free( foo.items );
    There's a tutorial on it in the FAQ.


    Quzah.
    Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

  3. #3
    Registered User alpine's Avatar
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    So could I malloc the space from within my stack initialization function? Would that be the best route, or should I allocate the space before the stack gets initialized?
    Here's the function:

    Code:
    void initialize(struct stack* stackPtr) {
    	stackPtr->top = -1;
    }

  4. #4
    ATH0 quzah's Avatar
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    Oct 2001
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    You could make your initialize function do it for you. It depends on what you use that function for, but since it's called 'initialize', it might not be a bad spot for it, provided you add an argument for the size you want it initialized as.


    Quzah.
    Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

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