Very basic question...

[hobbitle]

Hi everybody, I'm new here.

I've just begun a course on C programming. We have just done for/while loops and if statements and haven't even gotten into functions yet! So please be gentle!

There is an exercise that has been doing my head in. It says:

Write a program that takes any number of integer inputs between 1 and 70 and plots a simple graph.

eg. it would look like:
> ./grapher
Enter numbers: 25 20 3 12 45
25 | *************************
20 | ********************
3 | ***
12 | ************
45 | *********************************************

In the chapter this exercise is in, we learned about the getchar() and putchar() functions and we have also learned earlier about scanf and printf.

I just need some hints on how to start with this. A great hint would be whether I should be tackling the inputs with getchar or with scanf. Then at least I can focus on one or other, as I have been trying both and have gotten nowhere.

Am I right in saying it is important to preserve the value of the 2-digit numbers, eg. if "20" is input then it is useless if it gets converted into ASCII as "2" and "0" because we need to use the value "20" to print 20 asterixes (somehow)???

Thankyou kindly for your help!

[grumpy]

Have you even tried reading the documentation on getchar() and scanf(), and worked out what they are used for?

[hobbitle]

We have a textbook that I've read, I also tried Googling and watching some videos. I guess maybe I'm just not very good at programming. Just because I ask a simple question doesn't mean I haven't tried understanding it on my own...

[Salem]

> as I have been trying both and have gotten nowhere.
Here's a hint - post your best effort so far using scanf.

You need to post your code, so we can tell you exactly where you went wrong, and how to fix it (and in doing so, how to spot and fix it if you make the same mistake again).

Simply giving you an answer is no better than skipping through the book to the answers at the end. You don't actually learn anything.

[stahta01]

I suggest doing the output first.
It is easier to do.
It is easier to test the input, when you have the output working right.

Tim S.