Thread: Re gotoxy

It's a non-standard function, so refer to the relevant documentation or header file.

It depends on your usage and what you intend to do with the data.

Difference between short, short int and int data types in C programming - IncludeHelp

Do you know what an library is in C?

The function prototype needs to match the library or other source code implementation of the function.

Tim S.

I can not explain a library to a newbie.

Tim S.

Just thought of a newbie level explanation.

An typical library consists of header(s) and either source code or binary file(s).

The header must match the source code or binary file(s) or you will get weird build or run-time problems.

The function prototype must match the function implementation! Or you will risk getting compiler/linker error or weird run-time errors!

Tim S.

Originally Posted by zach

Yes, I needed ints, have used ints, and the program is running a treat. But saw shorts used, elsewhere on the Net. I wondered if, in the belly of c, where the code of gotoxy is doing its job, shorts would be preferable.

There is no "belly of c"

Since this function is non-standard, there are a few possibilities:

• The function happens to be included with the default libraries that come with your compiler. This may be the case on the old Borland Turbo C/C++ compilers, possibly by way of the non-standard <conio.h>. In this case, to figure out what are the types of the parameters, you would either refer to the documentation that comes with the compiler, or you would track down the header file in which gotoxy is declared. These are your two sources of truth as to what is the preferred (or even more strongly, what is the correct) signature of gotoxy.
• You happened to install a library that defines this function. Like in the case where gotoxy is included with the compiler's default libraries, you would either refer to the documentation that comes with the library, or you would find the header file in which gotoxy is declared.
• You wrote the function yourself. Of course, in this case you would rightly ask: am I declaring gotoxy correctly? For this, I might look at the implementation you proposed:
  
  Code:

  void gotoxy(short x, short y)  
  {
      COORD pos = {x, y};
      SetConsoleCursorPosition(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE), pos);
  }

  A quick check of the documentation for windows.h shows that COORD is a struct of two SHORT objects, where SHORT is presumably an alias for short. Therefore, the short parameters are preferable to the int parameters. But again, this is only true for this particular implementation: if you happen to be using an old Borland compiler and the gotoxy that comes with its default libraries use int parameters, taking the parameters to be short would be wrong. Furthermore, while short is preferable because it matches COORD, you would very well choose to declare your version of gotoxy with long parameters and just do something to make it fit the particular implementation, e.g., some combination of modulo, casting, and/or error checking.

Originally Posted by zach

Then wait with responding to till you have read an introductory book on C and in the mean time, don't trip over your ego.

YOU READ A BOOK ON C YOU ARE THE IGNORANT ONE!

Tim S.

Come on folks, no need to insult each other like that.