Thread: Best way to get user input?

I'm trying to hone and expand my C programming skills and I wanted to get some ideas on the best way to get user input at runtime, not command line, to avoid overflow.

This isn't for any program in particular, just for my own personal gain and that of anyone that reads this post.

Feel free to post examples as they will most likely be the best way to demonstrate to myself and others.

I have already searched the boards, so sincere replies only please.

Thanks...

It depends what you want to read. Want a string? Use fgets. Want a character? Use fgetc. Want a number? Use fgets. See a pattern here?

Quzah.

quzah you failed to understand the main point of my post: sincere replies only please.

I don't know why everyone must act like a smart ass when people ask legitimate questions.

However, you did give a decent option and I was able to implement fgets with the standard input stream since the third parameter requires a file stream pointer.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>

#define MAX 10

void main()
{
	char ar[MAX];
	
		printf("\n- Enter some sheeot: ");

		//the "stdin" parameter specifies the standard input stream
		fgets(ar, MAX, stdin);
		printf("\n- The contents of the array up to its maximum amount (%d): %s", MAX, ar);

		//keeps the window open
		printf("\n\n- Press ENTER to exit\n");
		fgets(ar, MAX, stdin);

	return;
}

quzah you failed to understand the main point of my post: sincere replies only please.

I don't know why everyone must act like a smart ass when people ask legitimate questions.

However, you did give a decent option and I was able to figure out how to use fgets with the standard input stream since the third parameter requires a file stream pointer.

What the **** are you talking about? That was a perfectly legitimate answer, and I was 100% serious in all respects.

1) If you are trying to read a string:

fgets( buf, BUFSIZ, stdin );

2) If you are trying to read a character:

int c;
c = fgetc( stdin );

3) If you are trying to read anything other than a character:

fgets( buf, BUFSIZ, stdin );
...then validate the data...

I am 100% serious. fgets is without a doubt THE BEST way to read data, especially strings. Period. If I only had one option ever available to me to read data from the keyboard, it would be either fgets or fgetc.

Actually, were I to only have the option of ever using one again, I'd use fgetc. However, I'm more likely to know how to use it better than you (no slander intended) or a novice user, so if I was recommending one and only one way of getting data, I'd say use fgets.

There was no sarcasm or non-seriousness at all in that post. I stand by what I said 100% and dare someone to find a better way than what I have suggested.

There's your challenge. Find a better way of reading data [from the console] than what I have suggested that is portable and will prevent buffer overflow. You cannot use fgets or fgetc, since I've already claimed them.

I doubt you'll find a better way than either of those two. I'd love to see it.

Quzah.

I appreciate you clarifying and I apologize for calling you a smart ass, but your "See a pattern here?" comment came by as a little cocky.

Anyone else have any other decent methods to prevent overflow at runtime?

"See the pattern here?" was to make a point that there is nothing else to look for. Use these functions and you can't go wrong.

Quzah.

2) If you are trying to read a character:

int c;
c = fgetc( stdin );

Can I use getch() or getche() ?
If not, may i know what's wrong with them?

Originally posted by Krupux
Can I use getch() or getche() ?
If not, may i know what's wrong with them?

They're non-standard functions, meaning that not all compilers will have them. If you want to write portable code, you have to avoid them.