Why isn't this working?

[csisz3r]

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    char *names[] = {"Meg", "John", "Susan", "Charlotte", "Mario"};
    unsigned int nelements = sizeof names / sizeof(*names);

    while (--nelements > 0)
        printf("%s\n", *names++);

    return 0;
}

error: '++' needs l-value.

[Jaqui]

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    char *names[] = {"Meg", "John", "Susan", "Charlotte", "Mario"};
    unsigned int nelements = sizeof names / sizeof(*names);

   int i =0

    while (--nelements > 0)
        printf("%s\n", *names[i++]);

    return 0;
}

that may help.

[csisz3r]

I know that works but I wanted to manipulate the pointer directly. What botters me the most is that I took that from the book The C Programming Language 2nd Edition and it is not working

[Jaqui]

if you don't increment the array, you will only get the first item in the array.
each element of the array has it's own pointer.

the reason for older books to not work is changes in the language / compilers / standards.

anything over 2 years old will be problematical to use with current language and compilers.

[Cactus_Hugger]

names is an array of char *s. You cannot increment an array.

You can create a pointer, point it at the array, and then increment that. Arrays are not quite pointers. Google the web for the difference between arrays and pointers. (I found this to be helpful.) So, using pointers, I can:

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    char *names[] = {"Meg", "John", "Susan", "Charlotte", "Mario"};
    char **pnames = names;
    unsigned int nelements = sizeof(names) / sizeof(*names);

    while (nelements-- > 0)
		printf("%s\n", *pnames++);

    return 0;
}

I also put ()'s around the first sizeof, and changed --nelements to nelements-- (otherwise Mario gets left off).

[csisz3r]

It's ok, I don't like him much anyway

That was exactly the problem... I was trying to increment an array. The authors mention that on the book. I gotta love them and pay more attention. Thanks