Odd issue with program

So I first wanna point out that I'm extremely green when it comes to programming.

But Im trying to write this program that collects Atomic Element Information and prints it out. It works just fine until the last statement.

Atom is an integer, and Weight is a double. Everything else are just characters.

Code:

---

/*Program that collects and Displays Atomic Information
Written by Ben Freedgood
4-26-09
Language C: (gcc target)
*/

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>

typedef struct {
        char name[20],symbol[5], member[100], shell[7];
        int atom;
        double weight;
        }element_t;

int main(void)
{
    element_t atom;
    element_t name, symbol, member, shell;
    element_t weight;
    int h;
   
    printf("\nWhat is the name of the element?");
    gets(name.name);
       
    printf("\nWhat is the symbol of the element?");
    gets(symbol.symbol);   
   
    printf("\nWhat class is the element in?");
    gets(member.member);
   
    printf("\nWhat is the number of electrons in each shell?");
    gets(shell.shell);
   
    printf("\nWhat is the atomic number?");
    scanf("f", &atom);
   
    printf("\nWhat is the atomic weight?");
    scanf("f", &weight);
   
    printf("\n Name: %c", name.name);
    printf("\n Symbol: %c", symbol.symbol);
    printf("\n Class: %c", member.member);
    printf("\n Electrons in Shell: %c", shell.shell);
    printf("\n Atomic Number: %d", atom);
    printf("\n Atomic Weight: %d", weight);
   
    getch();
    return(0);
}

---

The program compiles fine until it gets to weight. I tried switching out atom and weight, but after each prompt it prints out weird, yet strangely consistent symbols.

Example:

Code:

---

What is the atomic weight?
Name: P
Symbol: (Some symbol that looks like a crushed k)
Class:I
Electrons in Shell: (Two arrows pointing left and right)
Atomic Number: 2293536
Atomic Weight: 12

---

I have no freakin clue whats wrong here. Any help would be appreciated, I gotta have this in by tomorrow night.

Code:

---

printf("\n Atomic Number: %d", missingsomething.atom);
    printf("\n Atomic Weight: %d", missingsomething.weight);

---

And I'll advise against your use of gets.


Quzah.

If this were a server application, listening on some port and waiting for someone to send details about atoms to it, I would be able to exploit a bug in your program that would give me full control of your computer.

Please, don't use gets. It's bad, and if your teacher says anything else, tell him that I will come find him and beat him into submission with a compsec book.

Haha, guys, honestly, I don't have a choice with the gets. I wish I did, but my teacher is a nutcase.

And I added what you said was missing and it's still giving me those weird damn results.

Your program is pretty much all wrong. You should just have one structure. It works like this:

Code:

---

struct foo {
    int a;
    int b;
    int c;
};

struct foo onestructure;

readinto( &onestructure.a );
readinto( &onestructure.b );
readinto( &onestructure.c );

displaystuff( onestructure.a );
displaystuff( onestructure.b );
displaystuff( onestructure.c );

---

You have something more along the lines of:

Code:

---

struct foo hereisone;
struct foo hereisanother;
struct foo yetanother;

readinto( &hereisone.a );
readinto( &hereisanother.b );
readinto( &yetanother.c );

---

You should be using one structure, and filling each element in that structure. Not making a structure for each element and only using one element per structure.


Quzah.

> scanf("f", &atom);
There are 3 things wrong here
- No % for the format
- The 'atom' is a whole struct, not a member of the stuct
- It should have been %d anyway, given your description

Ditto on the printf's, watch your use of formats carefully.

Quote:

---

And I'll advise against your use of gets.

---

Use fgets() instead...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TigerTank77

Code:

---

   
    printf("\n Name: %c", name.name);
    printf("\n Symbol: %c", symbol.symbol);
    printf("\n Class: %c", member.member);
    printf("\n Electrons in Shell: %c", shell.shell);

---

---

Please change your format specifiers as below

printf("\n Name: %s", name.name);
printf("\n Symbol: %s", symbol.symbol);
printf("\n Class: %s", member.member);
printf("\n Electrons in Shell: %s", shell.shell);


To all

Why using gets() function bad? Any particular reason?
Is it becoz it reads upto the NULL character?

> Is it becoz it reads upto the NULL character?
No, read the manual page for fgets(), and then read the manual page for gets(), paying attention to what gets() does NOT do, which fgets() does do.