how to allocate memory dynamically to the pointer used in scanf function?

Hi,
Can anybody tell me how to allocate memory to a pointer which is to used in scanf.

Code:

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char *varpointer;
scanf("%s" , varpointer); // read some chars here

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when i used above code fragment in my program it returns segmentation error. I suppose its due to not allocating memory for varpointer.

So please advice me how to allocate memory to varpointer ?

appreciate your time.
thanks.

http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial/c/lesson6.html

Have fun.

have you not heard of the malloc() family!

Hi,
I know how to use malloc function basically.
what i want to know is how to allocate the memory dynamically with scanf.
for example say im going to scan the string "Test" . Then i want to allocate the length of "Test".
If Im going to scan different string like "Something Else" then the length of it.
hope it make sense.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wwwnuwan

Hi,
I know how to use malloc function basically.
what i want to know is how to allocate the memory dynamically with scanf.
for example say im going to scan the string "Test" . Then i want to allocate the length of "Test".
If Im going to scan different string like "Something Else" then the length of it.
hope it make sense.

---

scanf does not work that way - it uses buffer you provide

if you want the buffer dynamically grow during read of the string - write your own function that will realloc as soon as buffer is filled and the new line character still not encountered

PS. you will read using fgetc

Plus reading strings with scanf() is a bad idea. Buffer overflows here we come.