help!! call-by-reference and call-by-value

I have to write a program that converts a number of minutes to days, hours, and minutes, converts days, hours, and minutes to minutes and computes the difference in two times in days, hours, and minutes format. I was given a drawing of the program on how it is supposed to work and from that i have written prototypes for the program. I have not seen any call-by-vaule or call by reference examples in tutorials so im kind of lost. do i need to #define days, minutes, and hours?

Code:

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#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>
#define

void displayMenu();
void needMenu();                                                                // ask the user whether or not he/she wants
                                                                                                        // to display the menu
int makeSelection();                                                        // return a GOOD selection from the menu
                                                                                                        // i.e. error check the user entry
void processTask( int task );                        // use a switch statement
                                                                                                        // to call one of the following
void processTask_1();
void processTask_2();
void processTask_3();                                                // convert both days, hours, mins to minutes
                                                                                                        // apply the absolute function to the difference
                                                                                                        // convert the difference minutes to
                                                                                                        // days, hours, mins
int getMinutes();
void getDhm ( int *days, int *hours, int *mins );
void min2dhm( int minutes, int *days, int *hours, int *mins );
int dhm2min( int days, int hours, int mins );

int main (void);
{
                                                                                                        //define variables
        double days;
        double hours;
        double minutes;

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All i need is help getting started on these call-by-value and call-by-reference, preferable making sure i #define is correct and im headed in the right dir. thanks.
Thanks

There is no call-by-reference in C. If you want to modify a passed in value, you pass a pointer to it.

Code:

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void foo(int* x)
{
    *x = 1;
}

int main()
{
    int n;
    foo(&n);
    /*n is now 1*/
}

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by geoffr0

do i need to #define days, minutes, and hours?

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Not unless you want to. In a nutshell, the difference between "pass by reference" and "pass by value" w/r/t to ints is this:

Code:

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void myfunc (int x);  // pass by value
void myfunc (int *x); // pass by reference

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Pass by reference means you get an actual memory address of a value, so you could change the value in that memory location. By value means the value is copied into a new named variable with it's own storage on the function's stack, so you can change that value in the function without affecting the original source variable.

ps. technically anon is correct, it is all pass by value in C, since a pointer's value is a memory address. But functionally you can use this distinction.

yea, my teacher calls it call-by-value and call-by-reference parameters, it just changes the value of a unit with another. Im still kind of clueless on where to begin, should i start with my menu or should i put my needMenu before displayMenu? Im trying to makle it where i ask the user to press y or n to display a menu, then displays menu based on char.

Where you put functions doesn't matter.
But it looks like you have go to do some more studying of the basics.
You leave an empty #define statement. You also put a terminating ; after main's definition, both of which are wrong.

Then start by drawing a flow chart or pseudo code on how you would do this in real life.
Then you should be able to translate that into code.
Start with basics first.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by geoffr0

yea, my teacher calls it call-by-value and call-by-reference parameters, it just changes the value of a unit with another. Im still kind of clueless on where to begin, should i start with my menu or should i put my needMenu before displayMenu? Im trying to makle it where i ask the user to press y or n to display a menu, then displays menu based on char.

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Please don't try and build a "piano" here! This is a class assignment, not a program for a king. Have it go right to the menu, and get on with it.

Sure, define a minute, an hour, and day. It's good practice (not necessary, but good to practice these things). Keep everything based on seconds, for consistency.

should i include

Code:

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void getInputValues (double *hours, double *minutes, double *hours);

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How about just writing the code in the main function first and splitting it later? Make a flowchart!

can someone please provide some positive feedback like an example. rather then do this do that?

If by "positive feedback" you mean "do it for me", then no. What are you stuck on specifically? Why don't you do as suggested, and make a small example with just main and do the simplest form of the task you are stuck on? Once you know that you can do that right, incorporate it into your other program.


Quzah.

void getDhm ( int *days, int *hours, int *mins );

Would be an example of call-by-reference. In the code that calls this function, you'd use the following syntax:

Code:

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int dd, hh, mm;

getDhm( &dd, &hh, &mm);

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Note - the ampersand ("&") preceding each parameter. This allows the getDhm function to change the variables dd, hh, mm which are defined outside of the function.

Inside the function you'd do whatever it takes to obtain the values for hours, minutes and seconds, and you'd assign them to the passed parameters thus:

*days = some number
*hours = some number
*mins = some number

Note the asterisk ("*") preceding the variables. This indicates you are assigning 'through' the pointer - affecting something outside of this function.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by geoffr0

can someone please provide some positive feedback like an example. rather then do this do that?

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qv. vart's sig ("My effort to help you will never exceed YOUR effort to explain the problem.")

If you are not getting the answers you want, try THINKING about how to ask your question better, because this one just screams of someone throwing up their hands in a vague way and saying "look at my program, look at my assignment specs, what should I do?" Which might translate to: "I haven't come up with anything, I hope someone else can, in fact I can't even come up with a decent summary of my issue."

You have gotten some good feedback re: the difference between a value and a reference. C is a (comparatively) low level procedural language, approach it that way, and ask more specific questions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MK27

ps. technically anon is correct, it is all pass by value in C, since a pointer's value is a memory address. But functionally you can use this distinction.

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Not really. At least I wouldn't recommend it. It's wrong to assume that someone is passing a pointer to an integer if someone says "I pass int i by reference to foo()". Mainly because it's ambiguous and has a well-defined meaning when it comes to C++. So avoid the distinction in C, among other reasons.

For example,

Code:

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int x = 5;
int * y = &x;

foo(&y);

/* ... */

void foo(int ** z)
{
  /* ... */
}

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What would you call that? Are you passing x by reference or y by reference? :-). Yet another reason to avoid it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zacs7

What would you call that? Are you passing x by reference or y by reference? :-).

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I would say both, to be honest. And I'm aware that the general concept of "references" has a more significant meaning in other languages. However, in some of those languages, "pointer" and pointing has no apparent significant (if you said a reference pointed to a variable, you could get chided! The reference reffers to the variable.) Some of those languages are implemented in C, of course.

I'm not familiar with C++, but I do believe the "call by reference" concept perhaps derived from there is important in interpreted languages that (once again) are actually implemented in C. So what do I mean? Maybe I dunno what I mean: pass by reference, pass by value, it's all one or the other but just C somewhere, mr.zacs7, so why erase the distinction?

After all, you know what they should say, "Do as the Romans do, When in C, C++" ???

[edit] Oh yay... look it's Adak watch ;)

You're talking about getting

two different times

calculating the difference between them

and printing the result.

This should be about 12-20 lines of code. Two functions and main() is more than enough.

Code:

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//Just an idea, not ready to run code
void getTimes(time1 *start, time1 *stop)  {
    scanf("%d , &start.hours);
  scanf("%d", &stop.hours);
  //etc. for minutes and seconds.
}

void calculatAndPrint(time1 *start, time1* stop)  {
  time *temp;
  //subtract start.hours from stop.hours
  // assign answer to temp.hours 

  //repeat subtractions and assignments for minutes and seconds
    //then print it.
    printf("\nHours: %d",  temp.hours);
  //include  minutes and seconds in your final print statement
} 

/*
In main() you have two structs I call time1 here, with members of hours, minutes, and seconds.
*/

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This is not the only way, it's just one way to do it.