Help with allocation of 2D dynamic array with unknown size

Hello,

I have problem with allocating 2D dynamic array with unknown size. Firstly I would like to create a 2D dynamic array, but the size I will get after the user's input.

I heard about reallocating a dynamic array, but it didn't work to me.. :/

For example, input should be like this:

helloworld
helloworld
helloworld

- so I need the array of size 3x10, but how can I do it, before the know of this size? :/


Please help, I'm starting be desperate..

Quote:

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I heard about reallocating a dynamic array, but it didn't work to me...

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Welcome to the forum.

Show us what you have tried

Hello,

so, firstly I made:

Code:

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char *arr;
printf ("enter input");
here some for {
here sec. for {
scanf("%c", &arr[raw][col]);
}
}

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but I dont know the size of raw and col and I don't know how to find out.. I think that is the main problem..

How much experience have you had with C? Have you learnt about malloc/free yet?

I have it as subjects at school. But this is something new for me and I have problem with understand this problematics.. So I'm amateur at this time.

And I also heard about malloc and free function. I know I have to use them in this case.

OK, so...

What you need to do is research dynamic allocation of 2D array in C language


Basically, you allocate the rows first and then for each row you allocate the columns using a for loop

To free you free all the columns in each row first, and then you free each row.

For a look at how it is written, see Dynamic allocation of 2D arrays - C - Source Code | DreamInCode.net
Note that in this example they use casts when using the malloc ( the (int **) and (int *) before the malloc) - Delete them, as it is technically wrong to do that in C.

[edit]
After reading grumpy's post you should note that "technically wrong" is not the correct wording -> It should have said "unnecessary".
[/edit]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Click_here

Note that in this example they use casts when using the malloc ( the (int **) and (int *) before the malloc) - Delete them, as it is technically wrong to do that in C.

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It is not technically wrong to do that in C. It is technically unnecessary, and subjectively a lot of people consider it to be poor style in C.

If it is technically necessary to cast the return of malloc(), then it's a sign of a programming error (eg forgetting to #include <stdlib.h>) or using a C++ compiler to compile C code.

Hello,

finally a solve this problem.. Thank you for helping. Anyway now I have problem when I want to protect the input of bad character like ?!, and numbers. So I want to have on the input only the abcdefgh... etc. and "." (dot). So another characters are forbidden..

Is here some option to do it except manual writing of all avaible characters?

Check each input character to make sure it's in the alphabet like this: if (input >= 'a' && input <= 'z') ... it's OK. Or you can use if (isalpha(input))

Ok, I got it. Thank you :)