Storing values from an array pointer

I am stumped as to how to be able to store values from an array that is using pointers. Here is the code:

Code:

/* Poker program */ #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <time.h> #define num_faces 13 #define num_suits 4 #define cards_in_hand 5 void shuffle(int [][num_faces]); void deal(int [][num_faces], char *[], char *[]); void main() { char *suit[num_suits]={"Clubs", "Diamonds", "Hearts", "Spades"}; char *face[num_faces]={"Ace", "Deuce", "Three", "Four", "Five", "Six", "Seven", "Eight", "Nine", "Ten", "Jack", "Queen", "King"}; int deck[num_suits][num_faces] = {0}; srand(time(0)); shuffle(deck); deal(deck, face, suit); } /* Function to use random generator to get random suit and random card values */ void shuffle(int workdeck[][13]) { int card, row, column; for(card = 1; card <= num_suits * num_faces; card++) { row = rand() % num_suits; column = rand() % num_faces; while(workdeck[row][column] != 0) { row = rand() % num_suits; column = rand() % num_faces; } workdeck[row][column] = card; } } /* Function to output to console (print) suit and card values */ void deal(int workdeck2[][13], char *workface[], char *worksuit[]) { int card, row, column; for (card = 1; card <= cards_in_hand; card++) { for (row = 0; row <= 3; row++) { for (column = 0; column <= 12; column++) if (workdeck2[row][column] == card) { printf("\n%5s of %-8s", workface[column], worksuit[row]); } } } }

The program deals out 5 cards of a poker hand and then prints the values of the 5 cards to the console. I would like to be able to store the values so that I can then use the values of the cards to determine if the hand has a pair, 3 of a kind, etc. I need to get over this problem so that I can do the rest of the program. Please advise. Thanks!

My advice would be:
1. Decide what you mean when you say "values of the cards".
2. Decide what data type could hold whatever you get out of question 1 above.
3. Decide how many variables of the above type you will need to hold a hand.
3. When dealing/printing out deal, put appropriate values into the above variables. (If we're doing this in a function, the variables may have to be passed in.)

The program currently will display the cards as such:

Eight of Diamonds
Two of Hearts
Jack of Spades
King of Clubs
Seven of Diamonds

Those would be the values of the cards (5 of them). So the program retrieves both the face value (2-9, J, Q, K, A) and the suit (Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, Club). However, using pointers, it is not stored in a format where I am able to retrieve the data and compare the cards to each other to see if there is a pair, 3 of a kind, etc. So I need to figure out how to store each of the 5 cards (face value and suit for each card) and retrieve that data so that I can do further processing ( see if there is a pair, 3 of a kind, etc).

Quote:

Originally Posted by newatc

However, using pointers, it is not stored in a format where I am able to retrieve the data and compare the cards to each other to see if there is a pair, 3 of a kind, etc.

Why not? Why can't you represent each card as a pair of char *, one for the value and one for the suit?

You may want to consider using two additional arrays as follows:

Code:

int numberinrank[num_faces]; int numberinsuit[num_suits]; /* Function to output to console (print) suit and card values */ void deal(int workdeck2[][13], char *workface[], char *worksuit[]) { int card, row, column; for (card = 1; card <= cards_in_hand; card++) { for (row = 0; row <= 3; row++) { for (column = 0; column <= 12; column++) if (workdeck2[row][column] == card) { printf("\n%5s %d of %-8s %d", workface[column], column, worksuit[row], row); numberinrank[column]++; numberinsuit[row]++; } } } analyzehand(); // Is it a flush, straight, full house etc. printresult(); // print the results }

All I want to be able to do is store the values. Asking questions about doing compares on char* is not the question, so you asking about that is no help. I want to be able to find out how to store the values of each hand. Is there anyone out there that knows how to do this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by newatc

All I want to be able to do is store the values. Asking questions about doing compares on char* is not the question, so you asking about that is no help. I want to be able to find out how to store the values of each hand. Is there anyone out there that knows how to do this?

I still don't understand why you think that the char* aren't the values of each card, but we'll leave that for now. I'll ask this instead: what do you want to store for each card? An integer? A float? A string? A pair of strings? A pair of integers? An integer and a string? The right one to pick is the one that makes the most sense to you.

After that, I suppose you'll need to find an array, length cards_in_hand, of that type and, as you print (or instead of printing) you put the information into the array.

I guess I am not sure how this will help. It does not appear to store the values of the cards so it cannot be referenced. You added "column" and "row" to this line:
[code]
workface[column], column, worksuit[row], row);
[\code]
and
[code]
numberinrank[column]++;
numberinsuit[row]++;
[\code]
right after that. It does not appear that this stores the values of the face and suit of the card. Is it supposed to?

tabstop,
It will need to store the string of whatever the card values are (face value of "two", "three", etc) and suit ("Diamonds", "Clubs", etc). That is what the program is displaying, the value of each card. After storing the values of the hand, then I should be able to continue to do the compares to see if the hand has pairs, etc.

So, if you're printing the char* workface[column] and worksuit[row], those are probably the char* that you need to save then. Something like

Code:

handsuit[card] = worksuit[row]; handface[card] = workface[column];

(located where the printing happens) would store them, I should think (assuming handsuit and handface are properly set up).

I tried that before and it did not work. It got an error like:
Cannot convert char* to char

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabstop

So, if you're printing the char* workface[column] and worksuit[row], those are probably the char* that you need to save then. Something like

Code:

handsuit[card] = worksuit[row]; handface[card] = workface[column];

(located where the printing happens) would store them, I should think (assuming handsuit and handface are properly set up).

Quote:

Originally Posted by newatc

I tried that before and it did not work. It got an error like:
Cannot convert char* to char

Hence "properly set up". handsuit and handface have to be declared the same way as worksuit and workface: char *handsuit[].

That gets me nowhere. I just have what I had before, pointers. All that has been done is to duplicate pointers, and not storing the real values of the cards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by newatc

That gets me nowhere. I just have what I had before, pointers. All that has been done is to duplicate pointers, and not storing the real values of the cards.

Yes. Well. Two thoughts:
1. You wanted to store the values of the card. Now you complain that you have not stored, you have "duplicated". What else did you expect -- surely you didn't want to store different values?
2. Your belief that there is a difference between "char *" and "string" is touching. However, it has very little basis in reality.

I also ask a favor. Make the changes in red:

Code:

void deal(int workdeck2[][13], char *workface[], char *worksuit[]) { int card, row, column; char *handface[5], *handsuit[5]; int i,j; for (card = 1; card <= cards_in_hand; card++) { for (row = 0; row <= 3; row++) { for (column = 0; column <= 12; column++) if (workdeck2[row][column] == card) { printf("\n%5s of %-8s", workface[column], worksuit[row]); handface[card-1] = workface[column]; handsuit[card-1] = worksuit[row]; } } } for (i=0; i < 4; i++) for (j=i+1; j < 5; j++) if (handface[i]==handface[j]) printf("Pair: %d %d\n", i, j); }

and see if just having those dirty pointers does you any good. (I realize that I'm cheating by hard-coding 5 instead of cards_in_hand, but you get the idea.) (And hopefully it doesn't take too many runs until you get a pair.)

[CODE]and

Code:

numberinrank[column]++; numberinsuit[row]++;

Example of how this works. Let's assume that column = 8 which is a NINE. Incrementing numberinrank[8] by one indicates that there is one NINE in the hand. Another increment would indicate that there are two NINEs in the hand etc

Same thing goes for numberinsuit. Assume row = 3, SPADES. Initially incrementing numberinsuit[3] by one indicates that there is one spade in the hand. Another increment would indicate that there are two spades in the hand. This would be used to identify a flush.

Seems easier to me to think of the deck of cards as an array of structs, with the struct card having:

*an int for it's value from 2 (Deuce's), to 14 (Ace's)
*an int representing it's suit (from lowest to highest in Poker), 0 to 3
*an int representing it's current position: 0=in deck, 1 - 8 for the player who has the card, -1=card is discarded and out of play currently.

With the above and a small enumerated list or array for the names: "Two", - Ace". (easy if you leave element 0 and 1 blank, and use 2 - 14, only). Beyond 14 would be "High", "Pair", Three of a Kind", up to "Royal Flush". These strings are the only non-intuitive part of the data, imo.

By looping through the array of card structs, you can derive all the info for each player's hand, and print it out right, with just the help of some strings. The problem of handling the arrays becomes much simpler, imo.

Well, my thinking was that the hand analysis function would first determine whether or not the hand had a flush by using the suits array. After which, the analyis function would determine if the hand had one pair, two pair, full house etc. None of these hand combinations has any need for the suits array. I didn't want to clutter up the "hand" identification processing with anything referring to the suits since suits wasn't needed in this logic. There is a fair amount of logic in the "hand" identification and IMHO, referring to the suits in this logic would only "clutter" up the logic. Thus, the reason for two arrays, card rank and suits. The suits array used once at the beginning of the hand processing function and the rank array used throughout the hand processing function.

I understood your idea, Bob. I just didn't find the data structures being mentioned, a good fit for a card game.

Structs ability to group all or most of the characteristics of the card, together, makes them an excellent choice for this game, imo.

Referring to card.number, card.suit, card.position, etc., is simple, clear, and something I don't see as a "burden" to the logic of the program.

It is the failure to use a good set of data structures, that caused the OP to have problems in the first place, imo.

Tabstop,
I see that this does work in comparing the values to see if there is a match or not (for a pair). However, it will only return the value of the array index that matches, not the actual card values. By not storing the actual data values, there is no way to tell what card values, themselves, match, since those values are not stored in handface* and handsuit*, only the element in the array. So if a pair does occur, the result will show something like:
Pair: 2 5
The 2, 5 could be any of the card face values that matches, but as far as I can tell that card face value is still unknown when done this way. If done this way, I would have to be able to translate the 2 and 5 to whatever the actual face value of the card (Ace, Two, etc). That is why I was trying to find a way to actually store the card face values, themselves (Ace, Two, Three, ....etc). That way I can display, if a pair if found, something like
Pair of Aces
or
Pair: Ace of Spades
Ace of Diamonds
That is where I am stuck and that is why I think I need to find a way to translate the pointer to move the card face values (and card suit values) into another array.

Oh, and, yes, thanks for your help, but I am still stuck with the original problem.

Tabstop,
Made an typo on the previous note.
There would never be a "5" in the
Pair: 2 5
Since it is only 0-4 (for a total of 5). So it would be more appropiate to use the example of:
Pair: 2 4
Sorry for the mistake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by newatc

Tabstop,
I see that this does work in comparing the values to see if there is a match or not (for a pair). However, it will only return the value of the array index that matches, not the actual card values. By not storing the actual data values, there is no way to tell what card values, themselves, match, since those values are not stored in handface* and handsuit*, only the element in the array. So if a pair does occur, the result will show something like:
Pair: 2 5
The 2, 5 could be any of the card face values that matches, but as far as I can tell that card face value is still unknown when done this way. If done this way, I would have to be able to translate the 2 and 5 to whatever the actual face value of the card (Ace, Two, etc). That is why I was trying to find a way to actually store the card face values, themselves (Ace, Two, Three, ....etc). That way I can display, if a pair if found, something like
Pair of Aces
or
Pair: Ace of Spades
Ace of Diamonds
That is where I am stuck and that is why I think I need to find a way to translate the pointer to move the card face values (and card suit values) into another array.

Oh, and, yes, thanks for your help, but I am still stuck with the original problem.

Code:

if (handface[i]==handface[j]) printf("Pair: %s of %s; %s of %s %d\n", handface[i], handsuit[i], handface[j], handsuit[j]);

You have a set-up of all the possible strings you need; handface[i] and handface[j] point to the same thing if they match (which is why they compare equal) and the thing they point to is the value of the card. Remember: there is no such thing as a string in C, just a pointer to a bunch of characters in a row.

You can strcpy the strings into another array of char[] if you feel better about it; instead of comparing pointers as above, you can then strcmp the hand values. More complicated, and more memory being used (not that we're in any danger of running out, here, or anything).

Edit to add: And of course, you would actually, eventually, declare handface[] and handsuit[] in your main program and pass them into your function to be "dealt into".

Quote:

I guess I am not sure how this will help. It does not appear to store the values of the cards so it cannot be referenced. You added "column" and "row" to this line:
[code]
workface[column], column, worksuit[row], row);
[\code]
and
[code]
numberinrank[column]++;
numberinsuit[row]++;
[\code]
right after that. It does not appear that this stores the values of the face and suit of the card. Is it supposed to?

I modified your code to show how it works. Also added another array to print out the selected cards. It's your responsibility to thoroughly test the sample.

/

Code:

* Poker program */ #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <time.h> #define num_faces 13 #define num_suits 4 #define cards_in_hand 5 #define TRUE 1 #define FALSE 0 typedef int BOOL; BOOL bStraight, bFlush, bFour, bThree; int iPairs; /* can be 0, 1, or 2 */ char *suit[num_suits]={"Clubs", "Diamonds", "Hearts", "Spades"}; char *face[num_faces]={"Ace", "Deuce", "Three", "Four", "Five", "Six", "Seven", "Eight", "Nine", "Ten", "Jack", "Queen", "King"}; int num_in_rank[num_faces]; int num_in_suit[num_suits]; int fivecardarray[num_faces][num_suits]; void shuffle(int [][num_faces]); void deal(int [][num_faces], char *[], char *[]); void PrintSelectedCards(void) { int iRow = 0, iColumn = 0; int iTempRow, iRowCount; if ((bThree && iPairs == 1) || (bStraight || bFlush)) { for(iColumn = 0; iColumn < num_faces; iColumn++) { for(iRow = 0; iRow < num_suits; iRow++) { if(fivecardarray[iColumn][iRow] == 1) { printf("%s of %s ", face[iColumn] ,suit[iRow]); fivecardarray[iColumn][iRow] = 0; } } } } else if (bThree || bFour) { for(iColumn = 0; iColumn < num_faces; iColumn++) { iRowCount = 0; for(iRow = 0; iRow < num_suits; iRow++) { if(fivecardarray[iColumn][iRow] == 1) ++iRowCount; if(iRowCount == 3) { for(iTempRow = 0; iTempRow < num_suits; iTempRow++ ) { if(fivecardarray[iColumn][iTempRow] == 1) { printf("%s of %s ", face[iColumn] ,suit[iTempRow]); fivecardarray[iColumn][iTempRow] = 0; } } if(bThree) break; } } } } else if (iPairs == 2 || iPairs == 1) { for(iColumn = 0; iColumn < num_faces; iColumn++) { iRowCount = 0; for(iRow = 0; iRow < num_suits; iRow++) { if(fivecardarray[iColumn][iRow] == 1) ++iRowCount; if(iRowCount > 1) { for(iTempRow = 0; iTempRow < num_suits; iTempRow++ ) { if(fivecardarray[iColumn][iTempRow] == 1) { printf("%s of %s ", face[iColumn] ,suit[iTempRow]); fivecardarray[iColumn][iTempRow] = 0; } } if(iPairs == 1) break; } } } } else { // Check for ace first; for(iRow = 0; iRow < num_suits; iRow++) if(fivecardarray[iColumn][iRow] == 1) { printf("%s of %s\n", face[iColumn] ,suit[iRow]); return; } for(iColumn = 12; iColumn > 0; iColumn--) for(iRow = 0; iRow < num_suits; iRow++) if(fivecardarray[iColumn][iRow] == 1) { printf("%s of %s\n", face[iColumn] ,suit[iRow]); return; } } } void AnalyzeHand(void) { int iNumberConsecutive = 0; int iRank, iSuit; bStraight = FALSE; bFlush = FALSE; bFour = FALSE; bThree = FALSE; iPairs = 0; /* Flush? */ for (iSuit = 0; iSuit < num_suits; iSuit++) if (num_in_suit[iSuit] == cards_in_hand) bFlush = TRUE; /* Straight */ iRank = 0; while (num_in_rank[iRank] == 0) iRank++; for (; iRank < num_faces && num_in_rank[iRank]; iRank++) iNumberConsecutive++; if (iNumberConsecutive == cards_in_hand) { bStraight = TRUE; return; } /* 4 of a kind, 3 of a kind or pairs ? */ for (iRank = 0; iRank < num_faces; iRank++) { if (num_in_rank[iRank] == 4) bFour = TRUE; if (num_in_rank[iRank] == 3) bThree = TRUE; if (num_in_rank[iRank] == 2) iPairs++; } } void PrintHand(void) { printf("\n"); if (bStraight && bFlush) printf("Straight Flush\n\n"); else if (bFour) printf("Four of a kind\n\n"); else if (bThree && iPairs == 1) printf("Full house\n\n"); else if (bFlush) printf("Flush\n\n"); else if (bStraight) printf("Straight\n\n"); else if (bThree) printf("Three of a kind\n\n"); else if (iPairs == 2) printf("Two pairs\n\n"); else if (iPairs == 1) printf("Pair\n\n"); else printf("High card\n\n"); PrintSelectedCards(); } int main(void) { int deck[num_suits][num_faces] = {0}; srand(time(0)); shuffle(deck); deal(deck, face, suit); return 0; } /* Function to use random generator to get random suit and random card values */ void shuffle(int workdeck[][13]) { int card, row, column; for(card = 1; card <= num_suits * num_faces; card++) { row = rand() % num_suits; column = rand() % num_faces; while(workdeck[row][column] != 0) { row = rand() % num_suits; column = rand() % num_faces; } workdeck[row][column] = card; } } /* Function to output to console (print) suit and card values */ void deal(int workdeck2[][13], char *workface[], char *worksuit[]) { int card, row, column; for (card = 1; card <= cards_in_hand; card++) { for (row = 0; row <= 3; row++) { for (column = 0; column <= 12; column++) if (workdeck2[row][column] == card) { printf("\n%5s of %-8s ", workface[column], worksuit[row]); fivecardarray[column][row] = 1; num_in_rank[column]++; num_in_suit[row]++; } } } AnalyzeHand(); PrintHand(); }