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Groups > comp.lang.c > #55416

Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers

From Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk>
Newsgroups comp.lang.c
Subject Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers
Date 2014-12-24 22:33 +0000
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <87tx0kekzh.fsf@bsb.me.uk> (permalink)
References (1 earlier) <f28baa27-2695-44ca-bcb6-f3c78416c5c2@googlegroups.com> <b31ab269-3a47-4dc4-8a89-467825d50c29@googlegroups.com> <874mskiz11.fsf@bsb.me.uk> <a11a0314-5e03-4100-93b9-e911f0ce8a73@googlegroups.com> <Q8Gmw.179333$td3.38698@fx34.am4>

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Richard Heathfield <invalid@see.sig.invalid> writes:

> Malcolm McLean wrote:
>
>> On Wednesday, December 24, 2014 8:16:59 PM UTC, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
>>> Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> writes:
>>> <snip>
>>> > It's quite involved, unfortunately there's just no good way to
>>> > handle erroneous input, whatever you do it's difficult to program
>>> > robustly and give useful messages to the user.
>>> 
>>> Yes, it is.  So why not write
>>> 
>>>   if (scanf("%d", &number) == 1 && /* other checks... */) {
>>>      /* use the input */
>>>   }
>>> 
>>> ?  For this sort of program, beginners often get better code using
>>> scanf.  There's plenty of time to learn abut parsing mini input
>>> languages later.  The whole "you must use fgets & strtol" (both hard to
>>> use correctly) just puts a huge barrier up to getting started.
>>> 
>> Richard Heathfield banned scanf().
>
> And with good reason. Ben underestimates the difficulties that beginners 
> have with scanf.

No I don't.  I have much experience of it.  Might you be underestimating
the trouble beginners have with fgets and strtol (et al)?

> It is an astoundingly difficult function to use safely and 
> correctly.

  if (scanf("%d", &number) == 1)

is safe and correct, provided you get to choose what "correct" means,
and, as an instructor, you do!  If you design the specification to suit
simple use of scanf, you can defer a whole lot of trouble until later.

<snip>
-- 
Ben.

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Thread

solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Dexterr <dejangru@gmail.com> - 2014-12-24 05:52 -0800
  Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Dexterr <dejangru@gmail.com> - 2014-12-24 05:55 -0800
    Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-24 06:41 -0800
      Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-12-24 20:16 +0000
        Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-24 12:39 -0800
          Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Richard Heathfield <invalid@see.sig.invalid> - 2014-12-24 21:22 +0000
            Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-12-24 22:33 +0000
              Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Richard Heathfield <invalid@see.sig.invalid> - 2014-12-25 00:54 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-24 18:38 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Vincenzo Mercuri <nomail@yahoo.it> - 2014-12-25 12:07 +0100
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-12-26 22:05 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-12-26 22:33 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-12-27 22:08 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-12-27 23:28 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-12-29 18:34 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2014-12-30 19:23 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-26 15:43 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2014-12-26 15:59 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Vincenzo Mercuri <nomail@yahoo.it> - 2014-12-27 14:45 +0100
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-12-27 21:55 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-27 14:07 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Vincenzo Mercuri <nomail@yahoo.it> - 2014-12-27 23:44 +0100
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-27 15:49 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2014-12-27 21:52 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Vincenzo Mercuri <nomail@yahoo.it> - 2014-12-28 15:54 +0100
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-12-28 00:03 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2014-12-26 17:13 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2014-12-27 10:23 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2014-12-27 13:03 -0600
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2014-12-27 12:24 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2014-12-27 12:23 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-27 13:31 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Öö Tiib <ootiib@hot.ee> - 2014-12-27 18:42 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2014-12-27 22:07 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2014-12-30 19:26 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2014-12-30 20:01 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-30 12:18 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2014-12-30 21:15 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-30 13:49 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2014-12-30 22:03 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2014-12-30 23:57 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-12-30 22:35 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Dr Nick <nospam-4@temporary-address.org.uk> - 2014-12-31 12:24 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2014-12-31 17:08 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Dr Nick <nospam-4@temporary-address.org.uk> - 2014-12-31 17:37 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2014-12-30 20:09 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-30 12:24 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2014-12-30 21:28 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2014-12-30 13:53 -0800
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2015-01-04 02:22 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Xavier Roche <xroche@free.fr.NOSPAM.invalid> - 2014-12-31 13:32 +0100
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-12-27 01:37 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2014-12-27 12:19 +0000
                Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2014-12-27 14:39 +0000
          Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-12-24 22:29 +0000
    Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-12-24 15:05 +0000
  Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Richard Heathfield <invalid@see.sig.invalid> - 2014-12-24 16:55 +0000
    iso646.h Noob <root@127.0.0.1> - 2014-12-25 18:26 +0100
      Re: iso646.h Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2014-12-25 18:31 -0800
        Re: iso646.h Noob <root@127.0.0.1> - 2014-12-26 18:23 +0100
      Re: iso646.h Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2014-12-25 21:31 -0800
        Re: iso646.h fir <profesor.fir@gmail.com> - 2014-12-26 09:42 -0800
  Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Barry Schwarz <schwarzb@dqel.com> - 2014-12-24 09:06 -0800
  Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers Richard Heathfield <invalid@see.sig.invalid> - 2014-12-24 16:59 +0000
  Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-12-24 17:26 +0000
    Re: solution allocation of memory and composite numbers asetofsymbols@gmail.com - 2014-12-24 11:42 -0800

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