How to use getchar() with string?

Question

I try to get a text attached to the array but this does not seem to work when I try to use printf after. It does print a blank space.

char text[10][30];      // 10 is text count and 30 text length
printf("Enter text: ");
text[0]=getchar();

you cannot put a `char` in a `char *` like this. Do you mean `text[0][0]` ? you'd need to nul terminate as well — Jean-François Fabre, Mar 20 '18 at 14:12
Read the [documentation](http://en.cppreference.com/w/c) of every function you are using. Compile with all warnings and debug info (so `gcc -Wall -Wextra -g` with [GCC](http://gcc.gnu.org/)..). [use the `gdb` debugger](https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb/) — Basile Starynkevitch, Mar 20 '18 at 14:13
@freestyle not quite. `getchar()` returns an `int` so it can return `EOF` (but that's nitpicking here) — Jean-François Fabre, Mar 20 '18 at 14:13
You might want to use [fgets](http://en.cppreference.com/w/c/io/fgets) — Basile Starynkevitch, Mar 20 '18 at 14:14
As mentioned, [`getchar`](http://en.cppreference.com/w/c/io/getchar) returns a single character. `text[0]` is an *array* of characters. — Some programmer dude, Mar 20 '18 at 14:14

Jake · Answer 1 · 2018-03-20T16:07:24.983

1

Here is a possible solution to do what you want. Since your length is a fixed 30, fgets is a good candidate.

#include <stdio.h>

int
main(void)
{
    char text[10][30];

    printf("Input\n");

    fgets(text[0], sizeof(text[0]), stdin);

    printf("%s\n", text[0]);
}

edited Mar 20 '18 at 16:07

answered Mar 20 '18 at 15:11

Jake

78
7

Why ten rows in the matrix when only one is used? It would be better to use `char text[30];`. Also, it is sensible to use `fgets(text[0], sizeof(text[0]), stdin);` if you keep the current definition. And the return value from `fgets()` should be checked before the data is used. – Jonathan Leffler Mar 20 '18 at 16:01
@JonathanLeffler I am just trying to use as much of his initial code as possible. I'm assuming there was a reason he wanted 10 strings. You are correct in using sizeof and checking the return value. I didn't want to open up another can of worms for OP. – Jake Mar 20 '18 at 16:05
1

What you can do (what I tend to do) is keep close to the original code, but comment on some of the things that should be changed. The test for valid input is more nearly critical — I'd make that change anyway: `if (fgets(text[0], sizeof(text[0]), stdin) != NULL) printf("%s\n", text[0]);`. If the input is short enough, there'll be two newlines in the output; I probably wouldn't bother to mention that. – Jonathan Leffler Mar 20 '18 at 16:08

How to use getchar() with string?

1 Answers1