<< < 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 > >>   Sort: Date

How can I generate random numbers with a normal or Gaussian distribution?
How can I generate random numbers with a normal or Gaussian distribution? There are a number of ways of doing this. 1. Exploit the Central Limit Theorem (``law of large numbers'') and add up several uniformly-distributed random numbers: #include &lt;stdlib.h> #include &lt;math.h> #define NSU...
2015-07-22, 1571👍, 0💬

I think somethings wrong with my compiler ...
I think something's wrong with my compiler: I just noticed that sizeof('a') is 2, not 1 (i.e. not sizeof(char)). Perhaps surprisingly, character constants in C are of type int, so sizeof('a') is sizeof(int) (though this is another area where C++ differs).
2016-03-04, 1569👍, 0💬

How can a process change an environment variable in its caller?
How can a process change an environment variable in its caller? It may or may not be possible to do so at all. Different operating systems implement global name/value functionality similar to the Unix environment in different ways. Whether the ``environment'' can be usefully altered by a running pro...
2015-03-11, 1568👍, 0💬

I have a varargs function which accepts a float parameter
I have a varargs function which accepts a float parameter. Why isn't va_arg(argp, float) working? In the variable-length part of variable-length argument lists, the old ``default argument promotions'' apply: arguments of type float are always promoted (widened) to type double, and types char and sho...
2015-06-08, 1566👍, 0💬

How can I invoke another program (a standalone executable, or an operating system command) from within a C program?
How can I invoke another program (a standalone executable, or an operating system command) from within a C program? Use the library function system, which does exactly that. Some systems also provide a family of spawn routines which accomplish approximately the same thing. system is more ``portable'...
2015-03-18, 1566👍, 0💬

How do I create a directory? How do I remove a directory (and its contents)?
How do I create a directory? How do I remove a directory (and its contents)? If your operating system supports these services, they are likely to be provided in C via functions named mkdir and rmdir. Removing a directory's contents as well will require listing them and calling remove . If you don't ...
2015-04-01, 1565👍, 0💬

Where can I get an ANSI-compatible lint?
Where can I get an ANSI-compatible lint? Products called PC-Lint and FlexeLint are available from Gimpel Software. The Unix System V release 4 lint is ANSI-compatible, and is available separately (bundled with other C tools) from UNIX Support Labs or from System V resellers. Another ANSI-compatible ...
2015-05-05, 1564👍, 0💬

I am trying to define a few simple little function-like macros ...
I'm trying to define a few simple little function-like macros such as #define square(x) x * x but they're not always working. There are three important rules to remember when defining function-like macros: 1. The macro expansion must always be parenthesized to protect any lower-precedence operators ...
2016-02-26, 1563👍, 0💬

What are pragmas and what are they good for?
What are pragmas and what are they good for? The #pragma directive provides a single, well-defined ``escape hatch'' which can be used for all sorts of (nonportable) implementation-specific controls and extensions: source listing control, structure packing, warning suppression (like lint's old /* NOT...
2015-12-11, 1563👍, 0💬

Which is more efficient, a switch statement or an if else chain?
Which is more efficient, a switch statement or an if else chain? The differences, if any, are likely to be slight. The switch statement was designed to be efficiently implementable, though the compiler may choose to use the equivalent of an if/else chain (as opposed to a compact jump table) if the c...
2015-02-04, 1563👍, 0💬

If fflush wont work, what can I use to flush input?
If fflush wont work, what can I use to flush input? It depends on what you're trying to do. If you're trying to get rid of an unread newline or other unexpected input after calling scanf you really need to rewrite or replace the call to scanf. Alternatively, you can consume the rest of a partially-r...
2015-10-12, 1562👍, 0💬

I need a sort of an approximate strcmp routine ...
I need a sort of an approximate strcmp routine ... Q: I need a sort of an ``approximate'' strcmp routine, for comparing two strings for close, but not necessarily exact, equality. A:Some nice information and algorithms having to do with approximate string matching, as well as a useful bibliography, ...
2015-01-09, 1560👍, 0💬

If NULL and 0 are equivalent as null pointer constants, which should I use?
If NULL and 0 are equivalent as null pointer constants, which should I use? Many programmers believe that NULL should be used in all pointer contexts, as a reminder that the value is to be thought of as a pointer. Others feel that the confusion surrounding NULL and 0 is only compounded by hiding 0 b...
2015-05-11, 1554👍, 0💬

How can I swap two values without using a temporary?
How can I swap two values without using a temporary? The standard hoary old assembly language programmer's trick is: a ^= b; b ^= a; a ^= b; But this sort of code has little place in modern, HLL programming. Temporary variables are essentially free, and the idiomatic code using three assignments, na...
2015-02-06, 1553👍, 0💬

I have a pre-ANSI compiler, without stdarg.h What can I do?
I have a pre-ANSI compiler, without stdarg.h What can I do? There's an older header, &lt;varargs.h>, which offers about the same functionality. Here is the vstrcat function, rewritten to use &lt;varargs.h>: #include &lt;stdio.h> #include &lt;varargs.h> #include &lt;string.h> exte...
2015-06-10, 1549👍, 0💬

I cant get va_arg to pull in an argument of type pointer-to-function.
I cant get va_arg to pull in an argument of type pointer-to-function. Try using a typedef for the function pointer type. The type-rewriting games which the va_arg macro typically plays are stymied by overly-complicated types such as pointer-to-function. To illustrate, a simplified implementation of ...
2015-06-05, 1549👍, 0💬

How can I read/write structures from/to data files?
How can I read/write structures from/to data files? It is relatively straightforward to write a structure out using fwrite: fwrite(&amp;somestruct, sizeof somestruct, 1, fp); and a corresponding fread invocation can read it back in. What happens here is that fwrite receives a pointer to the stru...
2015-09-18, 1548👍, 0💬

Why does this code crash?
Why does this code: char *p = "hello, world!"; p[0] = 'H'; crash? String constants are in fact constant. The compiler may place them in nonwritable storage, and it is therefore not safe to modify them. When you need writable strings, you must allocate writable memory for them, either by declaring an...
2015-05-27, 1547👍, 0💬

I am using scanf c to read a Y/N response
I'm using scanf %c to read a Y/N response, but later input gets skipped. You wanted scanf %c to read a single character, and it tried to, but when you tried to type that single character at it, before the rest of the input system would accept it, you had to hit the RETURN key, too. scanf read only t...
2015-10-21, 1544👍, 0💬

How can I get random integers in a certain range?
How can I get random integers in a certain range? The obvious way, rand() % N /* POOR */ (which tries to return numbers from 0 to N-1) is poor, because the low-order bits of many random number generators are distressingly non-random. A better method is something like (int)((double)rand() / ((double)...
2015-07-29, 1542👍, 0💬

What is the best style for code layout in C?
What is the best style for code layout in C? While providing the example most often copied, also supply a good excuse for disregarding it: The position of braces is less important, although people hold passionate beliefs. We have chosen one of several popular styles. Pick a style that suits you, the...
2015-05-18, 1540👍, 0💬

Why is this loop always executing once?
Why is this loop always executing once? for(i = start; i &lt; end; i++); { printf("%d\n", i); } A: The accidental extra semicolon hiding at the end of the line containing the for constitutes a null statement which is, as far as the compiler is concerned, the loop body. The following brace-enclos...
2015-06-03, 1539👍, 0💬

How can I do serial comm port I O?
How can I do serial (``comm'') port I/O? It's system-dependent. Under Unix, you typically open, read, and write a device file in /dev, and use the facilities of the terminal driver to adjust its characteristics.Under MS-DOS, you can use the predefined stream stdaux, or a special file like COM1, or s...
2015-04-22, 1536👍, 0💬

Does C have anything like the `substr (extract substring) routine present in other languages?
Does C have anything like the `substr (extract substring) routine present in other languages? Not as such. To extract a substring of length LEN starting at index POS in a source string, use something like char dest[LEN+1]; strncpy(dest, &amp;source[POS], LEN); dest[LEN] = '\0'; /* ensure \0 term...
2015-08-19, 1535👍, 0💬

<< < 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 > >>   Sort: Date