Why 'exactly' does this code loop endlessly if you enter a non number character?
The first question comes about because I want to learn good defensive coding. Does anyone know a good way to check user input? My google-fu failed me. Some people seemed to be of the opinion that if I specify %f in scanf that I am 'demanding' a float; I verified this, in a way, by printing the value of userInput. In fact, if I comment out the do while loop, there is 'no problem' with the execution of the code. It assigns a 0 to userInput and goes about its business.
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
int main (int argc, const char * argv[]) {
NSAutoreleasePool * pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
float userInput;
float result;
NSLog(#"3X^3 -5x^2 + 6");
do {
NSLog(#"What is x?");
scanf("%f", &userInput);
NSLog(#"userInput = %f", userInput);
} while(userInput == 0);
result = 3 * (userInput * userInput * userInput) - 5 * (userInput * userInput) + 6;
NSLog(#"the result is: %f", result);
[pool drain];
return 0;
}
This is really nothing to do with Objective-C or Cocoa. The issue is simply to do with the use of the standard C library function scanf, and handling the error condition. From the scanf manpage, describing the return code:
Zero indicates that, although there was input available, no conversions were assigned; typically this is due to an invalid input character, such as an alphabetic character for a `%d' conversion.
A valid numeric input can be parsed by scanf with the %f specifier, so that obviously works as expected. But if you enter in a non-numeric character, scanf cannot convert this to a float, and leaves the text in the buffer of stdin. Since the code is not checking the return code from scanf, and only testing if userInput is non-zero, the loop will never exit, as userInput happens to start at 0.0, and will never be updated as scanf will not pull the non-numeric characters out of the stdin buffer. So that is why your code runs in an infinite loop.
If you had initialized userInput to a non-zero value, that would fix the problem one way, as non-numeric input would cause scanf to fail and the while condition would be triggered. But a better fix would be to check the return code of scanf. If it is zero, print an error message, and do a fpurge(stdin) to clear out the invalid input before you loop around again, like this:
int rc = scanf("%f", &userInput);
if (rc == 0)
{
NSLog(#"Invalid input, try again.");
fpurge(stdin);
}
So this is the plain C approach to input and parsing. The bottom line for defensive coding is that you should always check the return code!
As Chris mentions, for an actual Cocoa application, you would want to look at NSNumberFormatter and the like, but then you would presumably be taking input from widgets rather than file streams, so the code would be quite different to the above.
The proper way to validate user input in Cocoa is to use an instance of an appropriate subclass of NSFormatter, in this case something like NSNumberFormatter.
Related
I'm an Objective-C rookie, and I want to get the elements count of an array of chars. I managed to find only this way:
#autoreleasepool {
char parola[30];
int c;
NSLog(#"Write word:");
scanf("%c",&parola[30]);
c = sizeof(parola)/sizeof(parola[0]);
NSLog(#"The word has %i letters",c);
}
return 0;
The problem is that it gives me the length I specified in the array declaration, not the elements count.
Any idea?
You have a few errors there.
You want the user to input a "word", i.e. a string. Then don't use %c, which only scans one character, but %s instead, which scans one string (note that that can mean that the user also enters spaces, or more than 29 characters).
You store beyond the array. The array is declared as
char parola[30];
That means it can be indexed with values 0 .. 29. But your &parola[30] points beyond the array (at index 30, which does not "exist"). That is not what you want. Do this:
scanf("%s", parola);
And hope that the user doesn't enter more than 29 characters.
The length of the string can then be found using
c = strlen(parola);
So this becomes:
#autoreleasepool {
char parola[30];
unsigned long c;
NSLog(#"Write word:");
scanf("%s", parola);
c = strlen(parola);
NSLog(#"The word has %ld letters", c);
}
return 0;
Instead of NSLog, you can also use printf:
printf("Write word: ");
and
printf("The word has %ld letters\n", c);
That will look cleaner, as NSLog() always shows these extra infos, like
2017-06-04 12:37:25.758802+0200 SOTest[4718:2690388]
And that is, IMO, plain ugly. Good for a log, but not good for clean screen output. The output now becomes:
Write word: Tesla
The word has 5 letters
Program ended with exit code: 0
In my code, I'm dealing with an NSString that contains an NSNumber value. This NSNumber value could possibly be a repeating decimal number (e.x. 2.333333333e+06) that shortens to "2.333333" in a string format. It could also be a terminating number (e.x. 2.5), negative, or irrational number (2.398571892858...) (only dealing with decimals here)
I need to have a way to figure out if there are the repeating numbers in the string (or the NSNumber, if necessary). In my code, I would have no way to know what the repeating number would be, as it's a result of computations started by the user. I have tried this for loop (see below) that doesn't work the way I want it to, due to my inexperience with string indexing/ranges/lengths.
BOOL repeat = NO; //bool to check if repeating #
double repNum, tempNum; //run in for loop
NSString *repeating = [numVal stringValue]; //string that holds possible repeating #
for (int i = 3; i <= [repeating length]-3; i++) { //not sure about index/length here
if (i == 3) {
repNum = [repeating characterAtIndex:i];
}
tempNum = [repeating characterAtIndex:i];
if (tempNum == repNum) {
repeat = YES;
} else {
repeat = NO;
}
}
This code doesn't work as I'd like it to, mainly because I also have to account for negative dashes in the string and different amounts of numbers (13 1/3 vs. 1 1/3). I've used the modffunction to separate the integers from the decimals, but that hasn't worked well for me either.
Thank you in advance. Please let me know if I can clarify anything.
EDIT:
This code works with the finding of different solutions for polynomials (quadratic formula). Hope this helps put it into context. See here. (Example input)
NSNumber *firstPlusSolution, *secondMinusSolution;
NSString *pValueStr, *mValueStr;
firstPlusSolution = -(b) + sqrt(square(b) - (4)*(a)*(c)); //a, b, c: "user" provided
firstPlusSolution /= 2*(a);
secondMinusSolution = -(b) - sqrt(square(b) - 4*(a)*(c));
secondMinusSolution /= 2*(a);
pValueStr = [firstPlusSolution stringValue];
mValueStr = [secondMinusSolution stringValue];
if ([NSString doesString:pValueStr containCharacter:'.']) { //category method I implemented
double fractionPart, integerPart;
fractionPart = modf(firstPlusSolution, &integerPart);
NSString *repeating = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"%g", fractionPart];
int repNum, tempNum;
BOOL repeat = NO;
//do for loop and check for negatives, integers, etc.
}
if ([NSString doesString:mValueStr containCharacter'.']) {
//do above code
//do for loop and check again
}
Use C. Take the fractional part. Convert to a string with a known accuracy. If length of string indicates that last digits are missing, then it does not repeat. Use NSString-UTF8String to convert a string. Get rid of the last digit (may be rounding or actual floating point arithmetic error). Use function int strncmp ( const char * str1, const char * str2, size_t num ) to perform comparison within the string itself. If the result is 8 characters long and the last 2 characters match the first 2 characters, then shall the first 6 characters be considered repeating?
Assuming that fraction knowledge your desire:
• Possibility 1: Use fractions. Input fractions. Compute with fractions. Output fractions. Expand upon one of the many examples of a c++ fraction class if necessary and use it.
• Possibility 2: Choose an accuracy which is much less than double. Make a fraction from the result. Reduce the fraction allowing rounding based upon accuracy.
I suggest use not optimal but easy to write solution
Create NSMutableDictionary that will contain number as key and count of occurrence as value.
You can use componentsSeparatedByString: if numbers in string delimited by known symbol
In loop check valueForKey in dictionary and if need increase value
Last step is analyzing our dictionary and do anything you need with numbers
How do I concatenate the int length to the string I'm trying to slap into that array so it is "C10" given length == 10, of course. I see #"%d", intVarName way of doing it used else where. In Java I would of done "C" + length;. I am using the replaceObjectAtIndex method to replace the empty string, "", that I have previously populated the MSMutableArray "board" with. I am getting an error though when I add the #"C%d", length part at the end of that method (second to last line, above i++).
As part of my homework I have to randomly place "Chutes" (represented by a string of format, "C'length_of_chute'", in this first assignment they will always be of length 10 so it will simply be "C10") onto a game board represented by an array.
-(void)makeChutes: (int) length {// ??Change input to Negative number, Nvm.
//??Make argument number of Chutes ??randomly?? across the board.
for(int i = 0; i < length;){
int random = arc4random_uniform(101);
if ([[board objectAtIndex:random] isEqual:#""]) {
//[board insertObject:#"C%d",length atIndex:random];
[board replaceObjectAtIndex:random withObject:#"C%d",length];
i++;
}
}
}
Please ignore the extra and junk code in there, I left it in for context.
In Objective-C the stringWithFormat method is used for formatting strings:
NSString *formattedString = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"C%d", length];
[someArray insertObject:formattedString];
It's often easier to create your formatted string on a line of its own in Objective-C, since as you can see the call can be fairly verbose!
And here I thought I was getting competent at ObjC, and this little C-type problem is giving me fits. :) This program is intended to read in a character from user input and print an expression that gives the character's decimal value. This program is generating duplicate NSLog() statements and I can't figure out why:
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
int main (int argc, const char * argv[]) {
NSAutoreleasePool * pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
char a;
for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++)
{
NSLog(#"Type in an ASCII character or type 'command-.' to exit.");
scanf("%c", &a);
NSLog(#"%c = %d", a, a);
}
[pool drain];
return 0;
}
Here's the output:
Type in an ASCII character or type 'command-.' to exit.
a
a = 97
Type in an ASCII character or type 'command-.' to exit.
= 10
Type in an ASCII character or type 'command-.' to exit.
When I change the read-in variable from a char to an int and make the according format specifier modification in the scanf(), the program runs in the console as intended. (Prompting the user for a character, printing out the value, and prompting again.) As soon as I go back to a char though, it does this. What am I doing wrong? Also, regardless of what type of char I enter, there's always the "= 10" output. What's the deal with that? Thanks in advance, guys.
"= 10" is the ascii code for the enter key.
So change your code into:
scanf("\n%c", &a);
I honestly did a) search using key words and b) read the 'questions with similar titles' before asking this.
Also I tried to make this question more concise, but I had a hard time doing that in this case. If you feel the question is too wordy, I get it. Just don't try to answer.
I'm trying to write very simple objective-C programs that mirror the basic assignments in my introductory java class. I worked through an objective-c book over the summer and now I want to do lots of practice problems in objective-c, at the same time as I do java practice problems. I'm avoiding the objective-c GUI environment and just want to focus on working with the language for awhile. I still have a lot to learn about how to figure things out.
The program I'm duplicating from my java homework, is a standard type. I ask the user for number input and string input via the console. I was able to get numeric input from the console using an example I found here using scan f. (I will put the couple code lines below). But I'm unsure on how to get console input and store it in a string (NSString). I'm trying to learn to use the apple documentation and found a reference to a scan type command, but I cannot figure out how to USE the command. The one that seems likely is
scanCharactersFromSet:(NSCharacterSet )scanSet intoString:(NSString *)name;
Here's what I understand and works
int age = 0;
NSLog (#"How old are y'all?");
scanf("%d", &age);
NSLog (#"\n Wow, you are %d !", age);
But I don't understand how to pickup an NSString called 'name'. I THINK I'm supposed to make my 'name'a pointer, because the class is NSString.
(BTW I did try using scanf to pickup the string, but the compiler doesn't like me trying to use scanf in conjunction with name. It says that I shouldn't be using 'scanf' because it's expecting a different kind of data. I'm not sure where I found the data type 'i'. I was looking through my text for different ideas. I'm guessing that scanf is related to 'scanfloat' which clearly deals with numeric data, so this is not a big surprise)
I realize that 'scanf' isn't the right command (and I don't really get why I can't even find scanf in the apple documentation - maybe it's C?)
I'm guessing that scanCharactersFromSet might be the right thing to use, but I just don't understand how you figure out what goes where in the command. I guess I tend to learn by example, and I haven't found an example. I'd like to figure out how to learn properly by reading the documentation. But I'm not there yet.
NSString* name ;
scanf("%i", &name);
//scanCharactersFromSet:(NSCharacterSet *)scanSet intoString:(NSString **)name;
...
My book is oriented towards moving me into a gui environment, so it doesn't deal with input.
Thank you for any pointers you can give me.
Laurel
I would recommend ramping up on C. Objective-c is a thin layer over C and that knowledge will pay for itself over and over.
There's multiple ways in C to read:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2086237_read-string-c.html
For example:
NSAutoreleasePool * pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
char str[50] = {0}; // init all to 0
printf("Enter you Last name: ");
scanf("%s", str); // read and format into the str buffer
printf("Your name is %s\n", str); // print buffer
// you can create an NS foundation NSString object from the str buffer
NSString *lastName = [NSString stringWithUTF8String:str];
// %# calls description o object - in NSString case, prints the string
NSLog(#"lastName=%#", lastName);
[pool drain];
return 0;
NOTE: the simple scanf is succeptible to buffer overruns. There's multiple approaches around this. see:
How to prevent scanf causing a buffer overflow in C?
Here is what Objective C looks like:
NSString *FNgetInput() {
#autoreleasepool {
return [[[NSString alloc] initWithData:[[NSFileHandle fileHandleWithStandardInput] availableData] encoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding] stringByTrimmingCharactersInSet:[NSCharacterSet newlineCharacterSet]];
}
}
The way to get data from the standard input (or any other file handle) in cocoa is to use the NSFileHandle class. Check the docs for +fileHandleWithStandardInput
Here's how to get user input using Objective-C in 2020:
main.m
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
int main(int argc, const char * argv[]) {
#autoreleasepool {
// insert code here...
NSLog(#"Hello, World!");
char str[50] = {0}; // init all to 0
printf("Enter you Last name: ");
scanf("%s", str); // read and format into the str buffer
printf("Your name is %s\n", str); // print buffer
// you can create an NS foundation NSString object from the str buffer
NSString *lastName = [NSString stringWithUTF8String:str];
// %# calls description o object - in NSString case, prints the string
NSLog(#"lastName=%#", lastName);
return 0;
}
return 0;
}
Compile and run:
$ clang -framework Foundation main.m -o app