NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #18/NN_1992_18.iso/spool/comp/lang/c/12309

Internet Message Format | 1992-08-13 | 1.1 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!dtix!darwin.sura.net!mips!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!daffodil!wyvern!alpha
From: [e-mail] (Joe Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Allocate memory to typed in string, How?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 13 Aug 92 18:49:11 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Organization: Box 68621, Virginia Beach, 23455
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Attempts to allocate memory, char at a time, to an arbitrary 'string'
is silly even if it is possible.  If a string is assumed to be a line
of a text file or arbitrary keyboard input, we can easily declare that
it must not be longer than (let's say) 256 bytes.  Given that screens
are usually 80 to 132 chars wide, 256 will be wide enough for the
Ivory standard (99.44 % pure).  Having captured the line in our big
static buffer we can easily determine its length and allocate memory
and/or file space for the actual string.  If you don't like static
strings, allocate 256 bytes, read the 'string' into it, find its length,
allocate that much (+1) and copy it.  Lots faster..

--
Joe Wright  [e-mail]