How to store n number of strings in an with unknown size

[zegulas]

How to declare an array for storing strings while we don't know how many will be stored, it has to be specified during runtime by the user. For C language.

[QwertyManiac]

Use a linked list data structure.

[zegulas]

I don't know how to use it, could you give an example code?

[dheeraj_kumar]

struct node
{
   int id;
   char *string;
   struct node *next;
}*head, *temp;

id = number of the string / index of the array
string = pointer to your string.
next = next item in linked list.
head = head of the list
temp = used to allocate new nodes in the list

you need to use the basic linked list concepts like malloc() to allocate memory, changing the next pointer etc. if you need a small tut on lists,

http://cslibrary.stanford.edu/103/LinkedListBasics.pdf
http://www.ehow.com/how_2056292_crea...ed-list-c.html

make sure you initialize your structure members, you wouldnt want segmentation faults

[zegulas]

Can someone show an example for calloc to do the same?

[dheeraj_kumar]

calloc takes in the no. of items to be assigned memory as its argument. Considering your situation, where you dont know the no. of items, its better to use malloc.

[abhijeet.k1810]

use teh following code fragment using malloc to take inout of strings using dynamic memory allocation.
include necessary header files.
main()
{
int i=-1;
char *a,ch;
a=(char*)(malloc(a,1*sizeof(char));
printf("Enter the string");
do{
ch=getchar();
i++;
a=(char*)(realloc(a,i+1*sizeof(char));
*(a+i)=ch;
}while (ch!='\n');
*a='\0';
}
If this code has some errors please let me know i can help you out.......

[Abhishek Dwivedi]

use Dynamic allocation...

  char *p;
  int val;
  cout<<"Enter Array size:";
  cin>>val;
  p=new char[val];

use the array as p[i]
this is dynamic allocation of memory...remembr to delete the memory aftr ur done with ur array using delete keyword...

delete p;

[vandit]

@ abhieshek

the new and delete operators are available in c++ and not c.
and the program u have written will not form a table of strings as he wants.

regarding linked lists dude it will be more convinient for u to refer some books like e balagurusamy or let us c.

[Abhishek Dwivedi]

oops...ma mistake..i thought its c++ questn...