[C] Stupid pointers what the heck is going on here

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the use of the strcmp function in C programming to compare strings stored in a char **ptr pointer. The user initially attempted to compare a string with a character, which led to confusion. It is clarified that strcmp requires two string arguments, and the correct usage involves using double quotes for strings, such as "a", rather than single quotes for characters, like 'a'. This distinction is crucial for proper string comparison in C.

PREREQUISITES
  • C programming language fundamentals
  • Understanding of pointers and memory management in C
  • Knowledge of string handling functions in C, specifically strcmp
  • Familiarity with character vs. string data types in C
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  • Study the strcmp function in the C Standard Library
  • Learn about string manipulation functions in C, such as strcpy and strlen
  • Explore pointer arithmetic and its applications in C programming
  • Practice debugging techniques for C programs involving strings and pointers
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This discussion is beneficial for C programmers, particularly beginners who are learning about string manipulation and pointer usage. It is also useful for anyone looking to improve their debugging skills in C.

zeion
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Hi,

I don't understand how this can be so difficult.
So I have a [char ** ptr] pointer that stores a list of arguments.
I'm able to PRINT each of them by doing printf("%s\n", ptr)
But how the heck do I is strcmp to see if a certain argument is there?
Apparently I cannot just do [if (strcmp(ptr, 'a') == 0].
I don't understand what strcmp needs for it to work. Do I need one star? Two stars? Five stars? Why is this so hard?

Thanks
 
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strcmp compares strings (via char* pointers). Your problem is not with ptr but with 'a' which is not a string, but a character. "a" is a string (consisting of one character 'a').
 
DrGreg said:
strcmp compares strings (via char* pointers). Your problem is not with ptr but with 'a' which is not a string, but a character. "a" is a string (consisting of one character 'a').


Nooo wayyy I've been trying to debug that the whole day!
 

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