How to count number of characters without the newline character?

Question

Im writing a simple program to count the number of character user is entered, and i wrote an if to check wether there is a newline but still printing it..

the code:

#include <stdio.h>

int main()

{
    char ch;
    int numberOfCharacters = 0;
    printf("please enter a word, and ctrl + d to see the resault\n");

    while ((ch = getchar()) != EOF)

    {
        if (numberOfCharacters != '\n')
        {
            numberOfCharacters++;
        }


    }

    printf("The number of characters is %d", numberOfCharacters);

    return 0;
}

what am i doing wrong?

You may want to consider all control characters, not just new line. http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/cctype/iscntrl/ or conversely printable characters http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/cctype/isprint/ — Josh Petitt, Jan 31 '13 at 20:34
Note that [`getchar()`](http://en.cppreference.com/w/c/io/getchar) returns an `int`, not a `char`. — hmjd, Jan 31 '13 at 20:39
@nir, yes. See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7729339/getchar-inconsistency-with-variables/7729363#7729363 for why. — hmjd, Jan 31 '13 at 21:06

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 31 '13 at 20:33

6

Think about this line:

    if (numberOfCharacters != '\n')

how can it make sense? You are comparing the number of characters read so far with a newline, it's like comparing apples to oranges and surely won't work. It's another variable that you should check...

answered Jan 31 '13 at 20:33

Matteo Italia

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2

Although your answer won't get selected, I like it because it smacks the OP upside the head & makes 'em think rather than just fixes the problem. – phonetagger Jan 31 '13 at 21:25
@phonetagger: thank you :); I think that's the kind of answer it's correct to give to one that is learning - he doesn't need ready made solutions, but hints to put him on the right way. – Matteo Italia Jan 31 '13 at 21:28

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 31 '13 at 20:33

5

Change your loop to this.

while ((ch = getchar()) != EOF)
{
    if(ch != '\n') 
        numberOfCharacters++;
}

answered Jan 31 '13 at 20:33

Achrome

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Note that some platforms may require the pressing of ENTER in order to process the buffer. If you want single character input, you may have to use platform specific functions. – Thomas Matthews Jan 31 '13 at 23:46

How to count number of characters without the newline character?

2 Answers2