C Programming

Gets Function in C

In C programming language, the gets() method should be included in the header file <stdio.h>. It is required when the user will have to provide input. It only has one input argument, the variable to hold the data. The user can enter space-separated characters while using the function gets(). It continues since it receives the newline character \n or the end-of-file sign EOF. After that, the string is saved as a character array.

Bound-checking is therefore not accomplished by the gets() method. It would not examine if the input data integrates inside the character array’s holding limit of bytes. A buffer overflow can occur when an entry exceeds the array limit. Through fgets, this restriction of the gets() method could be eliminated. The gets() method produces a string if it occurs. It reverts NULL if it starts to fail. It displays the EOF indicator on a string if an end-of-file situation generates the error. If another error triggers the failure, the error parameter is displayed on the string.

This article will explain how the gets() method works.

Use of gets() Function

The gets() method can be utilized to get user input. The gets() method accepts only one parameter at a time, but it might also accept an entire statement with whitespace. The following is a program about utilizing the gets() method.

#include <stdio.h>

int main () {

  char mystr[60];

  printf("Enter a string : ");

  gets(mystr);

  printf("You entered: %s", mystr);

  return(0);

}

At the program’s start, we just integrate the header file <stdio.h>. This header file is used to input and output functions. In the next line, the main function starts. First, we declare a variable “mystr”, which stores the string. This string has a character data type. Here, we specified the size of the string.

Further, we utilize the printf() function to print the statement “Enter a string:”. In addition to this, the gets() method is applied to get the string from the user. We provided the entered string as a parameter to the gets() function. In the end, once again, we employ the printf() function.

This time, printf() prints the statement “You entered:” here. It prints the string which is entered by the user. The return statement is utilized to terminate the program.

Before tapping the enter key, the gets() function usually accepts one line or all the text at a time.

Instance of C Programming gets() Function

The gets() method allows the user to type a string of characters and press the enter button. A character array is used to hold all of the text provided by the user. The null character is appended to create the array of a line or string. The user has to provide space-separated characters using the gets() method.

It displays the string that the user typed in. The gets() method is vulnerable to employ because it doesn’t check for array limitations and continues reading characters until the new line (enter) is received. It has a memory overflow problem.

#include <stdio.h>

#include <cstdio>

using namespace std;

int main()

{

  char string[100];

    printf("Enter any string: ");

  gets(string);

    printf("You have entered: %s", string);

  return 0;

}

First of all, we include two libraries <stdio.h> and <cstdio>. The function gets() is defined in the <cstdio> header file. It is employed in the string input/output processes. Then, we utilize the standard namespace. In the main function, we initialize an array of the string to acquire the size of the string.

Meanwhile, we apply the printf() function to print the line. So, the user inputs the string of his own choice. In addition, we define the gets() method to obtain the string from the user and store that string. Now, we attain the entered string with the help of the printf() function. The return 0 of the main() method would be used at the end of the program to get the program’s completion status. If the method operates, it returns the string. If it fails or the endpoint of the file is attained, but no characters are being retrieved, it always returns NULL.

How Does the get() Method Work?

In C language, the gets() method receives a text from the user and saves data till a newline character or the termination of the file is reached. If a lengthy input string is specified, the gets() method has no capability for avoiding buffer overflow. The gets() function is always introduced in the header file <stdio.h>.

#include <stdio.h>

int main()

{

   char n[80];

   printf("Enter any name: \n");
   gets(n);

   printf("=============\n");
   printf("%s", n);

   return 0;

}

Before utilizing the gets() method, we must introduce the header file #include <stdio.h>. Now, we will start the body of the main function by defining a variable termed “n” to hold the string. The data type of this string is character. We identified the string’s size here. The printf() method will display the text “Enter any name:”.

Furthermore, the gets() method is being used to obtain any name from the user. The specified name was passed to the function gets() as an argument. Here, the gets() function receives words from “n” and the ability to keep all the words till the end of the string or a newline character is detected.

In addition to this, we will employ two printf() functions. The first printf() method just exhibits the dotted line. Through the second printf() function, the name set by the user is printed. The program ended with the return command.

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at how to utilize the gets() function in the C language. With the help of several examples, we have also demonstrated the methods of implementing the function gets(). The previous examples can also be amended according to user choice and work requirements. We hope you found this article helpful. Check the other Linux Hint articles for more tips and tutorials.

About the author

Kalsoom Bibi

Hello, I am a freelance writer and usually write for Linux and other technology related content