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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.unix,net.lang.c
Subject: Re: mixing scanf and gets
Message-ID: <2336@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 3-Apr-86 13:37:14 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.2336
Posted: Thu Apr  3 13:37:14 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Apr-86 12:24:44 EST
References: <1740@ittatc.ATC.ITT.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.ARPA
Distribution: net
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL)
Lines: 30
Xref: watmath net.unix:7547 net.lang.c:8410

In article <1740@ittatc.ATC.ITT.UUCP> yoda@ittatc.ATC.ITT.UUCP (Todd C. Williams [Jedi Knight]) writes:
>Is it possible to use gets() after scanf() ?
>Is it a good idea to try to use gets() after scanf() ?
>It doesn't work, so I tried adding "fflush(stdin);" 
>just before the gets(), but that doesn't help either.
>If I do 2 "gets(str)"'s in a row, the second one works.
>
>Apparently, the scanf() is reading UP TO the newline, but
>leaving that newline in the buffer; the gets() sees the
>newline and thinks it is finished.

scanf() does whatever you tell it to with the input stream
then stops.  If you make it eat newlines, it will.  There
should be no problem mixing any of the STDIO input methods.

However, it sounds to me like your application would be
programmed better with the following scheme:

	while get-a-line-using-fgets
		parse-line-with-sscanf

By the way, don't use gets(); your input buffer can be
overrun if an input line is very long, resulting in
unpredictable malfunctioning of your application.  When
you use fgets(), it is often wise to test the last
character in the record and if it is a newline, replace
it with a 0 string terminator before parsing the record.

Since this advice is independent of UNIX, I'm cross-posting
to net.lang.c.