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Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rutgers!ames!ptsfa!nonvon!gilsys!mc68020
From: mc68020@gilsys.UUCP (Thomas J Keller)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,misc.jobs.misc
Subject: weird c code/ c test
Message-ID: <1089@gilsys.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Jul-87 02:17:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: gilsys.1089
Posted: Wed Jul 29 02:17:48 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Aug-87 02:44:04 EDT
Organization: Consequently Computers, Santa Rosa, Ca
Lines: 40
Keywords: test, employment, weird, code, pointers
Xref: mnetor comp.lang.c:3370 misc.jobs.misc:513


   I just had a strange experience today.  I went to see a head hunter about
an opening she wanted me to consider, and she popped this "C test" on me.
Most of it was pretty straight forward, but the last question on the test
was a **BITCH**.  See if you can determine the output of this program 
without actually compiling it:

#include	<stdio.h>

char *c[] = { "ENTER", "NEW", "POINT", "FIRST" };
char **cp[] = { c+3, c+2, c+1, c };
char ****cpp = cp;

main()
{
    printf("%s", **++cpp);
    printf("%s ", *--*++cpp+3);
    printf("%s", *cpp[-2]+3);
    printf("%s\n", cpp[-1][-1]+1);
}

  (actually, the program AS PRESENTED probably wouldn't have compiled, as
  the *c declaration was as follows:

  char *c[] = { "ENTER", "NEW", "POINT", "FRIST", };

  )

  NOTE:  as I entered it here, it *DOES* compile, and the output is fairly
  humorous.

   I do question this as a test, however.  That is some pretty esoteric
pointer manipulation there!  What do you think?

-- 
Tom    : The conservatives always grouse about "Law & Order" when the liberals
Keller : break the law...when the Reagan Admin. does it, it's PATRIOTISM!

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