In this task, we will explore how to create a variadic function in C that prints numbers followed by a new line. We will be using variadic arguments to handle a variable number of integers passed to the function.

Let’s dive into the details of the task!

Problem Statement:

The goal is to write a function called print_numbers that takes in three arguments: separator, n, and variadic arguments. The separator is a string to be printed between the numbers, n represents the number of integers passed, and the variadic arguments contain the integers themselves.

Prototype: 

void print_numbers(const char *separator, const unsigned int n, ...);

Requirements:

  • Implement the print_numbers function with the given prototype.
  • Print the numbers, separated by the separator string.
  • If separator is NULL, it should not be printed.
  • After printing the numbers, a new line should be printed.

Approach:

To solve this task, we will utilize the power of variadic arguments and the printf function in C.

We will loop through the variadic arguments, printing each integer along with the separator.

We will handle the case of a NULL separator to ensure it’s not printed. Finally, we will add a new line at the end.

Code Implementation:

void print_numbers(const char *separator, const unsigned int n, ...){
    unsigned int i;
    int num;
    va_list ap;
    va_start(ap, n);

    for (i = 0; i < n; i++){
        num = va_arg(ap, int);
        printf("%d", num);

        if (i < n-1 && separator != NULL){
            printf("%s", separator);
        }
    }

    printf("\n");
    va_end(ap);
}

Testing and Examples:

Let’s test our implementation with some examples:

print_numbers(",", 4, 0, 98, -1024, 402);
// Output: 0, 98, -1024, 402

print_numbers(" - ", 3, 10, 20, 30);
// Output: 10 - 20 - 30

print_numbers(NULL, 4, 100, 200, 300, 400);
// Output: 100200300400

Discussion and Explanation:

The print_numbers function uses a variadic argument list to retrieve the integers passed to the function. It iterates through the arguments, printing each number along with the separator (if not NULL) until all the numbers are printed. Finally, it adds a new line character to the output.

Conclusion:

In this task, we successfully created a function that prints numbers separated by a given separator and ends with a new line. We leveraged variadic arguments and the printf function to achieve this functionality. Now, you can use this function to easily print numbers in your C programs.

Feel free to experiment with different separators, numbers, and use cases to further enhance your understanding. Happy coding!

🔖 Further Resources:

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