A programming puzzle kept me awake one night: If a structure allows for any variable type to be a member, and a function is a valid variable type, why not have a structure with a function as one of its members? Am I nuts?
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When a buffer is void, its contents are treated as raw memory, not assigned to any specific data type. This ambiguity means your code can cast the memory’s data type and do interesting things with it.
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Gone are the old days when your C program ruled the entire computer’s domain. Back then, you could access any chunk of memory in the computer, manipulate it in all sorts of interesting ways, and not be concerned that your code’s actions would be restricted. Ah, those were good times.
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The most difficult thing about this month’s Exercise is to deal with stream input: When the user overstuffs the input buffer, those extra characters continue to flow into the program, interpreted as additional input and they make the output look ugly.
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With all the hand-ranking functions complete (see last week’s Lesson), the final version of my poker program restores the randomizer, draws and sorts a hand, then outputs the hand’s value. It’s quite disappointing.
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When a computer program wants to know a Yes or No answer, the function I write is called yorn().
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Matching two card values in a poker hand counts as a pair. It’s the lowest-ranking hand (above the non-ranked “high card”) and the most common. In my poker program, it’s also the last ranking hand tested.
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To effectively evaluate poker hands, the next sequence after a straight, straight flush, and flush draw (covered in last week’s Lesson) is to evaluate four-of-a-kind, then three-of-a-kind, and (while you’re at it) a full house.
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After pulling out any hands arranged in a straight pattern, covered in last week’s Lesson, the next logical test is for a flush. The flush draw is when all cards are of the same suit.
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It’s fun supplying your own scores for a semester, which really helps boost your GPA! Still, the challenge for this Month’s Exercise was to input — and validate — a series of grades to calculate your GPA for five courses.
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