With almost all the former-constants converted to variables, only one puzzle remains: Padding each string’s output so that the columns line up. (Yes, this is the final part of this series!)
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The process of converting the sample program from one that relies upon constants to one that exclusively uses variables is nearly complete. Only two steps are left:
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Last week’s Lesson accomplished the task of obtaining the number of elements in the fruit[] array. This week, the task is to obtain the next item, the widest string in the array. This item is currently a constant, but it must become a variable to ensure the code’s flexibility.
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Once you accept that a program’s data set is flexible, you must abandon all constants and use variables. It’s a good move: The variables ensure that no matter what changes with the data, the code can handle it.
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It’s easy to code single-column list output. It takes a bit more programming skill to present the list in columns. To sort the list by columns is the most difficult. Like many programming tasks, it’s one of those things that once you figure it out, you just keep stealing your own code to do it again and again.
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Sometimes programming can be a snap, especially when you have a known data set and pretty much all the values are static. You can whip out code right away, it runs well and looks beautiful — but that’s because everything is known. The fewer variables, the easier to code.
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Nested structures present another opportunity for pointers to growl in your code. The struggle is knowing which structure member operator to use — and where.
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Structures are the complex variable type in C, allowing you to craft data-rich units for storing and retrieving all sorts of interesting information. They’re fun! But like asterisks falling as snowflakes, sprinkle some pointers into a structure and you can get into trouble fast.
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I’m no math genius. I’d love to understand it all, and I appreciate the complexities, but I’m just the noob first-time player walking across a field in Call of Duty where I’m a target to all the more experienced players. In short: The study of compound interest eventually gives rise to the mathematical concept of e, also known as Euler’s number.
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You would think that simple interest (from last week’s Lesson) would be enough. After all, if you’re investing, you make money; if you’re paying back a loan, you can figure the math. That aspect of interest wasn’t enough for mathematical and banking geniuses, who devised a second type of interest calculation, which is “interest on the interest.”
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