When I scour the C for functions to assist my code, if often overlook a few that seem dull or confusing. One of those I’ve always glossed over is the strspn() function, as well as its counterpart, strcspn().
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You see them often if you code in C: time_t, size_t, and other _t data types, usually specific to some function or library. The C gurus have a method to their madness when it comes to naming these variables. The _t stands for something. It’s very consistent on purpose.
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In last week’s Lesson, I covered a trick you can use to assign values to structure members non-sequentially. It’s something you may rarely use, but a valid tool in your C programming tool chest. It’s also not the weirdest thing that can happen in a structure.
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I refer to structures as “multi-variables” in my books and courses. Like a mini-database, they hold different data types and values, all bundled into a single unity. Structures form the basis of important programming concepts such as a linked list. Further, you can use structures to cheat and return multiple values from a function. As much as I dislike admitting it, structures are fun.
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