Command line arguments - C

On 12 Feb 2004 04:48:59 GMT, aniruddha1981@yahoo.co.in (Aniruddha)
wrote in comp.lang.c.moderated:

> How can I access the command line arguments without using argc, argv?

One thing you can do is define your main function like this:

int main(int cmd_cnt, char **cmd_str)

.....then you can access command line arguments by using cmd_cnt and
cmd_str. The names argc and argv are used by common tradition only.
Like all function parameters the names are local to the function
definition and can be anything you like.

Other than that, there is no way possible in standard C.

--
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Jack Klein wrote:
> ... aniruddha1981@yahoo.co.in (Aniruddha) wrote ...
>>How can I access the command line arguments without using argc, argv?
> int main(int cmd_cnt, char **cmd_str)

Perhaps what he was really trying to do was to access the
arguments outside the function named "main". There are
essentially two solutions in that case: (1) pass the
argc and argv arguments down to the function that needs
them as function arguments, or (2) define some global
objects into which main() copies thevalues of argc and
argv; then any function that wants to examine the command-
line arguments can access then via those global objects.
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In article <clcm-20040211-0004@plethora.net>, Aniruddha
<aniruddha1981@yahoo.co.in> writes
>How can I access the command line arguments without using argc, argv?

By writing:

int main(int argument_count, char* arguments[]){
// etc.
}

Or go and hack into your platform's startup code (yes I have actually
done that many years ago on a pure MSDOS 8086 platform)


--
Francis Glassborow ACCU
Author of 'You Can Do It!' see http://www.spellen.org/youcandoit
For project ideas and contributions: http://www.spellen.org/youcandoit/projects
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Jack Klein <jackklein@spamcop.net> wrote in message news:<clcm-20040211-0013@plethora.net>...
> On 12 Feb 2004 04:48:59 GMT, aniruddha1981@yahoo.co.in (Aniruddha)
> wrote in comp.lang.c.moderated:
>
> > How can I access the command line arguments without using argc, argv?
>
> One thing you can do is define your main function like this:
>
> int main(int cmd_cnt, char **cmd_str)
>
> ....then you can access command line arguments by using cmd_cnt and
> cmd_str. The names argc and argv are used by common tradition only.
> Like all function parameters the names are local to the function
> definition and can be anything you like.
>
> Other than that, there is no way possible in standard C.
>
> --

In some situations you don't "own" or have access to main.
In that case, if you need to access argc/argv, main has to
squirrel them away somewhere -- perhaps in static variables and
provide accessor functions, perhaps in a global variable you can
access directly -- so you can get at them later.

BTW, why do you ask? Are you just curious, or is there some
particular problem you need to solve?

-David
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Aniruddha wrote:
> How can I access the command line arguments without using argc, argv?

At best, this is implementation dependent.

The short answer is "you cannot" without a lot of slogging
where angels fear to tread.

The real question is "why would you ever want to?"
--
Ñ
"It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so
ingenious" - A. Bloch
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Jack Klein <jackklein@spamcop.net> wrote in message news:<clcm-20040211-0013@plethora.net>...
> On 12 Feb 2004 04:48:59 GMT, aniruddha1981@yahoo.co.in (Aniruddha)
> wrote in comp.lang.c.moderated:
>
> > How can I access the command line arguments without using argc, argv?
>
> One thing you can do is define your main function like this:
>
> int main(int cmd_cnt, char **cmd_str)
>
> ....then you can access command line arguments by using cmd_cnt and
> cmd_str. The names argc and argv are used by common tradition only.
> Like all function parameters the names are local to the function
> definition and can be anything you like.
>

No, I did not mean accessing with a different name. Imagine the definition of
main like:
int main ()
{
/* ... */
}
How do I access the command line arguments.
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Aniruddha wrote:
> No, I did not mean accessing with a different name. Imagine the definition of
> main like:
> int main ()
> {
> /* ... */
> }
> How do I access the command line arguments.

You don't. At least, not without some incredibly system-
dependent technique, and it might not be possible by any
method on some systems.

If you need the command-line arguments, define "main"
properly.
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In article <clcm-20040214-0003@plethora.net>, Douglas A. Gwyn
<DAGwyn@null.net> writes
>Jack Klein wrote:
>> ... aniruddha1981@yahoo.co.in (Aniruddha) wrote ...
>>>How can I access the command line arguments without using argc, argv?
>> int main(int cmd_cnt, char **cmd_str)
>
>Perhaps what he was really trying to do was to access the
>arguments outside the function named "main". There are
>essentially two solutions in that case: (1) pass the
>argc and argv arguments down to the function that needs
>them as function arguments, or (2) define some global
>objects into which main() copies thevalues of argc and
>argv; then any function that wants to examine the command-
>line arguments can access then via those global objects.

There is a third, low-level, platform specific, solution which is to
know how the OS supplies the data (i.e. where it stashes the command
line arguments)

--
Francis Glassborow ACCU
Author of 'You Can Do It!' see http://www.spellen.org/youcandoit
For project ideas and contributions: http://www.spellen.org/youcandoit/projects
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In article <clcm-20040214-0025@plethora.net>, Aniruddha
<aniruddha1981@yahoo.co.in> writes
>No, I did not mean accessing with a different name. Imagine the definition of
>main like:
>int main ()
> {
> /* ... */
> }
>How do I access the command line arguments.

In general you cannot. Knowing how your OS works can often provide a
mechanism but why bother when C has already provided you one?


--
Francis Glassborow ACCU
Author of 'You Can Do It!' see http://www.spellen.org/youcandoit
For project ideas and contributions: http://www.spellen.org/youcandoit/projects
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