A function to print a character number of times and in number of lines

Question

My task was:

Write a function that takes three arguments: a character and two integers. The character is to be printed. The first integer specifies the number of times that the character is to be printed on a line, and the second integer specifies the number of lines that are to be printed. Write a program that makes use of this function.

And my code is: (i know i did not add different scenarios like if the first char is number etc, but please let me know if it looks ok)

#include <stdio.h>
void printing_char (char ch, int numberOfChars, int numberOfLines);

int main (void)
{
    char userChar;
    int lines,times;
    printf ("please enter a character, number of times in a line, and number of lines:\n");
    while ((scanf ("%c%d%d", &userChar, &times, &lines)) == 3)
    {
        printing_char (userChar, times, lines);
    }
    return 0;
}

void printing_char (char ch, int numberOfChars, int numberOfLines)
{
    int x;
    int y = 0;

    while (++y <= numberOfLines)
    {
            for (x = 0; x<numberOfChars; x++)
            {
                printf ("%c", ch);
            }
            printf ("\n");
    }
}

Answer 1

Only a couple of things:

• int lines,times; - one declaration per line, please!

• scanf("%c%d%d", &userChar, &times, &lines) - where does one number end and the next start?. You need to include some terminating characters, such as ,

  printf("please enter a character, number of times in a line, and number of lines, separated by a comma:\n");
  while ((scanf("%c,%d,%d", &userChar, &times, &lines)) == 3)
  

• An expression such as while (++y <= numberOfLines) is confusing, what value does y have at each step? It'd be better to rewrite this as a for loop

  for ( y = 0; y < numberOfLines; y++ )
  

Answer 2

In addition to comments by @GlennRogers, here's a bit of pedantry:

• consider putting main last to avoid the need for a prototype for printing_char

• printing_char should be static. Seems a bad name too.

• for-loops can define the loop variable in the initial loop:

  for (int x = 0; x<numberOfChars; x++)
  

• nested loops are generally best avoided. Your inner for-loop would be better as a function:

  static void print_n_times(int ch, int n)
  {
      for (int i=0; i<n; ++i) {
           putchar(ch);
      }
  }
  

• adding a blank line after the function definition is very odd. Best not done.

• numberOfChars and numberOfLines are verbose for my taste. I prefer n_chars, n_lines (or camel-case nChars, nLines). Also, as the variables in main have exactly the same meaning, it would be reasonable to call lines and times the same there, ie. n_chars and n_lines

• you have unnecessary brackets around the scanf call