From:	firewind <firewind AT metroid DOT dyn DOT ml DOT org>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Re: sprintf() string length?
Date:	18 Oct 1997 00:02:16 GMT
Organization:	Netcom
Lines:	28
Message-ID:	<628ua8$h4t@sjx-ixn9.ix.netcom.com>
References:	<3 DOT 0 DOT 16 DOT 19971016132047 DOT 34a756c4 AT hem1 DOT passagen DOT se>
NNTP-Posting-Host:	elp-tx3-24.ix.netcom.com
Mime-Version:	1.0
To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

Peter Palotas <blizzar AT hem1 DOT passagen DOT se> wrote:
> At 09.53 1997-10-16 +0100, you wrote:
> >I once read a solution to this (can't remember where though!):
> >
> >The "fprintf" command will return the number of characters output,
> >and you should fopen DOS's "NULL" file to send the output to.
> >"NULL" is a "black hole" which will swallow and ignore anything you
> >send to it.  Although "NULL" never appears in a directory, it
> >exists everywhere.  (I think the UNIX equivalent is "/dev/nul",
> >but I've never used UNIX.)

> Does anyone know if this works, and how compatible it is?
> Writing to a NULL pointer doesn't sound too good to me!

This will work on any filesystem that offers a "bit-bucket." Writing to
"/dev/null" will work on all Unix and Unix-alike operating systems, including
DJGPP. Writing to "NUL" will work on all Microsloth OS's, with the possible
exception of NT.

You aren't writing to a NULL -pointer-; you're writing to a file (called "NUL"
under DOS, whence comes your confusion, perhaps?).

-- 
[- 				 firewind	                            -]
[-   email: firewind AT metroid DOT dyn DOT ml DOT org (home), firewind AT aurdev DOT com (work)  -]
[- 	    "You're just jealous because the voices talk to -me-."          -]
[-                   Have a good day, and enjoy your C.		            -]
[-          (on a crusade of grumpiness where grumpiness is due)            -]

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