Implementing Array Search in C: User Input Error Handling

When working with C programming, it is often necessary to implement functionalities that allow users to interact with arrays. This article will guide you through creating a simple C program that enables a user to input 10 numbers into an array, search for a specific number, and handle both successful searches and error messages when the number does not exist in the array.

Steps and Logic

To achieve this, we will follow these steps:

Create an array to hold 10 numbers. Use a loop to allow the user to input the numbers. Prompt the user to search for a number in the array. Search for the number and print its position if found. If the number is not found, print an error message. Allow the user to search for a second number that does not exist in the array and print an error message accordingly.

Complete Example Code

Here is the complete C code that implements the above logic:

#include iostreamusing namespace std;int main() {    const int SIZE  10;    int numbers[SIZE];    // Step 1: Input 10 numbers into the array    cout  "Enter 10 numbers: "  endl;    for (int i  0; i  SIZE; i  ) {        cin  numbers[i];    }    // Step 2: Search for a number in the array    int searchNumber;    cout  "Enter a number to search for: "  endl;    cin  searchNumber;    // Step 3: Search for the number and print its position    bool found  false;    for (int i  0; i  SIZE; i  ) {        if (numbers[i]  searchNumber) {            cout  "Number found at position: "  i  endl;            found  true;            break; // Exit the loop once the number is found        }    }    // If the number was not found, print an error message    if (!found) {        cout  "Number not found in the array."  endl;    }    // Step 4: Search for a number that does not exist in the array    int nonexistentNumber;    cout  "Enter a number that does not exist in the array: "  endl;    cin  nonexistentNumber;    // Step 5: Check for the nonexistent number    found  false; // Reset found flag    for (int i  0; i  SIZE; i  ) {        if (numbers[i]  nonexistentNumber) {            found  true; // This should not happen            break;        }    }    // Print error message for the nonexistent number    if (!found) {        cout  "The number does not exist in the array."  endl;    }    return 0;}

Explanation of the Code

Input Numbers

The program prompts the user to enter 10 numbers, which are stored in an array called numbers.

Searching for a Number

The user is prompted to enter a number to search for. The program loops through the array to check if the number exists. If found, it prints the index position of that number.

Error Handling

If the number is not found after the loop, an error message is displayed. For the second search, the program checks the array again and confirms that the number is not present, displaying an appropriate error message.

This structure allows you to handle both successful searches and error reporting effectively.

Conclusion

Implementing array search in C, especially with user input and error handling, is a fundamental skill in programming. By following the steps and understanding the logic, you can create robust programs that interact seamlessly with users.

Resources and Further Reading

C Programming Basics - A resource to learn the basics of the C programming language. User Input in C - Detailed guide on handling user input in C programming. Error Handling in C - Techniques and best practices for error handling in C programs.

By leveraging these resources and the provided code example, you can enhance your C programming skills and build more complex applications.