Is it possible to create/declare an alphanumeric variable inside a 'for' loop in C?

Question

I want to create multiple variables, like P0, P1, and P2. The range will be given by the user. How can I solve this in C?

Answer 1

Can you dynamically create a number of variables dynamically at runtime based on input from a user at runtime? It's possible, but not directly in the way that you're describing.

Memory can be allocated dynamically at runtime using techniques like linked lists (taught later in the class) or perhaps by creating an array with a maximum number of elements defined in the program code (i.e., a maximum number of elements), or given as a parameter or a var before creating the array. Here's an example:

#include<stdio.h>
#include<cs50.h>
#include<string.h>
#include<stdlib.h>
#include<ctype.h>

int main(void)
{
    int i = get_int("Int?  ");
    int array[i];

    for(int j = 0; j<i; j++)
    {
        array[j] = j;
        printf("array[%i] = %i\n",j,j);
    }
}

However, I know of no way to create and name vars like p1, p2, ... pn dynamically.

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Answer 2

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This does not sound like a question from the CS50 courseware. This is a great course, and if you are interested in learning C, I strongly recommend it. You can sign up here at edx.org. There is an option to audit the course. You won't get a certificate, but it is free. You will learn the same amount.

C is a strongly typed language, and as such it is not possible to create variable names dynamically. You might be able to accomplish the same thing by using an array, which you could allocate based on a user input.