gets() in C++
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Overview
The gets() function, declared in the <cstdio> header file, reads a line from stdin until a new line or end of the file is reached.
Syntax of gets() in C++
The syntax of function gets in C++ is as follows:
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Parameters of gets() in C++
The function gets in C++ accepts a pointer to the array of characters where the data is to be stored.
Return value of gets() in C++
1. On Success: It returns the pointer to that string/array of characters in which the data was stored. 2. On Failure: Null Pointer.
Example
Input:
Output:
In the above code, we take input for str using gets() function.
What is gets() in C++
The gets() function in C++ reads characters from the stdin until a new line or end of the file is reached. It accepts a pointer to the memory where it stores those array of characters. After successfully writing characters in the character array, a terminating null character is automatically appended after the characters are copied to str.
This function was deprecated in C++ 11 and removed in C++ 14. Also, while using this function in previous versions, C++ shows a warning after compilation which goes like this,
Warning: the gets function is dangerous and should not be used.
This function doesn't set a limit on storing data in the buffer, which means it doesn't prevent the buffer overflow to the destination memory and keeps reading the data. In such a case, it terminates the program with a runtime error.
More Examples
Buffer Overflow Example
This is the most problematic scenario while using the function gets in C++.
Input:
Output:
In the above code, the input stream is greater than the size of the character array, due to which the program gives a runtime error.
Conclusion
- The gets() function is declared in <cstdio> header file.
- It reads the characters from stdin until a newline character is found or the end of the file is reached.
- The function gets in C++ doesn't handle the case of buffer overflow.
- Newer versions of C++ no longer support it.
- It was deprecated in C++ 11 and removed in C++ 14.
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