Mail Counter Introduction
Understanding argc as a simple counter
"How many mail pieces did we receive today?"
Return Address Examination
Accessing argv[0] (program name)
"What's the return address on this mail?"
Reading Delivery Addresses
Accessing argv[1], argv[2], etc.
"Where are we delivering these messages?"
Mail Room Validation
Checking if enough arguments were provided
"Do we have enough information to deliver this mail?"
Advanced Mail Processing
Parsing different argument types and patterns
"Different types of mail need different handling"
No validation rules active
Missing required arguments
Too many arguments provided
Second argument must be a number
Mail Counter Introduction
Concept: argc counts the total number of arguments
Mail Room Metaphor: "How many mail pieces did we receive today?"
Interactive Demonstration
argc (argument count) = 1
This includes the program name (return address) + delivery addresses
argc (Argument Count)
Integer that contains the number of command line arguments, including the program name. Always ≥ 1.
argv[0] (Program Name)
Always contains the name of the program as it was called. This is like the "return address" on a mail piece.
argv[1], argv[2]...
The actual command line arguments provided by the user. Each is a null-terminated string.
Validation
Always check argc before accessing argv elements to avoid segmentation faults.
Common Pitfalls
Off-by-one errors, assuming arguments exist, forgetting argv[0] is the program name.
Best Practices
Provide usage messages, validate input, handle edge cases gracefully.