Step by Step solution about How to resolve the algorithm Magic 8-ball step by step in the C programming language

This C program simulates a magic 8-ball that provides random answers to yes/no questions entered by the user. Here's a detailed explanation:

1. Header Inclusion:

   • The program includes several standard C libraries:
     • <stdio.h> for input and output operations.
     • <stdlib.h> for functions like malloc, free, and exit.
     • <time.h> for generating random numbers based on the current time.

2. Constants and Variables:

   • answers: An array of 20 possible answers the 8-ball can give.
   • srand(time(NULL)): Initializes the random number generator with the current time as the seed. This ensures different answers each time the program runs.
   • char *question = NULL;: Declares a character pointer question that will store the user's question. It's initially set to NULL.
   • size_t len = 0;: Declares a variable len that will store the length of the user's question.
   • ssize_t read;: Declares a variable read to store the number of characters read from the user's input.

3. Main Logic:

   • The program enters a loop that continues until the user enters a blank line (an empty string).
   • In each iteration, it prompts the user to enter their question or quit by entering a blank line.
   • To read the user's input, it uses getline, which reads a line of text from the standard input (stdin) and stores it in the memory pointed to by question. It also updates the len variable with the length of the input.
   • If the read value is less than 2 (indicating an empty string or an error), it breaks out of the loop.
   • If the user entered a question, it randomly selects an answer from the answers array using rand() % 20. This generates a random index in the range 0-19, which corresponds to one of the possible answers.
   • The selected answer is then printed using printf.

4. Cleanup:

   • After the loop ends, the program frees the memory allocated for question using free.

5. Return Value:

   • The main function returns 0 to indicate successful execution.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>

int main() {
    char *question = NULL;
    size_t len = 0;
    ssize_t read;
    const char* answers[20] = {
        "It is certain", "It is decidedly so", "Without a doubt",
        "Yes, definitely", "You may rely on it", "As I see it, yes",
        "Most likely", "Outlook good", "Signs point to yes", "Yes",
        "Reply hazy, try again", "Ask again later",
        "Better not tell you now", "Cannot predict now",
        "Concentrate and ask again", "Don't bet on it",
        "My reply is no", "My sources say no", "Outlook not so good",
        "Very doubtful"
    };
    srand(time(NULL));
    printf("Please enter your question or a blank line to quit.\n");
    while (1) {
        printf("\n? : ");
        read = getline(&question, &len, stdin);
        if (read < 2) break;
        printf("\n%s\n", answers[rand() % 20]);
    }
    if (question) free(question);
    return 0;
}