casting ints and floats to char*

[Jo Are Rosland]

In article <6185 at mahendo.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> robert at nereid.jpl.nasa.gov (Robert Angelino) writes:
   I want to be able to do the following:

   void has_to_be_done_this_way()
   {
   char *ptr[12];
   int  i;
   long j;
   double p;

   ptr[0] = &i;
   ptr[1] = &j;
   ptr[2] = &p;

   sscanf(buf,"%2d %5ld %15lf",&(*ptr[0]),&(*ptr[1]),&(*ptr[2]));
   }

Does it have to be a char * array?  How about:

1.      typedef union {
            int *ip;
            long *lp;
            double *dp;
        } NUMP;

        void how_about_this_way()
        {
            NUMP ptr[12];
            int  i;
            long j;
            double p;

            ptr[0].ip = &i;
            ptr[1].lp = &j;
            ptr[2].dp = &p;

            sscanf(buf, "%2d %5ld %15lf", ptr[0].ip, ptr[1].lp, ptr[2].dp);
        }

2.      typedef struct {
            int i; long l; double d;
        } ILD;

        void son_of_how_about_this_way()
        {
            ILD trip[4];

            sscanf(buf, "%2d %5ld %15lf", &trip[0].i, &trip[0].l, &trip[0].d);
        }

Why does it "have to be done that way", anyway?  Just curious...
--
Jo Are Rosland
jar at ifi.uio.no