Can I have help interperting this code? char variable somehow storing big numbers

Question

I have this GSM module I got for my arduino project and I am trying to access the call feature, but the function makes no sense.

 boolean Adafruit_FONA::callPhone(char *number) {
 char sendbuff[35] = "ATD";
 strncpy(sendbuff+3, number, min(30, strlen(number)));
 uint8_t x = strlen(sendbuff);
 sendbuff[x] = ';';
 sendbuff[x+1] = 0;
 //Serial.println(sendbuff);
 return sendCheckReply(sendbuff, "OK");
 }

This is the function however how is char being used to display a phone number in the parameter?

• Pete Becker: This is bad code. It uses magic numbers (3, 30, and 35) instead of calculating values based on the actual sizes. The second call to strlen isn't needed; x is the sum of the length of the first string and the number of characters that were copied. Setting aside the incorrect use of strncpy that I mention in a comment below, if the input string is to long, the code truncates it and dials the truncated number! It shouldn't do that; it should return an error code. Don't try to learn programming from stuff like this. You'll pick up lots of bad habits.

Answer 1

It's passed as a char*. This can be derived from either a string literal (e.g. "212555121") or from a String via its c_str() method.

• Joe salad: so if i wanted to use the function all i have to do is enter a string with the number inside?
• Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams: If you want to use a fixed string then you can call it with the literal. If you have a char* with the string then you can pass it directly. If you have a String then you need to call the c_str() method. Arduino string reference
• Joe salad: can u give an example of how i would create the char* with the string
• Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams: What's wrong with how your posted code does it (other than that fiasco with strncpy(), of course)?

Answer 2

Keeping it simple:

char *number; a variable pointing to a character (or string of them).
char sendbuff[35]; 35 characters in a row, making a string.
The first 3 chars at locatiion sendbuff are initialised to "A", "T", & "D", then the string at "number" is copied to it (to a maximum of 30 characters, by taking the lesser of the length of "number" or 30. This is important to avoid over-running the space allocated.
This string of characters gets sent out; & a check is made for an "O" & a "K"

If you don't 'get' pointers, you need to look it up, as it's pretty central stuff.

• Pete Becker: I don't know why strncpy has become so popular as a "safe" replacement for strcpy. It isn't. If the number string is longer than 30 characters strncpy will copy the first 30 characters and stop without adding a NUL terminator. The subsequent call to strlen can then run off the end of the buffer, and if that happens, the two bytes subsequently stored will go outside the buffer.