USAGE.md

Using NextStd

Include the ns.h header file in your C program. If you are trying out the example programs, linking to all the other headers are done automatically. If not, take a look at Makefile to get an idea on how to link ns.h for linking syntax.

#include "include/ns.h"

Type-safe Printing (ns_print and ns_println)

NextStd completely removes the need to memorize printf format specifiers. There are 2 print functions :

• ns_print(): Prints it without newline (\n).
• ns_println() : Newline (\n) is added automatically.

int main() {
  int age = 42;
  double pi = 3.14159;

  // Type detected automatically 
  ns_println(age);
  ns_println(pi);

  return 0;
}

Safe user input (ns_read)

Reading user input in standard C usually involves scanf, which is notorious for buffer overflows, leaving dangling newlines in the input stream and crashing if the user types the wrong data type.

ns_read provides a memory-safe, type-safe alternative. If the user enters an invalid data type (Like typing hello when asked for a number), ns_read defaults to 0 instead of panicking. It also gracefully handles NULL pointers.

int main() {
  int age;
  float height;

  ns_print("Enter your age: ");       // No newline 
  ns_read(&age);                      // Automatically routes to ns_read_int 

  ns_print("Enter your height: ");
  ns_read(&height);                  // Automatically routes to ns_read_float 

  ns_print("Age: "); ns_println(age);
  ns_print("Height: "); ns_println(height);

  return 0;
}

Safe strings (ns_string)

Standard C strings are notorious for memory leaks and buffer overflows. NextStd uses ns_string, which handles it's own memory and utilizes Small String Optimization (SSO)

int main() {
  // Strings under 24 bytes are allocated directly on the Stack
  ns_string short_str = ns_string_new("Hello");

  // Strings larger than 24 bytes seamlessly move to the heap
  ns_string long_str = ns_string_new("This is a long string and it is very long");

  ns_println(short_str);
  ns_println(long_str);

  // Safely drops memory (Preventing double-frees)
  ns_string_free(&short_str);
  ns_string_free(&long_str);

  return 0;
}

Important

ns_read() cannot handle ns_string() for now. This will be added in future versions