Any solution shorter than this ?

[HumbleWorker]

COUNT THE NUMBER OF a IN the sting cX below

PROPOSED SOLUTION IS ->
int main()
{
char cX[] = "ababcabcdabcaba", * k = cX;
int numA = 0;

while (*k && ('a' == *k++ ? ++numA : 1));

printf ("Number of a's = %u\n", numA);

return 0;
}

 

[John Gordon]

COUNT THE NUMBER OF a IN the sting cX below

PROPOSED SOLUTION IS ->
int main()
{
char cX[] = "ababcabcdabcaba", * k = cX;
int numA = 0;

while (*k && ('a' == *k++ ? ++numA : 1));

printf ("Number of a's = %u\n", numA);

return 0;
}

I can't think of a significantly shorter solution, aside from
shenanigans like shortening variable names.

However, from a code clarity viewpoint, the while loop seems gratuitously
complex. This is easier to understand:

for(k = cX; *k; k++)
if (*k == 'a')
numA++;

And of course you haven't included the appropriate headers such as
stdlib.

 

[Ike Naar]

COUNT THE NUMBER OF a IN the sting cX below

PROPOSED SOLUTION IS ->
int main()

int main(void)

{
char cX[] = "ababcabcdabcaba", * k = cX;
int numA = 0;

while (*k && ('a' == *k++ ? ++numA : 1));

while (*k) if ('a' == *k++) ++numA;

 

[Eric Sosman]

COUNT THE NUMBER OF a IN the sting cX below

PROPOSED SOLUTION IS ->
int main()
{
char cX[] = "ababcabcdabcaba", * k = cX;
int numA = 0;

while (*k&& ('a' == *k++ ? ++numA : 1));

printf ("Number of a's = %u\n", numA);

return 0;
}

I can't think of a significantly shorter solution, aside from
shenanigans like shortening variable names.

Shortest I can think of is

#include<stdio.h>
int main(){puts("Number of a's = 6");}

.... but that might fall afoul of the "Letter, not spirit" clause.

However, from a code clarity viewpoint, the while loop seems gratuitously
complex. This is easier to understand:

for(k = cX; *k; k++)
if (*k == 'a')
numA++;

Or even

numA += *k == 'a';

And of course you haven't included the appropriate headers such as
stdlib.

He's missing <stdio.h>, but why would he need <stdlib.h>?

 

[John Gordon]

He's missing <stdio.h>, but why would he need <stdlib.h>?

I rewrote the sample program to return EXIT_SUCCESS instead of 0, and
stdlib is needed for that. But you're right, the sample program doesn't
need it.