C Academy · Lesson

Function Pointer Tables

Dispatch patterns.

Lesson 4 of 413 steps

Function Pointer Tables is a free C Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the C Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The C Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

Tables of Functions

You can store function pointers in an array to build a dispatch table. An index or code selects which function to run, replacing long if-else or switch chains.

#include <stdio.h>

int add(int a, int b) { return a + b; }
int sub(int a, int b) { return a - b; }

int main(void) {
    int (*ops[2])(int,int) = { add, sub };
    printf("%d\n", ops[0](5, 3));
    printf("%d\n", ops[1](5, 3));
    return 0;
}

Indexing the Table

Pick an operation at runtime by indexing the array. The index can come from user input or program state.

#include <stdio.h>

int mul(int a, int b) { return a * b; }
int add(int a, int b) { return a + b; }

int main(void) {
    int (*ops[2])(int,int) = { add, mul };
    int choice = 1;
    printf("%d\n", ops[choice](6, 7));
    return 0;
}

Replacing a switch

A dispatch table is often cleaner than a switch when each case just calls a function.

#include <stdio.h>

void start(void) { printf("start\n"); }
void stop(void)  { printf("stop\n"); }
void pause(void) { printf("pause\n"); }

int main(void) {
    void (*table[3])(void) = { start, stop, pause };
    for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) table[i]();
    return 0;
}

typedef Tidies the Table

Using a typedef for the function pointer type makes the table declaration short and readable.

#include <stdio.h>

typedef int (*BinOp)(int,int);

int add(int a, int b) { return a + b; }
int sub(int a, int b) { return a - b; }

int main(void) {
    BinOp ops[] = { add, sub };
    printf("%d\n", ops[0](10, 4));
    return 0;
}

Mapping Symbols to Functions

Pair each operator symbol with its function in parallel arrays or a struct table to look up by name.

#include <stdio.h>

typedef int (*BinOp)(int,int);

int add(int a, int b){return a+b;}
int sub(int a, int b){return a-b;}

int main(void) {
    char syms[] = {'+', '-'};
    BinOp ops[] = { add, sub };
    char want = '-';
    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++)
        if (syms[i] == want) printf("%d\n", ops[i](9, 2));
    return 0;
}

A Struct-Based Command Table

Bundle a name and a handler in a struct, then make an array of them. This is the classic command table pattern.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

typedef struct {
    const char *name;
    void (*run)(void);
} Command;

void hello(void){printf("hi\n");}
void bye(void){printf("bye\n");}

int main(void) {
    Command cmds[] = {{"hello", hello}, {"bye", bye}};
    const char *input = "bye";
    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++)
        if (strcmp(cmds[i].name, input) == 0) cmds[i].run();
    return 0;
}

Bounds Checking

Always validate the index before calling through the table to avoid reading past the array.

#include <stdio.h>

typedef int (*Fn)(int);
int sq(int x){return x*x;}
int neg(int x){return -x;}

int main(void) {
    Fn table[] = { sq, neg };
    int n = 2;
    int idx = 5;
    if (idx >= 0 && idx < n) printf("%d\n", table[idx](3));
    else printf("index out of range\n");
    return 0;
}

State Machines

Dispatch tables drive state machines: each state is a function pointer, and handlers return the next state index.

#include <stdio.h>

int state_a(void){ printf("A\n"); return 1; }
int state_b(void){ printf("B\n"); return -1; }

int main(void) {
    int (*states[2])(void) = { state_a, state_b };
    int s = 0;
    while (s >= 0) s = states[s]();
    return 0;
}

Plugin-Like Dispatch

By registering handlers in a table, new behavior can be added by appending an entry rather than editing a big switch.

#include <stdio.h>

typedef void (*Handler)(int);
void log_low(int v){printf("low %d\n", v);}
void log_high(int v){printf("high %d\n", v);}

int main(void) {
    Handler handlers[] = { log_low, log_high };
    int level = 1;
    handlers[level](7);
    return 0;
}

Default Handler

Reserve one slot or a fallback pointer for unknown codes so dispatch never fails silently.

#include <stdio.h>

typedef void (*Fn)(void);
void known(void){printf("known\n");}
void fallback(void){printf("unknown command\n");}

int main(void) {
    Fn table[] = { known };
    int n = 1, code = 9;
    Fn f = (code >= 0 && code < n) ? table[code] : fallback;
    f();
    return 0;
}

Why Tables Scale

Dispatch tables turn branching logic into a data lookup. Adding cases means adding data, which keeps code flat and fast.

#include <stdio.h>

typedef int (*Fn)(int);
int a(int x){return x+1;}
int b(int x){return x*2;}
int c(int x){return x*x;}

int main(void) {
    Fn t[] = { a, b, c };
    for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) printf("%d ", t[i](4));
    printf("\n");
    return 0;
}

Quick Check

Test your understanding of function pointer tables.

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap

You learned dispatch patterns with function pointer tables:

Store function pointers in an array and select by index.
They replace long switch chains and scale by adding data.
Use typedef and struct command tables for clarity.
Always bounds-check the index and provide a default handler.

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