Matrix help

[emj83]

I am trying (unsuccessfully!) to code the game of life for an assignment, I am very new to C programming and am finding it very difficult.

I am at the part where the program needs to count how many cells are live/dead and I thought it would be a good idea to surround the initial matrix with 0's in order to count the dead/live cells at the edge.

can anyone help me do this?

My initial matrix is generated as below, after many user inputs:

printf("Initial matrix :\n");
	for (i=1; i<=n; i++)
	{
	for (j=1; j<=p; j++)
	{
/*Begins loop to fill the matrix with 0's and 1's*/
	
	v[i][j] = rand()%2;
	printf("%d\t", v[i][j]);
	}
/*Prints the matrix, 1's for live cells and 0 for dead cells, with the title initial matrix*/
	printf("\n");
	}

Thanks in advance.

[emj83]

I have succeeded by using

for(j=0;j<=p+1;j++)
        v[0][j]=v[p+1][j]=0;

    for(i=0;i<=n;i++)
        v[i][0]=v[i][n+1]=0;

[death_oclock]

A better idea, why not just include edge checking code when you count the neighbors? An if statement or two with a simple little condition(s). That way you don't have to start your array at index '1', therefore making it much simpler (especially to someone reading your code, ie. teacher).

[WaltP]

I'm not sure how adding if statements for edge checking makes the code simpler. In my experience, additional code always complicates, rarely simplifies, readability.

[death_oclock]

But it is an alternative to adding a 0 border around the main grid. To me, edge checking would make more sense.