Question

/* write a program to sort names entered in an array in ascending order */
When i enter the names into the array the program halts .Anyone knows why?

#include<stdio.h>
#include<string.h>
void main(void)
{
/*  write a program to sort names entered in an array in ascending order */
    int in,out,i,x;
    char temp[30],string2d[5][30];
    printf("ENTER NAMES IN THE ARRAY:");
    for(i=0;i<5 ;i++)
    {
        gets(string2d[i]);
    }
        for(out=0;out<5-1;out++)
        {
            for(in=out+1;out<5;in++)
            {
                x=strcmpi(string2d[out],string2d[in]);
                if(x>1)
                {
                    strcmpi(temp,string2d[out]);
                    strcmpi(string2d[out],string2d[in]);
                    strcmpi(string2d[in],temp);
                }
            }
        }

    for(i=0;i<5;i++)
    {
        puts(string2d[i]);
    }
    getch();
}

i have seen the comments and made changes to the real program but the program still loops between the in loop and the i

Answer 1

I suspect the infinite loop:

for(in=out+1;out<5;in++)
{
    x=strcmpi(string2d[out],string2d[in]);
    if(x>1)
    {
        strcmpi(temp,string2d[out]);
        strcmpi(string2d[out],string2d[in]);
        strcmpi(string2d[in],temp);
    }
}

Your loop condition out < 5 is never changed, I suspect you meant in < 5.

Also as previously mentioned, you are probably using strcmpi instead of strcpy.
In addition strcmp* return an integer either lesser than, equal to, or greater than 0, your code compares this against 1