#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdarg.h>

void argfunction(char *howmany, ...);

int main(void) {
        argfunction("abc", "atext", "btext", "ctext");
        return(0);
}

void argfunction(char *howmany, ...)
{
        int n=0;
        // Never forget the NULLs, they convert mysterious "why" errors
        //  into "oh, I forgot to assign X" errors
        char *host=NULL, *user=NULL, *pass=NULL, *port=NULL;
        int argc=0;
        char *argv[16];
        va_list ap; // IIRC ap should always be the very last variable declared in a function.
        va_start(ap, howmany);

        argv[0]=""; // just tradition, argv[0] in main() is not an argument

        // checks howmany[0], assigns argv[1].
        // checks howmany[1], assigs argv[2], etc.
        while((argc<(16-2))&&howmany[argc++]) argv[argc]=va_arg(ap, char *);

        argv[argc]=NULL;         // Also traditional that argv[argc] be NULL.

        va_end(ap);

        printf("Howmany is: %s\n", howmany);
        printf("Arguments are:\n");
        for(n=1; n<argc; n++)
                printf("\t%d\t%s\n", n, argv[n]);

        optind=1; // This is global, so reset it

        // You now have argv, argc, and optind just like main to feed getopt with.
}