need help with writing to text file / reading from text file

Hi,

I have an array of structures allowing user to enter info on 5 stocks. I have calculated initial cost, current cost, and profit. I have also bubble sorted the array of structures alphabetically by stock name and printed sorted array.

PROBLEM: I'm trying to save array of structures to a text file, retrieve it and then print the text file. I've successfully saved to the text file, but when I have the program retrieve the text file and print out the file, I get a problem. Why is the purchase date always being changed to "purchase" instead of staying as the date that is correctly listed in the text file?

Code:

#include<stdio.h>
#include<string.h>
#define SIZE 5

struct Stock
{
	char stock_name[9], purchase_date[9];
	int num_shares;
	float buying_price, current_price, yearly_fees, initial_cost, current_cost, profit;
};

void load(struct Stock s[], int n)
{
	for(int i=0; i<n; i++)
	{
		printf("Enter stock name: ");
		gets(s[i].stock_name);
	
		printf("Enter purchase date: ");
		gets(s[i].purchase_date);

		printf("Enter number of shares: ");
		scanf("%d", &s[i].num_shares);

		printf("Enter buying price per share: ");
		scanf("%f", &s[i].buying_price);

		printf("Enter current price per share: ");
		scanf("%f", &s[i].current_price);

		printf("Enter yearly fees: ");
		scanf("%f", &s[i].yearly_fees);
		
		printf("\n");
		
		s[i].initial_cost = s[i].num_shares * s[i].buying_price;
		s[i].current_cost = s[i].num_shares * s[i].current_price;
		s[i].profit = s[i].current_cost - s[i].initial_cost - s[i].yearly_fees;	

		fflush(stdin);
	}
}

void sortStock(Stock s[], int n)
{
	int i, j;
	char t[9];

	for(i=0; i<n-1; i++)
		for(j=0; j<n-1; j++)
			if (strcmp(s[j].stock_name, s[j+1].stock_name)>0)
			{
				strcpy(t, s[j].stock_name);
				strcpy(s[j].stock_name, s[j+1].stock_name);
				strcpy(s[j+1].stock_name, t);
			}
}

void saveText(Stock s[], int n)
{
	int j;
	FILE *f;
	f=fopen("c:\\stock_data.txt","w");
	
	for(j=0; j<n; j++)
	{
		fprintf(f, "%s\n", s[j].stock_name);
		fprintf(f, "Purchase Date: %s\n", s[j].purchase_date);
		fprintf(f, "Intial Cost: $%0.2f\n", s[j].initial_cost);
		fprintf(f, "Current Cost: $%0.2f\n", s[j].current_cost);
		fprintf(f, "Profit: $%0.2f\n\n", s[j].profit);
	}

	fclose(f);
}

void retText(struct Stock s[], int n)
{
	FILE *f;
	int j;
	
	f=fopen("c:\\stock_data.txt","r");
	for(j=0; j<n; j++)
	{
		fgets(s[j].stock_name, sizeof(s[j].stock_name), f);
		fgets(s[j].purchase_date, sizeof(s[j].purchase_date),f);
		fscanf(f, "%f %f %f\n", s[j].initial_cost, s[j].current_cost, s[j].profit);		
	} 

	fclose(f);
}
void print(Stock s[], int n)
{
	for(int j=0; j<n; j++)
	{
		printf("Stock Name: %s", s[j].stock_name);
		printf("\nPurchase Date: %s\n", s[j].purchase_date);
		printf("Initial Cost: $%0.2f\n", s[j].initial_cost);
		printf("Current Cost: $%0.2f\n", s[j].current_cost);
		printf("Profit: $%0.2f\n\n", s[j].profit);
	}
}

void main()
{
	Stock s[SIZE];
	load(s, SIZE);

	sortStock(s, SIZE); 
	print(s, SIZE);

	saveText(s, SIZE);
	retText(s, SIZE);
	print(s, SIZE);
}

Because you print "purchase" to the file. So when you read it in....

Originally Posted by tabstop

Because you print "purchase" to the file. So when you read it in....

I believe the error lies in the following statements in my code: fgets(s[j].purchase_date, sizeof(s[j].purchase_date),f); and printf("\nPurchase Date: %s\n", s[j].purchase_date);


But it looks ok to me, so I'm a little lost on how best to fix the issue here,, I want to keep that print function as is, because it works fine to printout the the results of the bubblesort.

This results in undefined behaviour:

Code:

fflush(stdin);

That should never appear in a legal C program. It probably does not account for your problem, but as the term "undefined behavior" implies, once introduced, it becomes impossible to say why anything has gone wrong. You need to read this:

STDIN pitfalls

Also, contemplate:

Code:

		fprintf(f, "Purchase Date: %s\n", s[j].purchase_date);
     [.........]
		fgets(s[j].purchase_date, sizeof(s[j].purchase_date),f);

Originally Posted by MK27

This results in undefined behaviour:

Code:

fflush(stdin);

That should never appear in a legal C program. It probably does not account for your problem, but as the term "undefined behavior" implies, once introduced, it becomes impossible to say why anything has gone wrong. You need to read this:

STDIN pitfalls

Also, contemplate:

Code:

		fprintf(f, "Purchase Date: %s\n", s[j].purchase_date);
     [.........]
		fgets(s[j].purchase_date, sizeof(s[j].purchase_date),f);

thank you for the fflush(stdin) tip. And ok, I'll check the thing you highlighted, I guess fprint is printing out the word "purchase" to textfile and fgets is reading that same word out of the textfile. Maybe I should just remove the words "purchase date".

#1

Code:

void load(struct Stock s[], int n)
{
    for(int i=0; i<n; i++)
    {
        printf("Enter stock name: ");
        gets(s[i].stock_name);
	
        printf("Enter purchase date: ");
        gets(s[i].purchase_date);

        ...
    }
}

There are better choices than gets. You are already using fgets elsewhere so why not everywhere else?



#2

Code:

void main()

Ugh.



#3

Code:

void sortStock(Stock s[], int n)
{
    int i, j;
    char t[9];

    for(i=0; i<n-1; i++)
        for(j=0; j<n-1; j++)
            if (strcmp(s[j].stock_name, s[j+1].stock_name)>0)
            {
                strcpy(t, s[j].stock_name);
                strcpy(s[j].stock_name, s[j+1].stock_name);
                strcpy(s[j+1].stock_name, t);
            }
}

All you do is manage to order around the stock names. No sorting of the other data - dates, prices, fees, etc - occurs at all here so your data isn't synch'd after sorting.

@hk_mp5kpdw, I'm supposed to have the program print out all of the stock data for each stock and the order printed out will be in alphabetical order on the name. So, what would I have to do in that case?

@ MK27, after removing the words "Purchase Date" in that printf and I run the program again, it runs fine up to the point where it gets to the point where "fscanf(f, "%f %f %f\n", s[j].initial_cost, s[j].current_cost, s[j].profit);" comes in and the app crashes. That is what the Visual C++ 2008 express's debugger tells me is where the program stops.

Anybody know why I'm getting that problem?

Since you are using the debugger check what the value of j is at that point (eg, whether this happens the first time, or subsequently).

Originally Posted by MK27

Since you are using the debugger check what the value of j is at that point (eg, whether this happens the first time, or subsequently).

ok, I tested when I change the SIZE to 1, no error. But when I have 2 or more, I get an error.

when I have SIZE as 1, I can get something like the following as output (click on links to see the screenshots):

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3556/cmd1.jpg Why all the extra spaces in the printout just before the press any key to continue text?

when I have SIZE as 2, I see that J is at 1, and the following appears, as per the debugger:

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4773/cmd2.jpg


Also, I'm wondering when hk_mp5kpdw said
"All you do is manage to order around the stock names. No sorting of the other data - dates, prices, fees, etc - occurs at all here so your data isn't synch'd after sorting."

I'm supposed to have the program print out all of the stock data for each stock and the order printed out will be in alphabetical order on the name. I think I did that, unless I need to do something else too?