Creating a spellchecker

**warny_maelstrom** · 03-03-2004

Im trying to create a spellchecker, iv created a reference file containing a list of words. I need to be able to check text files against this and if the words are incorrect i want to b able to print these to a new file including the line it appears on and any words it actually could b. This is wot iv got so far, its not much coz im getting really confused:

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>
char** allocate(int str_length)
        {
        char** word_store;
        word_store = (char**)(malloc(str_length*sizeof(char*)));
        return word_store;
        }

void de_allocate(char** word_store, int str_length)
        {
        int i;
        for (i=0; i<=str_length; i++)
        free(word_store[i]);
        free(word_store);
        }

int main(void)
        {
        char buffer[100];
        char** word_store;
        int space=0, words=0;
        FILE* in_file;


        if((in_file=fopen("textfile.txt","r"))==NULL)   /*opening the file as named*/
        printf("File open failed\n");

        while(1)
                {
                if(fgets(buffer,100,in_file)==NULL) break;      /*scanning the file using buffer as temp store,
                                                          max of 100 characters per line*/
                while(1)
                        {
                        if(isspace(buffer))                     /*if buffer is a space, increment 'space' which*/
                        space++;                                        /*will then give a number of words in the file*/
                        printf("%d ",space);
                        if(buffer == EOF) break;      /*this is where i got really confused*/

                /*think i need to call on the allocate function here, then move on to scan
                in the seperate words and store them into word_store*/

                }
                /*{
                sscanf(buffer, "%s", word_store[]);
                words++;
                }*/

        }
        fclose(in_file);



        return 0;
}

**Salem** · 03-03-2004

In main, you have

Code:

while ( fgets( buffer, sizeof buffer, in_file ) != NULL ) {
  extract_words( buffer );
}

Now write a function called extract_words

Code:

void extract_words ( char *buffer ) {
  char word[100];
  while ( /* some condition */ ) {
    /* some code */
    printf( "Word=%s\n", word );
  }
}

When you're reliably printing words, then you can replace the
printf( "Word=%s\n", word );
with
spell_check( word );

And so on, until the program is complete.

In the meantime, you can also do

Code:

int main ( ) {
    spell_check( "good" );
    spell_check( "zoig" );
    return 0;
}

To allow you to test and debug the spelling checker without flooding your tests with a bunch of words from the file.

**warny_maelstrom** · 03-04-2004

Iv started writing the program again from stratch but im having problems coz i dont know how to use fgets to take in a line/word from a file.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
char line[40][1];
int r,c;
        {
        FILE *game;   
        printf("Opening file...\n");
        if((game=fopen("reference.txt","r"))!=NULL) 
                {
                printf ("File open\n\n");
                for(r=0;r<40;r++)    
                        {
                        for(c=0;c<1;c++)  
                                {
                                fscanf(game,"%c",&line[r][c]);//need to use fgets here but cant get it to work//
                                printf("%c",line[r][c]);       
                                } 
                        } 
                printf("\n");
                }
        else printf ("Error: File could not be opened\n");
        }
}

**Salem** · 03-04-2004

> i dont know how to use fgets to take in a line/word from a file
I just showed you how to do it!!!

Code:

// copies file to stdout
while ( fgets( buffer, sizeof buffer, in_file ) != NULL ) {
  puts( buffer );
}

**Sebastiani** · 03-04-2004

>> coz i dont know how to use fgets to take in a line/word from a file.

So download some documentation and study it, for christ sake! That's what it's there for.

Perhaps you should actually *read* Salem's posts, by the way:

>> while ( fgets( buffer, sizeof buffer, in_file ) != NULL )

C'mon, now!

[edit]
I'm way too slow.

[/edit]

**warny_maelstrom** · 03-04-2004

Ok laziness on my part partly over, iv managed to find out how to read a single line from a file but i really have no clue how to seperate each word and iv actually bothered searchin for this one properly, sry for my lack of effort:

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
int main() 
        {
        FILE *ref;
        char line[100]; 
        ref = fopen ("reference.txt", "r");
        fgets (line, sizeof(line),ref);
        puts(line);
        fclose(ref);
        }

**Salem** · 03-04-2004

Try a for loop examining each char in the string
Eg

Code:

for ( i = 0 ; buffer[i] != '\0' ; i++ ) {
    if ( buffer[i] == ' ' ) {
        // found a word?
    }
}

Given your apparent difficulty over this, where did you get allocate() and de_allocate() from?

**warny_maelstrom** · 03-04-2004

The original code isnt mine but a friend who is trying to write the program im just trying to help. I thought it might b good practise seeing as i might b taking up programming at university. I rewrote the code seeing as it wasnt my own work so i wasnt sure exactly wot was goin on and id prefer to get it step by step. Iv done a bit of programming but mostly winio, i havnt really read from text files, iv read binary code to create a basic game but thats about it to do with fgets().

**Hammer** · 03-04-2004

Another example is in the FAQ

**Draco** · 03-04-2004

for etiquette and courtesy to the others on this board, please bother to write full words in your posts.

**warny_maelstrom** · 03-04-2004

Originally posted by Draco
for etiquette and courtesy to the others on this board, please bother to write full words in your posts.

Draco are u refering to me or Hammer, and seeing as Hammer has so many posts im assuming that my abbrevaiting certain words offends u. Its not a case of courtesy seeing as everyone can easily understand my english and it doesnt cause anyone discomfort or great offence. I cant see y, i miss out apostrophes on words and i miss letters out so words appear as "b", instead of "be" or i write "wot" instead of "what", i have lots of friends some whos first or second language isnt english and they still manage to understand me. Writing like this is how i show my personality. If my grammar and use of words is such a problem id prefer not to use this forum rather than change the way i type.
As i just looked through the posts on my thread only i noticed that not everyones grammar was perfect and abbreviations that couldnt b found in the Oxford dictionary were used.

**Draco** · 03-05-2004

nevermind, you completely miss the point. It isnt even a point of offense. 'Express' yourself and your personality in your typing however you like.

**Helios** · 03-11-2004

intreguing point....

**WaltP** · 03-12-2004

Originally posted by Helios
intreguing point....

And I completely agree with Draco.

Misspelling happens.
English as a Second Language causes interesting spelling and phrases.
But abbreviating 4 t sake o bein lzy iz difrnt. ths isnt aol msnger

We appreciate not having to decipher these messages.

**adrianxw** · 03-12-2004

I think Walt has already made the point, but I'll make it again, abbreviating a word that is "obvious" to a native English speaker can send a lot of people, who have the good grace to help, scurrying for a dictionary in case it is a word they should know.

There are an awful lot of people that help out around here do not have English as their first language.

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