C++ database help

[saik]

Okay..here is my problem. I have to write a program that will ask the user where their database name is. It will then make a system call and check to see if there is a folder with that name, if there isn't..then it will create 2 new (binary format) files called relcat and attrcat.

Now, each file is a database. Relcat will contain 2 entries...1 about itself and one about attrcat.
The other is attrcat..which will contain 12 entries...6 of itself and 6 of relcat.

Now, each will have it's own class with the structures

relcat( char relname[20], int reclength, int attrcount, int reccount, int sortfield, char format)

attrcat( int attrnum, int attroffset, int attrlength, char attrtype, char attrname[20], char relname[20])


http://sulimo.tusculum.edu/%7Eron/fi...tWorkSheet.htm
looks sorta like that

Each file will be a fixed length record with those structs as the guidelines. However, I can't figure out how the structs are supposed to help me.
I just can't figure out how to make the tables dynamic...such as...record count just go up as relcat gains rows, and the attrcat info in relcat should go up as the attrcat table gains info. Soo..rec count in relcat should eventually be 2 and 12 in attrcat.

I don't see how I'm supposed to get all of that information put in without hardcoding it all so that the format is right.

Any help is appreciated =/

[WDT]

If your problem rests with dynamic allocation of memory then you may want to look at employing the STL's vector class. Other than that I can't try to help ya without looking at something you've done so far.
And good luck with it. I can't say I fully get what you're trying to explain.

[manofsteel972]

If you create a structure of the fixed length records you will have a way to read and write the records to the binary file. You simply load the structure with the data you want to write to the file then write the structure to the file. If you want to read a record from teh file you simply load the structure from the binary file. If you want to look up examples try searching google for "using structures to read binary files" or you can look at this sites
http://www.technology.niagarac.on.ca...es/binary.html

http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~stevej/...nary-files.pdf

[saik]

Thanks guys, I ended up figuring it out a lot of it on my own before I got a reply. Heh, I basically ended up saying "Screw the functions...I'll just do it all in main! I'll practice good design when good design doesn't mean stuff NOT WORKING FOR NO REASON! :mad"

However, my issue now is with system calls.
Here's what I need to do.

I need to do stuff in this order:
1. Get in a user input for a database name ie: Trip
2. Make the directory using a system command:
Sample of my code:
char dbname[80], systemcall[80];
cin>>dbname;
strcpy(systemcall, "mkdir ");
strcat(systemcall, dbname);

strcpy(systemcall, "cd ")
strcat(systemcall, dbname);

Basically copy "mkdir " to system call, then append the name the user typed in to it. That makes the dir fine, then CD into it.

3. After I make the directory, I have to CD into it and check to see if 2 files are there. IF they are, the database already exists, if they aren't, it isn't so I make a new one.
(Problem is, I CD into the directory, but it checks for the files in the previous directory like I'd never called system at all.)

Any advice on how to get around this problem would be appreciated. I have to check for files in the new directory, not the home one.