Here's a corker for you guys

Ok, I've got a relatively large program here.

The program is that it temporarily populates the main array with an additional element (somehow taken from the last entered element). This temporary element contains one of the variables inputed by the user, but the rest remains blank. It is not saved to the disk. I'm not sure why this is happening, but I wan't to stop it. If anyone can see what's causing it, I'm all ears.

Here's the program:

Code:

#include <iostream.h>
#include <iomanip.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <fstream.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <windows.h>

//Declare Variables

int count = 0; //primary input loop control

struct item  //item information
{
	int identifier;
	char description[10];
	char category;
	double stockval;
};

item data[100] = {0,"",' ',0}; //this is the array that the program uses

//function prototypes
void mainmenu();
void add();
void list();
void catsum();
void exit();

void main()
{
	//open the input file on disk
	ifstream inFile; 
	inFile.open("C:\\stock.dat", ios::in);

	if (!inFile.fail())	
	{	
		while (!inFile.eof())
		{
			inFile >> data[count].identifier;
			inFile.ignore(1);
			inFile.get(data[count].description, 10,'#');
			inFile.ignore(1);
			inFile >> data[count].category;
			inFile.ignore(1);
			inFile >> data[count].stockval;
			inFile.ignore(1);

			count = count++; //increase count for next record
		}

		inFile.close();
		mainmenu(); //launch main menu
	}

	else
	{
		cout << "Error finding or creating file C:info.tb" << endl;
		mainmenu();		
	}
}

void mainmenu() // main menu function
{
	char sel[1];
	int b = 0;

	system("cls"); //clears the screen
	cout << "ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ" << endl;
	//changes the console to display yellow text (just makes it a bit more interesting)
	SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
	cout << "ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ²²²²²²²²²°°°°°°°  STOCK  MAN  °°°°°°°²²²²²²²²²ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ" << endl;
	//changes the console back to the normal grey
	SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_BLUE);
	cout << "ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û  Welcome to Stock Man.                                           Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û  Please refer to the following menu to make your selection:      Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û__________________________________________________________________Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl; 
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û  MAIN MENU:                                                      Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û    1) Add                                                        Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û    2) List All                                                   Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û    3) Category Summary                                           Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û    4) Quit Stock Man                                             Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "Û                                                                  Û" << endl;
	cout << "ßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß" << endl;

	cout << " " << "Your Selection -> ";
		cin >> sel;
		b = atoi(sel);

		do{			
			//Checks for valid integer
			if (b <= 0)
			
			{	cout << endl;			
				cout << " " << "Please enter a valid choice [1 - 4]." << endl << endl;
				cout << " " << "Your Selection -> ";
				
				cin.ignore(100,'\n');
				cin >> sel;
				b = atoi(sel);
			
			}
			else
			{
				if ((b!=1)&&(b!=2)&&(b!=3)&&(b!=4))
				{
					cout << endl;			
					cout << " " << "Please enter a valid choice [1 - 4]." << endl << endl;
					cout << " " << "Your Selection -> ";
					
					cin.ignore(100,'\n');
					cin >> sel;
					b = atoi(sel);

				}
			}
		}while ((b!=1)&&(b!=2)&&(b!=3)&&(b!=4));

		//these are the valid possible choices
			if(b == 1) //Add
				{
					add();
				}
				else
					if(b == 2) //List All
					{
						list();
					}
					else
						if(b == 3) //Category Summary
						{
							catsum();
						}
						else
							if(b == 4) //Exit
							{
								exit();
							}
						cout << endl;
}

void exit() //exit function
{
	system("cls");

	cout << "Thankyou for using Stock Man" << endl;
}

void add() //add function
{
	char a[1];
	int ident = 0; //temp identify variable
	char cat; //temp category variable
	int ok = 0; //error check control
	char stock[10];
	
	system("cls");

	//input identifier
	ok = 0;
	while (ok == 0)
	{
		cout << "Enter Identifier: ";
		cin >> a;
		cin.ignore(100, '\n');
		ident = atoi(a);
	
		//check if identifier is valid
		if ((ident >= 5 && ident <= 53)||(ident >= 100 && ident <= 121))
		{
			data[count].identifier = ident;
			ok = 1;
		}
		else
		{
			cout << endl << "Invalid identifier entered" << endl << endl;
			ok = 0;
		}
	}
	cout << endl;

	cout << "Enter Description: ";
	cin >> data[count].description;
	cin.ignore(100, '\n');
	cout << endl;

	//input category
	ok = 0;
	while (ok == 0)
	{
		cout << "Enter Category: ";
		cin >> cat;
		cin.ignore(100, '\n');
		cat = toupper(cat);
	
		//check if category is valid
		if((cat !='C')&&(cat !='K')&&(cat !='L')&&(cat !='R')&&(cat !='T'))
		{
			cout << endl << "Invalid category entered" << endl << endl;
			ok = 0;
		}
			else
		{
			data[count].category = cat;
			ok = 1;
		}
	}
	cout << endl;

	//input stock value
	ok = 0;
	while (ok == 0)
	{
		cout << "Enter Stock Value: ";
		cin >> stock;
		cin.ignore(100, '\n');
		double c = atof(stock);
	
		//check if stock value is valid
		if ((c < 2.50)||(c > 500))
		{
			cout << endl << "Invalid stock value entered" << endl << endl;
			ok = 0;
		}
		else
		{
			if((data[count].category =='C')||(data[count].category =='K')||(data[count].category =='T'))
			{
				if (c > 200)
				{
					cout << endl << "Stock Value is too high for selected category" << endl << endl;
					ok = 0;
				}
				else
				{
					data[count].stockval = c;
					ok = 1;
				}
			}
			else
			{
				if(data[count].category =='L')		
				{
					if ((c < 200)||(c > 450))
					{
						cout << endl << "Stock Value is outside of valid category range" << endl << endl;
						ok = 0;
					}
					else
					{
						data[count].stockval = c;
						ok = 1;
					}
				}
				else
				{
					data[count].stockval = c;
					ok = 1;
				}
			}
		}
	}
	cout << endl;

	//writes data to file on disk
	ofstream outFile;
	outFile.open("C:\\stock.dat", ios::app);

	if(!outFile.fail())
	{
		outFile << data[count].identifier << '#';
		outFile << data[count].description << '#';
		outFile << data[count].category << '#';
		outFile << data[count].stockval << '#';
		outFile << endl;
				
		outFile.close();
	}
	else
	{
		cout << "error opening file" << endl;
	}
	mainmenu();
}

void list() //list stock function
{
	system("cls");
	count = 0;

	cout << setw(15) << "Identifier:" << setw(16) << "Description:" << setw(13) << "Category:" << setw(16) << "Stock Value:" << endl;
	SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
	cout << "_________________________________________________________________" << endl;
	SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_BLUE);

	//display information for stock list
	while (data[count].identifier != 0)
	{
		cout << setw(15) << data[count].identifier << setw(16) << data[count].description << setw(13) << data[count].category << setw(16) << setprecision(2) << setiosflags(ios::fixed | ios::showpoint) << data[count].stockval << endl;
		count = count++;
	}
	
	cout << "_________________________________________________________________" << endl;

	cout << endl << endl;
	system("pause");
	mainmenu();
}

void catsum() //category summary function
{
	//counters
	int c = 0;
	double ct = 0;
	int k = 0;
	double kt = 0;
	int l = 0;
	double lt = 0;
	int r = 0;
	double rt = 0;
	int t = 0;
	double tt = 0;
	
	system("cls");
	count = 0;

	//open the input file on disk
	ifstream inFile; 
	inFile.open("C:\\stock.dat", ios::in);

	if (!inFile.fail())	
	{	
		while (!inFile.eof())
		{
			data[count].category = toupper(data[count].category);

			if (data[count].category == 'C')
			{
				c = c++;
				ct = data[count].stockval + ct;
			}
			else
			{
				if (data[count].category == 'K')
				{
					k = k++;
					kt = data[count].stockval + kt;
				}
				else
				{
					if (data[count].category == 'L')
					{
						l = l++;
						lt = data[count].stockval + lt;
					}
					else
					{
						if (data[count].category == 'R')
						{
							r = r++;
							rt = data[count].stockval + rt;
						}
						else
						{
							if (data[count].category == 'T')
							{
								t = t++;
								tt = data[count].stockval + tt;
							}
							else
							{
								system("cls");
							}
						}
					}
				}
			}
			//end if

			inFile >> data[count].identifier;
			inFile.ignore(1);
			inFile.get(data[count].description, 10,'#');
			inFile.ignore(1);
			inFile >> data[count].category;
			inFile.ignore(1);
			inFile >> data[count].stockval;
			inFile.ignore(1);

			count = count++; //increase count for next record
		}

		inFile.close();
	}

	else
	{
		cout << "Error finding or creating file C:info.tb" << endl;
	}

	//display the count
	cout << setw(13) << "Category:" << setw(10) << "Count:" << setw(10) << "Value:" << endl;
	SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_INTENSITY);
	cout << "_____________________________________" << endl;
	SetConsoleTextAttribute(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE),FOREGROUND_RED|FOREGROUND_GREEN|FOREGROUND_BLUE);

	cout << setw(8) << "C" << setw(13) << c << setw(12) << setprecision(2) << setiosflags(ios::fixed | ios::showpoint) << ct << endl;
	cout << setw(8) << "K" << setw(13) << k << setw(12) << setprecision(2) << setiosflags(ios::fixed | ios::showpoint) << kt << endl;
	cout << setw(8) << "L" << setw(13) << l << setw(12) << setprecision(2) << setiosflags(ios::fixed | ios::showpoint) << lt << endl;
	cout << setw(8) << "R" << setw(13) << r << setw(12) << setprecision(2) << setiosflags(ios::fixed | ios::showpoint) << rt << endl;
	cout << setw(8) << "T" << setw(13) << t << setw(12) << setprecision(2) << setiosflags(ios::fixed | ios::showpoint) << tt << endl;
	
	cout << "_____________________________________" << endl;

	cout << endl << endl;
	system("pause"); //pause the program to allow you to read report
	mainmenu();
}

You count variable is being incremented an extra time because of the way you are reading the file which is messing up your order. Decrement the count variable by one before your first call to mainmenu() in main and it should work.

If you have a reasonably large piece of code and you're unsure where your error is, it can help to run it through your compilers debugger (if it's got one) and just watch some of the variables.

Zen, don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not a legend.

Thankyou

The bigger problem is how you are using the file. When you write to the file you always have a # sign at the end of every item. BUT you don't want a # at the end of the last file, you want the EOF marker right after the last item. As it is when you read in the item members using getline() with # as the delimiter you do fine until you get to the end of the last item. Then getline() finds the last #, but it still hasn't found EOF yet. It has read in all of the last item, but it hasn't encountered EOF so the loop condition is still true and the entire loop runs again, but what does it read in??? Probably whatever was in the appropriate input buffer from the previous read in, thus causing the duplicate/extra entry at the end.

How to prevent this??? Avoid the # at the end of the last item.

How? By writing each item to file differently. First initialize count to -1. Then increment count before each item is written to (or read from) file. If count is 0 write the first line of data[0] without a preceding # sign and write the # sign before any other data. Otherwise write the # and the new line to the end of the last line of the preceding data[i] before writing the next data[i].

I have to go now. If you want to see code on how to do this post and I will write it if no one else has already.

Thankyou. That appears to have solved the problem. I am forever grateful.