Variable length

[182]

Hey guys, I am creating a console program that analyses txt files and one txt file contains some c++ source code and I was wondering if there is a variable called int test is there any way i can count the length of the variable name in this case 4 as test is 4 characters?

I was also wondering is there an easy way for the program to notice the different between an int variable and an int function in this case?

Thanks for any advice.

[Magos]

1:

Entirely depends on how you do it, but if you have the variable name in an std::string use:

std::string VariableName;

File >> VariableName; //Read the variable name somehow
int Length = VariableName.size(); //Get the size of the variable name

2:

functions have a parameter list (brackets: ( ) ). Of course you'll need some kind of look-ahead to find these. One simple (and perhaps not too safe) way of doing this is to read an extra character, if it's a ( then it's a function, if it's a ; or = it's a variable.

[182]

Hi thanks for your reply, to read the variable name in a char array would it still be possible to count the length?

[Magos]

std::strlen(), assuming it's NULL terminated.

[Magos]

What are you trying to do? I get the feeling you're attempting to write a whole C-parser which is a very VERY huge undertaking.

EDIT: Hey, where did his reply go? :/

[182]

Hey thanks again for your reply (don't know where the other guys went) im not trying to write a whole C parser I would just like a method of finding the length of a variable name using an array and being able to tell the difference between an int variable and an int function.

But i've only been doing programming for about a year in my spare time so im not very good at it, so im not sure where to begin with this aspect of the program.

I will have a go playing around with the arrays and post up what I get.

[OnionKnight]

Function identifiers are followed by parentheses at declaration.

[Anddos]

use a char array[] , then you can access each char

[dwks]

I have a feeling several posts got deleted.

Function identifiers are followed by parentheses at declaration.

If you're not careful you might get tripped up by things like this:

int x(3);

Or this:

int function
    (void);

[7stud]

Hi,

I don't think anyone has addressed your question yet:

is there any way i can count the length of the variable name

The previous posts spelled out ways to count the length of what's stored in the variable--not a way to count the length of the variable name itself.

As far as I know, there is no way to determine the length of a variable name in C++.

I was also wondering is there an easy way for the program to notice the different between an int variable and an int function in this case?

It sounds like you want to write a program that examines it's own C++ code. I've never heard of that before.

You can write a program that examines some text in a text file. Then you can count the length of words in that file, or make up some rules as to what series of characters constitutes a function v. a variable name.