Thread: Help with searching text file

while(!feof(cfile)

do not use feof to control loop - read FAQ

Why are you opening the text file, in append+ mode?

Aren't you just reading the file, from first word to last word?

This is what I think you were setting out to do with your program.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>  //strlen()
#include <ctype.h>   //isalpha()

int main (void)
{
	//declare 
  FILE * cfile;	
  char ch;
  int len, j, i = 0;
  int count = 0;
	
  char target[20]; //the word we are looking for
  char mystring[20] = { '\0' }; //the word from the file

	/*************************************************************
	 working with arrays and strings
	*************************************************************/

   printf("\n\n\n\n"); //clean some space

	/*************************************************************
	 find file, write to it, output the string, end and close file
	**************************************************************/
	
	//define and open text file
  cfile = fopen("blessing.txt", "rt");
	
	//error handling if file does not exist
  if(cfile == NULL) printf("Cannot open file");
	
            // input target
  printf("Enter the target word I'm looking for: ");
  fgets(target, sizeof(target), stdin);
  printf("\nTarget: %s", target);
            //remove the newline fgets() adds, replace it with EOS char
  target[strlen(target) - 1] = '\0'; 
            
  
  for(i = 0; i < strlen(target); i++) //convert target to all lowercase
  {
     if(target[i] >= 'A' && target[i] <='Z')
	target[i] = target[i] + 32; 
  }
  printf("\ntarget: %s", target);

	/*************************************************************
	         parse through file and search for string
	**************************************************************/	
  i = 0; //prime the while "pump"

  while(1) {
    ch=fgetc(cfile);  
    if(ch == EOF)
      break;
    if(isalpha(ch)) {
      mystring[i] = ch;
      ++i;
    }
    else { //we should be at the end of the word
      //so set mystring's word, to all lowercase
      len = strlen(mystring);
      if(len == 0) 
        continue;
      for(j = 0; j <= len; j++) {
        if(mystring[j] >= 'A' && mystring[j] <= 'Z') 
          mystring[j] += ('a' - 'A');
      }
      //add the end of string char
      mystring[i+1] = '\0';
      //show nothing is going awry :)
      printf("\n mystring: %s", mystring);
      //see if the words are a match and count 'em up, if they are.
      if((strcmp(mystring, target)) == 0)
        count++;
      
      //remove the old word
      for(i = 0; i <= len; i++)
        mystring[i] = '\0';
      
      i = 0; //reset i for the next word
    }
  }
  //close file
  fclose(cfile);
	
  //show user file has been written  
  //printf("\nSuccess. File has been written\n");
	
  printf("\n\nYour search '%s' was found %d times \n", target, count);
	
  printf("Press Enter to Continue...");
  j = getchar();
  return 0;
}

I used this phrase, in the file "blessing.txt":
"For food, for raiment, for life and opportunity; for friendship and fellowship, we thank Thee, oh Lord."

It works properly, in limited testing.