I am having this problem were the user types in a substring to search in the main string and replace it with another string
for example:
string: hello
sub string: el
replace: i
should print this: hillo
I tried using some string functions but I am having problems with that. If anyone has a good way to approach this please share.
Thank you!
Posting what you've attempted would be helpful to be helpful.
this is what I have:
This is the output I am getting:Code:for(i = (loc - theString); i < strlen(theString); i++) { for(j = 0; j < strlen(searchFor); j++) { printf("\nthe start:%c\n", *(theString + i)); if((counter) < strlen(replace)) *(theString + i) = *(replace + j); if((counter <= strlen(searchFor) && counter >= strlen(replace))) { differenceMover = strlen(searchFor) - strlen (replace); printf("%c\n", *(theString + i)); if(*(theString + i - differenceMover) == '@') { *(theString + i - differenceMover) = * (theString + i); *(theString + i) = '@'; } else *(theString + i) = *(theString + i + differenceMover); if(i + differenceMover < strlen(theString)) *(theString + i + differenceMover) = '@'; } if(counter >= strlen(searchFor)) { printf("end of loop\n"); i = strlen(theString); } else { i++; counter++; } } }
string: hello
search: ll
replace: i
hilio@
Can you post all the code as there are many variables undeclared and no main?
Also: Next time you post code, make sure it is formatted or the big names who can really help won't bother.
You seem to be over-complicating things by dereferencing all the characters using pointers and such. By referring to the strings as arrays, it becomes much more natural due to the use of indexes.
Here's a link to some source code that might help give you somewhere to start ( I would recommend starting over ).
Edit: Forgot the link!! C Replace String
Last edited by jwroblewski44; 02-24-2013 at 02:08 AM.
Edit: I just noticed that your initial post had the wrong output as the stated goal. If "el" is to be removed, the ending string wouldn't be "hillo", but "hilo", since only one el would remain.
Looking at the problem:
The "normal" way to locate a sub string in a string, is to use strstr() (so include string.h of course). strstr() will find the target string, and return an address to the first char of the target string - so 'e''s address will be returned.string: hello
sub string: el
replace: i
should print this: hillo <==== should be "hilo"
Now it all becomes clearer:
1) use a char *pchr to "catch" the returned address of strstr().
2) move the "tail" end (the part of the string to the right side of the *pchr, into a temp char array, for safe keeping. In this example it would be the "ello", on the end of hello, that would be moved.
3) starting at pchr, copy your replacement char(s), into the string, and put an end of string char on the end of it: '\0'.
4) strcat() the part you moved, back to the end of the string, starting at the address *after* the strlen() of the removal array.
The thing with this kind of a problem, is you have to print out the strings you're working with, in the code, and then add the getchar() so you can see what's going on, EXACTLY. Using a debugger is even better, and watching the values as you step through the program.
You have the right idea, but you got caught up in the complications. The above is probably also not perfect, but think of a string - your program is going to snip it in two, add a segment of string, and remove an adjacent segment of string, and then rejoin the parts in order.
Try to keep everything as simple as you can, so you can visualize just what the program is doing, easier.
Last edited by Adak; 02-24-2013 at 02:50 AM.
I kind of fixed the issue buy deleting all that and using one for loop.
Sorry that I did not provide the full code, this was a small portion of my program and did not want to put it all here.
Also is it better to use string functions or if statments and for loops? I thought it did not matter but not sure if one was faster to run then the other.
No worries - and welcome to the forum, plot!
For a few explicit char's - hard to beat just doing it yourself. For a large scale move, it's hard to beat the standard library, and of course, that minimizes the chances of an error in your code, as well as making it shorter and easier for others to understand, as well.
I just happened to do this exercise, and then when the link to the program from India was posted, I checked it out - lots of similarities, but the Indian code used sprinf() which I didn't, and gained a bit more clarity, by doing so.
