Thread: unable to save a column element into dynamically memory allocated array

I am trying to store each value of a column from a text file into an dynamically allocated array, which needs to be globally declared for further usage in the program.
The input textfile contains the following: 34932\t13854\t13854\t2012-01-07\r 172098\t49418\t53269\t2012-01-07\r
I have written the following code:

Code:

#include<stdio.h>
#include<stdlib.h>
#include<string.h>

int main()
{
    FILE *int_file1;
    int BUF = 1024;
    
    char first_col[BUF],sec_col[BUF],third_col[BUF],fourth_col[BUF];
    
    int index=0,i=0;


    char *array1=malloc(10*sizeof(char));
        
    int_file1=fopen("test.txt","r");


    if(int_file1 == NULL)
    {
        perror("Error while opening the file.\n");
    }
    else
    {
        while(fscanf(int_file1,"%[^\t]\t%[^\t]\t%[^\t]\t%[^\n]",first_col,sec_col,third_col,fourth_col) == 4)
        {
//            printf("%s",first_col);
            array1=realloc(array1,strlen(first_col)+1);
            array1[index]=first_col;
            index++;
        }
     }
    
    fclose(int_file1);    
    
    printf("%s",array1[1]);


    return 0;
}

The commented printf line gives the entire values of the column, which proves that the file is correctly being read.
But on compiling this program I get both compiler warnings and finally segmentation fault.
Please suggest where I am getting it wrong.

Apologies for not pasting the compiler errors.

I expect "172098" as the output of this program and I have considered it to be as a string. Initially, I had run the same program without the use of malloc and realloc and it ran fine. So, is the problem actually with the declaration type??

My earlier code was:

Code:

#include<stdio.h>
#include<stdlib.h>
#include<string.h>


int main()
{
    FILE *int_file1;
    int BUF = 1024;
    
    char first_col[BUF],sec_col[BUF],third_col[BUF],fourth_col[BUF];
    
    int index=0,i=0;


    char *array1[BUF];
        
    int_file1=fopen("test.txt","r");


    if(int_file1 == NULL)
    {
        perror("Error while opening the file.\n");
    }
    else
    {
        while(fscanf(int_file1,"%[^\t]\t%[^\t]\t%[^\t]\t%[^\n]",first_col,sec_col,third_col,fourth_col) == 4)
        {
//            printf("%s",first_col);
            array1[index]=malloc(strlen(first_col)+1);
            strcpy(array1[index],first_col);
            index++;
        }
     }
    
    fclose(int_file1);    


    printf("%s",array1[1]);


    return 0;
}

In your second code, array1 is an array of strings (it is of type array-of-pointer-to-char). In your first code, array1 is a string (it is of type pointer-to-char).

When doing dynamic memory, we often exploit the "feature" that arrays can decay to pointers, so our array of strings can decay into pointer-to-pointer-to-char.

> So, is the problem actually with the declaration type??
Assuming you're talking about the declaration of array1, then yes.

Note that in your earlier code, array1 is an array of pointer to char, thus array1[index] is a pointer to char -- which you then assign to the return value of malloc making it point to a sufficiently large group of bytes to store the copy of first_col.

In your later code, array1 is simply a char *. Thus each element is a single char, which is not sufficient for holding a copy of an entire string (i.e. first_col). You need the following:

Code:

char **array1;

That declares array1 as a pointer to pointer to char. Then you malloc N number of pointers to char, which is how many strings you want to store (how many lines from the file you are reading in). Each item, such as array1[index] is a pointer to char, which you can assign the return value from malloc and then copy into. If you need more lines, you can use realloc on array1.

Thanks a lot for the clarification and the patience in explaining the complicated stuff.. Though my program is not yet done but I think I better get some reading on textbooks on pointers before proceeding further. Thanks anyways!!