How do I read in a string to an array?

**Hexxx** · 10-31-2003

I have some data
"name of client"
I have to read in the name (it is entered within double quotes) and store it has a string (with 20max characters)
How do I read the name into a string array?

**Salem** · 11-01-2003

Read up on the use of fgets()

**Hexxx** · 11-01-2003

we didn't learn fgets yet.
i only know scanf and getchar()

can they be used?

**Salem** · 11-01-2003

So use what you know and post what you tried then.

**Hexxx** · 11-01-2003

well....I know I have to read in the name between the quotes, and I know that getchar() only reads one character at a time, so how do I get it to read the name (everything within quotes) and put it into a string?

what im trying so far is along the lines of this.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>
void main (void) {
char a;
printf ("enter lines:- ");
a=getname();
printf ("name is %s",a);
}

char getname (void) {
char ch;
char string [21];
ch=getchar();
while (ch!='"') ch=getchar();
if (ch='"') {
	ch=getchar();
	while (ch!='"') scanf ("%s" ,&string);
	}
return string;
	}

**Prelude** · 11-01-2003

How about something more like this:

Code:

void getName ( char *buff, size_t limit )
{
  char ch;
  char *pb = buff;

  while ( ( ch = getchar() ) != '\"' )
    ;
  while ( --limit > 0 && ( ch = getchar() ) != '\"' )
    *pb++ = ch;
  *pb = '\0';
}

**Hexxx** · 11-01-2003

well I don't exactly understand that. and we didn't learn pointers yet, so I shouldn't use them...but can reading the name in be done with scanf and getchar() cause to me it can't be done with getchar() seeing that it only reads one character at a time and I need to read in all the name characters and set it into a string.

by the way, how do I set something to a string? C doesn't have string data types does it...

**quzah** · 11-01-2003

Do you know how to use loops? If you must use getchar, loop until you reach the end of the line, or until you've run out of room in your array. Place the characters one at a time in the array. And no, C doesn't have a 'string' data type.

Quzah.

**Salem** · 11-02-2003

Maybe this, which is a bit like Prelude's code only perhaps within your reach

Code:

#include <stdio.h>

void getname(char string[], int max);

int main(void)
{
    char a[21];
    printf("enter lines:- ");
    getname(a,21);
    printf("name is %s\n", a);
    return 0;
}

void getname(char string[], int max)
{
    int ch;
    int i = 0;

    /* find the " */
    while ( getchar() != '"' );

    /* now copy some chars */
    while ( i < (max-1) && (ch=getchar()) != '"' ) {
        string[i] = ch;
        i = i + 1;
    }
    string[i] = '\0';

    /* find the other " if we didn't already */
    if ( ch != '"' ) {
        while ( getchar() != '"' );
    }
}

**Hexxx** · 11-02-2003

why doesn't this code work?

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>
void main (void) {
void getname();

printf ("enter line:- ");
getname();
}

void getname (void) {
char ch;
char string [21];
ch=getchar();
while (ch!='"') ch=getchar();
if (ch=='"') {
	ch=getchar();
	while (ch!='"') scanf ("%s", &string);
		}
printf ("the name is %s", string);
}

**Salem** · 11-02-2003

> while (ch!='"') scanf ("%s", &string);
This never changes ch
So either it doesn't execute at all, or it executes forever

**Hexxx** · 11-02-2003

ok, I did it over as

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>
void getname(char string[21]);

main () {

char name[21];

printf ("enter line:- ");
getname(name);
printf ("name is %s", name);
}

void getname (char string[21]) {
char ch;
int i=0;
ch=getchar();
while (ch!='"') ch=getchar();
if (ch=='"') {
	ch=getchar();
	while (ch!='"') {
		string[i]=ch;
		i++;
		ch=getchar(); }
		}
string[i]='\0';
}

**Hexxx** · 11-02-2003

Im suppose to let the program stop when the (Data) name entered is "$$$$"

i put

Code:

while (name!='$$$$')

but I get an error "character constant must be one or two characters long" and a warning "Non portable pointer conversion"

how do i make it stop when I enter "$$$$"?

**Prelude** · 11-02-2003

Any length of characters that doesn't represent an escape character is a string, you need to use double quotes. And since you can't compare strings with the equality operators, include the string.h header and do this:

Code:

while ( strcmp ( name, "$$$$" ) != 0 )

**Hexxx** · 11-02-2003

thanks a million!!!
the functions seem to be working now, now to try and put them together!!!!

thanks for helping!!!

Thread: How do I read in a string to an array?

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Display