Structs - garbage printing

[MethodMan]

Hi,

Im having a problem with having the information within a struct pritning properly.

The function returns a pointer to a record.

recordptr = search(&abc);

then I do the following:

strcpy(temp, record_ptr->date);
printf("%s", temp);

I was trying to print out a portion of the sturct as above, but all I get is junk. Is this the correct approach, or does the problem lie somewhere else?

Thanks

[Thantos]

Without seeing the actual code its very hard to say where the problem is. However if the code you gave is an example of your coding then I see a major problem.

recordptr = search(&abc);
strcpy(temp, record_ptr->date);

[MethodMan]

Yeah, sorry, that was a typo.

The function is fairly large, any specific code that would help identify the problem?

Thanks

[Thantos]

Well like all problems try to export the parts that deal with that struct and make some test programs to help isolate the problem

[MethodMan]

Within the search function, I put the struct into a file, with the code below, and it saved it the file correctly.

fputs(record_ptr->date, fp);

I then return the struct containing the info as below.

return ((record *)record_ptr);

I then need to print the information contained within the struct, but I am then getting the garbage.

[quzah]

Are you trying to return a local variable?

struct foo *function( void )
{
    struct foo bar;

    return &bar;
}

Because if you are, and it isn't something you've just allocated, then it's gone when the function ends.

Quzah.

[MethodMan]

Within the function I declare the pointer to the struct, and use malloc for every item within the struct as below.

static record *record_ptr = NULL;
record_ptr = (record *)malloc(sizeof(record));

And then I return it with the code I showed previously.

Thanks

[quzah]

Well for starters, you don't need to keep typcasting everything. If your function is set up to return a specific item, there's no need to type cast it to that. Example:

int myfunction( void )
{
    int x = 10;

    return x; /* Right. */

    return (int)x; /* No need to typecast. */
}

Also, you shouldn't typecast malloc, as again, there is no need to do so. If you're getting warnings about it, it's because you're not compiling as C and are instead compiling as C++. (I believe it's covered in the FAQ.)

Anyway... Run this test code, compare it to your own, and find your problem, since you haven't really given us anything to go on:

#include <stdio.h>

struct quickhack {
    int x;
};

struct quickhack *function( int y );

int main( void )
{
    struct quickhack *q = NULL;

    q = function( 5 );

    if( q )
    {
        printf("q->x = %d\n", q->x );
        free( q );
    }
    return 0;
}

struct quickhack *function( int y )
{
    struct quickhack *p = NULL;
    p = malloc( sizeof( *p ) );

    if( p )
    {
        p->x = y;
    }
    return p;
}

Is that what you're trying to do?

Quzah.

[MethodMan]

Maybe I should have been a little clearer. I am returning the entire struct. I was just showing bits of code on how I was used malloc for a particular item within the struct.

Within my search function, I use fputs, as shown previously, and everything is put into the file correctly.

The problem comes when I try to print it after the search is finished.

record_ptr = search(&abc);

//I would print all items in the struct, this is just printing one.
strcpy(temp, record_ptr->date);

[Thantos]

Look at the following:

I am returning the entire struct.
record_ptr = search(&abc);
strcpy(temp, record_ptr->date);

So are you returning the entire struct or a pointer to the struct?

[MethodMan]

A pointer to a struct.

[quzah]

Originally posted by MethodMan
The problem comes when I try to print it after the search is finished.

record_ptr = search(&abc);

//I would print all items in the struct, this is just printing one.
strcpy(temp, record_ptr->date);

Of course it only prints one. "date" is the only thing you're copying. What is "date"? I'll assume it's a string containing a date. As such, all you're doing is copying one string to another. That's all. Nothing else.

Look again at my example. That is "returning an entire struct". If you're not doing it like that, you're probably doing it wrong. Post:
1) Your structure definition.
2) Your printing lines, and the few lines preceeding it.

Better yet, take my example, replace quickhack with your structure name and definition, and modify the printf line(s) to print each member of the structure one at a time.

Quzah.