Thread: Help With Sorting Char Arrays Using Pointers

  1. #1
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    Help With Sorting Char Arrays Using Pointers

    I have a program that I had to add three functions two. One was to insert a new node, one was to delete a node, and the last needs to sort them alphabetically. I'm having all sorts of problems getting them to sort.

    I've done great in my programming classes until now. Pointers are really different, but I'm sure I will get them down.

    Code:
    struct Node;
    typedef Node *Node_ptr;
     
    struct Node
    {
                char word[MAX_WORD_LENGTH];
                Node_ptr ptr_to_next_node;
    };
    The code prompts the user to enter a word, which is stored in the char array. The user can keep entering words, which are stored in sequential nodes, until they enter the sentinel ".".

    Thanks for the help!
    Last edited by Charley; 04-13-2011 at 11:48 AM.

  2. #2
    Programming Wraith GReaper's Avatar
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    Look, you're C++"ing", right?
    Then firstly get rid of that char array and replace it with a STL string.
    What you're trying to do is a linked list. Have they tought you about that?
    Devoted my life to programming...

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sipher View Post
    Look, you're C++"ing", right?
    Then firstly get rid of that char array and replace it with a STL string.
    What you're trying to do is a linked list. Have they tought you about that?
    Yes, they have taught me linked lists. And I cannot replace the char array. That is required. I'm just having problems sorting the linked list into alphabetical order after the user has already entered all of his/her words.

  4. #4
    -bleh-
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    since a char is an ANSI code, you sort them like you sort numbers. So call up any sorting algorithm that you have for sorting numbers. Or be smarter and use the STL's list. It's a linked list, so it satisfies the requirements :-), then call sort from algorithm .
    Code:
    list<char> bleh; 
    // read into bleh; 
    sort(bleh.begin(),bleh.end());
    "All that we see or seem
    Is but a dream within a dream." - Poe

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