Thread: reading from a file to linked list

I'm having a little trouble reading a file into a linked list (which I'm just learning). The code I have is:

Code:

	
	struct stock
	{
		char isbnChar[10],
			 bookNoChar[10], 
			 borrowedFromDate[3], 
			 loanLengthChar[3], 
			 currentBorrowerNo[5], 
  			 lastBorrowerNo[5],
			 status[2];
		struct stock * next;
		int j;

	};

        stock *root = NULL;
	stock *curr = NULL;

	ifstream IssueBook("stock.txt", ios::in);
	if (!IssueBook)
		cerr << "File Ccould not be opened" << endl;
	do
	{
		IssueBook.getline(curr->bookNoChar, 5, ',');
		IssueBook.getline(curr->isbnChar, 10, ',');
		IssueBook.getline(curr->borrowedFromDate, 3, ',');
		IssueBook.getline(curr->loanLengthChar, 3, ',');
		IssueBook.getline(curr->lastBorrowerNo, 3, ',');
		IssueBook.getline(curr->currentBorrowerNo, 3, ',');
		IssueBook.getline(curr->status, 2, '\n');
		if (strcmp(curr->bookNoChar,bookNumChar))
			strcpy(curr->status, "O");
		curr->next = new stock;
		curr = curr->next;
	}
	while( !IssueBook.eof()  );
	IssueBook.close();

It doesn't like IssueBook.getline(curr->bookNoChar, 5, ','); and crashes straight away.

The code should read comma sepparated values from a file into the list and change one value (in the if statement). Then I'll traverse the list putting the values back into the file with the updated one ammended.

curr is just a pointer. If you want to try and access something that it points to, you'll have to point it somewhere (at a stock instance created on the heap or stack).

Oh yeah sorry missed that bit of code. I've now put in
root = new stock;
I think I'm on my way now just hard getting used to it all

Now I'm stumped as to why instead of it reading the values:
1,1,100,21,***,***,S
it reads
1,1,100, ,21,***, ,

Is there something wrong with my getline statements because they work ok in the rest of the program.