strtok function

**hello124** · 04-23-2005

I have an assignment that uses the strtok function to read two times, then outputs the first and last hours and minutes from each time (by the way this is only a small section of my assignment)

The problem that I have is getting the first times minutes to be displayed.
I have tried all ways I can think of to get the first times minutes, but I have spent hours trying to figure it out

I just hope someone can show me how I could do this or go about doing this

All my other times work perfectly

I am extremely new to C++ and I am not allowed to use pointers (not that I understand how to use them anyway)

Here is my code so far:

Code:

#include<iostream>
#include<conio>
#pragma hdrstop

using namespace std;

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

#pragma argsused
int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
char firsttime[8];
char lasttime[8];
int firsthour = 0;
int firstmins = 0;
int lasthour = 0;
int lastmin = 0;


cout << "Enter first time: ";   //firsttime input
cin.getline( firsttime, 8 );

cout << "Enter second time: ";   //lasttime input
cin.getline( lasttime, 8 );


firsthour = atoi( strtok( firsttime, ":" ) );
lasthour = atoi( strtok( lasttime, ":" ) );

firstmins = atoi( strtok( ?????? what do i put in here ???? ) );
lastmins = atoi(strtok( NULL, lasttime ) );   // this part works fine


cout << firsthour << "\n";
cout << lasthour << "\n";
cout << firstmins << "\n";
cout << lastmins << "\n";

getch();

return 0;
}

**misplaced** · 04-23-2005

Code:

firsthour = atoi( strtok( firsttime, ":" ) );
firstmins = atoi( strtok( NULL, ":" ) );

lasthour = atoi( strtok( lasttime, ":" ) );
lastmins = atoi(strtok( NULL, ":" ) );

when you use NULL in the first parameter, it's like saying "start off with the last string i gave you"....a little more precisely, it says "start off at the index +1 where you last found ':' "

**Salem** · 04-23-2005

More specifically, you can't strtok() two strings at the same time.
As misplaced shows, deal with one string completely then move onto the next one.

**hello124** · 04-23-2005

OMG Its just sooooo obvious, I don’t know how I missed looking it at that way.

my code now works like it should

Thanks guys U’s are all good

**7stud** · 04-23-2005

I am extremely new to C++ and I am not allowed to use pointers

OMG Its just sooooo obvious, I don’t know how I missed looking it at that way.

uhhhhmmm...ok, I'll ask then: why the heck can't you strtok() two strings at the same time?

**Salem** · 04-23-2005

> why the heck can't you strtok() two strings at the same time?
Because in strtok( NULL, ":" ), NULL means resume at the place you stopped in the previous strtok call.

strtok( firsttime, ":" ) starts things off, and a series of NULL parameters means walk through the string that started at firsttime.

**hello124** · 04-23-2005

Originally Posted by 7stud

uhhhhmmm...ok, I'll ask then: why the heck can't you strtok() two strings at the same time?

wellllll.... in my case i was going to the end of the last string that was entered. while really i wanted to go to the end of just one string at a time

it is possible to strtok two strings at the same time... but not when you are wanting to output the last string after the token in the first entered strtok function (eg using NULL to get to the last string after the token in the first entered strtok).
As you just bypass the first entered null string and go to the last entered null string

**7stud** · 04-23-2005

Well, it seems strange to me that when you call strtok() on two different char arrays, there aren't two different places in memory where the strings are being chopped up. But, I realize now that strtok() is not called by the char arrays, e.g.

str1.strtok(":");
str2.strtok(":");

and therefore when you do this:

strtok( NULL, ":" );

there is no reference to which string you are calling the function on, so that must have something to do with it.

**misplaced** · 04-23-2005

Let me clear the air in case there's any confusion.

strtok will parse a string with more than one token in it with successive calls.
like so:

Code:

char t[] = "12:45:58"
char *p = 0;
p = strtok(t, ":"); 	// p[...] == "12"
p = strtok(0, ":"); 	// p[...] == "45"
p = strtok(0, ":"); 	// p[...] == "58"

And this is why you can't (fully) strtok 2 strings at once

Code:

char t[] = "12:45:58"
char s[] = "1:15:20";
char *p = 0;
p = strtok(t, ":"); 	// p[...] == "12"
p = strtok(s, ":");     // p[...] == "1";
p = strtok(0, ":"); 	// p[...] == "15"
p = strtok(0, ":"); 	// p[...] == "20"
p = strtok(t, ":"); 	// p[...] == "12"

strtok is also somewhat "global", consider:

Code:

void strTokNull(void)
     { cout << strtok(0, ":") << endl;  }

void strTokNew(char *s)
     {  cout <<  strtok(s, ":") << endl; }

int main()
{
    char s[] = "12:58:20";
    strTokNew(s);
    strTokNull();

    return 0;
}

if "s" was declared within strTokNew, when we call strTokNull, "s" no longer exists and strtok magically returns null without seg faulting.

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