strings and file io

hi...i'm trying to create a program that takes a text file and reads the first line.

i can do it fine in using c style strings (char) but how can i do it using strings?

so far i'm thinking something like...

Code:

---

while(!infile.eof())
{
                // i need a line here to recognize the end of line
    infile >> line;
    outfile << line << endl;
    cout << line << endl;
}

---

currently i'm using infile.getline(line, 100); and it works.

thanks,
barneygumble742

There is a different version of getline for strings. Instead of infile.getline(line, 100); use getline(infile, line);. Since line is a string that can resize you don't need the 100 to indicate how many characters to use.

Also, you should put the getline for either versions inside the while statement so you can detect errors when reading from the file. Using the eof() function like that is not the best way.

Code:

---

while (getline(infile, line))
{
 ...
}

---

>while(!infile.eof())
That's a logic error. The eofbit isn't set until after you've tried and failed to read from the stream, so unless you bend over backward to fix it, you'll process the last line of the file twice.

>currently i'm using infile.getline(line, 100); and it works.
Then getline(infile, line) should work wonders. :) You can even put it in the loop condition and everything will "just work", thus solving your actual question, and the logic error that I just described:

Code:

---

string line;

while ( getline ( infile, line ) ) {
  // Process line
}

---

thanks. you're right...it does work wonders.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Prelude

>while(!infile.eof())
That's a logic error. The eofbit isn't set until after you've tried and failed to read from the stream, so unless you bend over backward to fix it, you'll process the last line of the file twice.

---

if the last line ends with \n yes. otherwise the getline will reach the end of the file and set EOF

another question:

lets say i have a text file:
one 2 three 4 five
six 7 eight 9 ten

how can i input this into a class with private objects first, second, third, fourth, fifth?

i just thought of using arrays (or possibly vectors) to take in the first line and then go line by line. is it possible to use ifstream to take in the first line, then separate that line into pieces (objects) and then increment to the next line?

Overload the stream extraction operator for input streams (>>).

Code:

---

#include <string>
#include <fstream>
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
using namespace std;

class object
{
    string str1, str2, str3;
    int i1, i2;
public:
    friend istream& operator>>(istream&,object&);
};

istream& operator>>(istream& is,object& obj)
{
    is >> obj.str1 >> obj.i1 >> obj.str2 >> obj.i2 >> obj.str3;
    return is;
}

int main()
{
    ifstream input("file.txt");
    object temp;
    vector<object> objVect;

    if( input.is_open() )
    {
        // Push copies of objects onto vector as long as there is data in file
        while( input >> temp )
            objVect.push_back(temp);
    }

    // Do stuff with vector of objects

    return 0;
}

---

Assuming each line in the file always consists of a string/int/string/int/string otherwise you may have to consider checking the stream for errors.

>if the last line ends with \n yes. otherwise the getline will reach the end of the file and set EOF

EOF should terminate the input by getline() just like finding a terminating char. The difference may well be that EOF will also set the fail bit, but that should be after the input has already been achieved. If the fail bit is set because EOF has been found, then to use the stream for additional input later in the program you would need to clear the stream by calling clear().