Selection Sort

[neyugncul]

Okay, I have this homework assignment which is to sort a 2D array of characters using selection sort.

I've written the selection sort but I can't seem to get it working. (it's not sorting!)

Please tell me what I'm doing wrong, thanks.

[code=c]
void selectionSort(c har array[][SIZE], int rows)
{
const int size = 17;
int startScan, minIndex, index;
char minValue[NUM_NAMES][size];

for (startScan = 0; startScan < (rows - 1); startScan++)
{
minIndex = startScan;
strncpy(minValu e[0], array[startScan], 20);
for (index = startScan + 1; index < rows; index++)
{
if (strcmp(array[index], minValue[NUM_NAMES]) < 0)
{
strncpy(minValu e[0], array[index], 20);
minIndex = index;

}
}
strncpy(array[startScan], array[minIndex] , 20);

}
}[/code]

[weaknessforcats]

Originally Posted by
void selectionSort(c har array[][SIZE], int rows)
{
const int size = 17;
int startScan, minIndex, index;
char minValue[NUM_NAMES][size];

for (startScan = 0; startScan < (rows - 1); startScan++)
{
minIndex = startScan;
strncpy(minValu e[0], array[startScan], 20);
for (index = startScan + 1; index < rows; index++)
{
if (strcmp(array[index], minValue[NUM_NAMES]) < 0)
{
strncpy(minValu e[0], array[index], 20);
minIndex = index;

}
}
strncpy(array[startScan], array[minIndex] , 20);

}
}

Several things:
1) What is the 17 for??? You never use it.
2) Your function argument is an array of strings. That means its an array of char*
3) Your minIndex should start wirth array[0] and avance to array[1] on the next cycle of the loop
4) When you compare strings, you swap the pointers. You cannot swap the strings themselves since they are different lengths. I expect that's what the 20 was for. A hack to avoid a crash.
5) the outer loop shoukld run from 0 to rows.
6) the inner loop should frim from the outer loop index to rows.