Reading structures in c

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  • useruser
    New Member
    • Dec 2007
    • 1

    Reading structures in c

    I'm new to programming, looking for help in c.
    I've got a simple structure:
    struct list {
    char name[10];
    char sname[15];
    int year, month, day;
    };


    And a text file:
    john smith 1980 01 10
    gabriel anderson 1975 11 15
    john anderson 1991 03 11


    Could you tell me how to read this file to an array of lists?
  • Meetee
    Recognized Expert Contributor
    • Dec 2006
    • 928

    #2
    Originally posted by useruser
    I'm new to programming, looking for help in c.
    I've got a simple structure:
    struct list {
    char name[10];
    char sname[15];
    int year, month, day;
    };


    And a text file:
    john smith 1980 01 10
    gabriel anderson 1975 11 15
    john anderson 1991 03 11


    Could you tell me how to read this file to an array of lists?
    You can read file using fread and store the data into struct by using struct object like struct list data;

    You need to read more about struct and files

    Regards

    Comment

    • looker
      New Member
      • Dec 2007
      • 18

      #3
      Originally posted by useruser
      I'm new to programming, looking for help in c.
      I've got a simple structure:
      struct list {
      char name[10];
      char sname[15];
      int year, month, day;
      };


      And a text file:
      john smith 1980 01 10
      gabriel anderson 1975 11 15
      john anderson 1991 03 11


      Could you tell me how to read this file to an array of lists?
      I don't cover much in how to read this file and extract the info into your structure! but i wanna look at your structure and give some comments instead.
      I would suggest that you write down something like this
      Code:
      #define MAX_NAME_LENGTH           (10)
      #define MAX_SURNAME_LENGTH    (15)
      and use it througout your source code!
      In fact, there is no difference between this one and your code but is more convenient. Why ?
      Imagin you code a hundred of files with this structure. Now you believe that 10 is a maximum length of name ( or it is a requirement ). and 15 is the maximum of surename length. But what happen when there is a change in requirement, or you just get a new idea to update 10 to whatever, and 15 to whatever else.
      So what you gonna do is to go through the hundred files and change it one by one. I would believe that you will spend a whole week to look for it and change it. So do you think you spend much longer just to do a little thing.
      I would suggest you to use #define because we don't care how often you use MAX_NAME_LENGTH or MAX_SURNAME_LEN GTH, or whatever you change 10 and 15. We only update in one place. So it is easy than before right?

      Well there is another point i have to speak out in your structure, but wait tomorrow!.

      Comment

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