Strings

[redshadow]

I am just wondering why this code produces different results

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
char names[5][25],temp[25];
int x;
void main()
{
for (x=0;x<=4;x++)
{
scanf(&quot;%s&quot;,names[x]);
}
for (x = 0;x<=4;x++)
{
printf(&quot;%s&quot;,names[x]);
}
// the above works well
//but this one didn't produces the correct output

for (x=0;x<=4x++)
{
if(strcmp(names[x],names[x+1]))
{
temp = names[x];
names[x] = names[x+1];
names[x+1] = temp;
}
}
for (x=0;x<=5;x++)
{
//here i suppose it would print names
//in ascending order but instead characters became
//garbled.
printf(&quot;%s&quot;,names[x]);
}


a sample result after inputting names: Antonio tony Arman Rex
would produce Antonio nyArm etc. depending on input

can anyone help me correct this code? I want to sort names using strcmp function.

Thanks in advance.

 

[programsecrets]

Try changing the comparison section of code to either one of these:

--------------------------------------------

// add brackets around each x+1 so it is evaluated first

for (x = 0; x <= 4; x++)
{
if (strcmp(names[x], names[ ( x+1 ) ] ))
{
temp = names[x];
names[x] = names[ ( x+1 ) ];
names[ ( x+1 ) ] = temp;

// unrelated to the garble problem, but
// if we've switched a set of values
// start the sort over again to make sure
// lower sets of values are also compared...
// not the most efficient sort, but oh well.
x = -1;
continue;
}
}

-------- or ----------

// replace each x+1 with the pre-evaluated y value

int y = 0;

for (x = 0; x <= 4; x++)
{
y = x + 1;

if (strcmp(names[x],names[y]))
{
temp = names[x];
names[x] = names[y];
names[y] = temp;

// start the sort over again...
x = -1;
continue;
}
}

--------------------------------------------

 

[Guest_imported]

during the swap, try changing

temp = names[x];
names[x] = names[x+1];
names[x+1] = temp;

to

strcpy(temp,names[x]);
strcpy(names[x],names[x+1]);
strcpy(names[x+1],temp);

if you actually want to swap all the characters of an entry in the character arrays...

 

[programsecrets]

Ah, yes mweisberg. Good show!