C->Linux issue with filename construction

[sitko]

Hi,

I've some code and its doing some unusual stuff:

Here is my code:

gstrJobname = "JobOne";
 
strcpy(strFile,"master_");
strcat(strFile,gstrJobname);
strcat(strFile,".dat");
 

The result "should" be "master_JobOne.dat", but it appears that either a newline or a different character is being inserted between the end of the gstrJobname and the file exitension. in the linux directory the file name appears to be:
"master_JobOne?.dat", when I attempt to download this file with an ftp client, it appears as two seperate files "master_JobName" and ".dat"

Any ideas how to perhaps clean up the hidden characters from the end of the gstrJobName. For instance, if I determine the length of that string before I build this file name, is there a way to extract this mystery character?

Thanks,
Sitko.

[weaknessforcats]

How is strFile defined??

Are you overruning the array bound?? It looks like it needs to be an array of at least 18 chars.

[sitko]

How is strFile defined??

Are you overruning the array bound?? It looks like it needs to be an array of at least 18 chars.

char strFile[200];

gstrJobname is read in from an input file. it is also specified as char gstrJobname[200];

I read it in with this line:

fgets(Jobname, 200, filePtr);
//and later move it to gstrJobname with:
strcpy(gstrJobname,Jobname);
 

It was my belief that fgets would cut off the trailing newline character, could this be the source of the offending hidden character?

If so, how do I get rid of it?

Thanks,
sitko.

ps I would post more of my code, but I've signed a NDA, and can't legally show more than this...

[sitko]

ah...I've just reread the description of fgets and I was mistaken, it includes the newline at the end of the array it reads to.

I guess my followup question would be, how do I read a line of data from a data file, into a string (char array), and leave off the ending newline? Is it posible to use 'gets' instead of fgets? Or even sprintf?

I've been reading up on these, and can find no loop-hole...

Thanks,
Sitko.

[sitko]

I've figured out a potential solution...although I'd still prefer it if someone came up with something better.

Using the code:

char tempStr[200];
 
strncpy(tempStr,gstrJobname,(strlen(gstrJobname))-1);
strcpy(gstrJobname,tempStr);
 

Seems like it does the trick.
gstrJobname has "JobName\n" in it.
strncpy will copy the first X characters where X = the length of the string (minus 1), and put that into tempStr.
Then I reset gstrJobname = tempStr. and its good to go.

Feels fudgy to me, if anyone can offer something more robust...otherwise thanks for your help,
Brad.

[RobRussell]

Your solution looks okay to me. The only thing I might do differently is subtract the length of an EOL where an EOL is "\n" on some systems and "\r\n" on others.

[primeSo]

Read a line from a data file without reading the newline character ?

I suggested using fscanf();

char tempArray[20];
 
fscanf(fp, "%[^\n], tempArray);
 
 

%[^\n] means read in everything except new line character "\n" and store in tempArray via file pointer i.e. fp

[weaknessforcats]

The reason fgets() retains the \n is so you can do an fputs() without worrying aout the end of line character.

gets() is for stdin only. There the \n is the user's enter key so that is converted to \0 in the receive buffer.

You can use fscanf() if job name is only one word.

Your trick of strlen(gstrJobname))-1 only works if the character following the \n is a \0. That's an assumption. I wouldn't do that.

Instead, I would use strchr to get the location of the \n and then set that location to \0.

[primeSo]

Read a line from a data file without reading the newline character ?

I suggested using fscanf();

char tempArray[20];
 
fscanf(fp, "%[^\n], tempArray);
 
 

%[^\n] means read in everything except new line character "\n" and store in tempArray via file pointer i.e. fp

[sitko]

Read a line from a data file without reading the newline character ?

I suggested using fscanf();

char tempArray[20];
 
fscanf(fp, "%[^\n], tempArray);
 
 

%[^\n] means read in everything except new line character "\n" and store in tempArray via file pointer i.e. fp

Thanks, I did some more research, on fscanf and it skips "\n" from the get go...

[sitko]

Later when doing the windows version, I went ahead and got rid of all the fgets, in favor of fscanfs, and it worked like a charm...

Thanks,
Sitko.