File record sort

send so code and i"ll help you
i don't understand what execttly is you problem

you should open the file using fopen(...)
as i remember
then to read all the data in to an array of structure the sort it and put it back if you have a spesific problem tell me and i"ll try to help you

Could you be more precise about the different structures, and the item code ? What about the size of the 3 structures, are they equals ?

about the size now two are three opetions

1)all the structures have only static datamembers then you should have in the file some sort of indecator that will tell you which structure is it and you"ll know the size by it

2)if the structure have a dynamic datamembers then execpt the indecator put the stucture size

i hope you understood this one

now about the sorting you should in put the structure first there is two thing that you can do

1)use the idea of containers from c++
put all the structures in one array and sort then and put it in the file

2)use three arrays one for each structure and then you the merge algorithm and merge the three arrays into the file

i recommend the second becouse you are useing structures and not class's

hope i helped more this time

I'd make one pass thru the file storing just the item code and the record number it came from, sort that much smaller, fixed length array, then re-build the file based on the sorted array.

The sort will be easier and faster, although at the expense of the file re-build - if you can't load the whole thing into RAM.  If you can, so much the better.

Pls post more info or better a code what you have done already.

If you can load the entire file into RAM, there's a real quick way to rebuild the file after the sort.

As you build the array to be sorted, instead of the record number, save the offset of the beginning of the record.  The rebuild will be right peppy.

Note that even if the whole file won't fit into RAM, you can still save the offset of the record within the file so that you can go directly to it later without having to count lines.

I agree with cookre.

I did something like that in earlier DOS-times. When the it run out of memory then you can split it into two or more destination files.
Then you must du a merge at the end.

spark60: you have many possibilities. From easy to pretty complicated. I would say it depends on size of data and size of memory which one you choose.

I think that you must to use one array of UNIONs(Using realloc for redim the size of this array), each UNION with the three structures, in this way you can read any register and then you can use qsort for example to sort the array by item Code; and then write it into the file.

I wait for any comments .

jaicon: I see you're new to EE, so you probably don't know that it's a common convention to post comments only.  

Submitting an answer moves the question to the 'locked' category.  Few experts look at locked questions, thereby denying the questioner the additional audience.

Don't worry about it - lots of first-timers do it - and welcome to EE!

I am sorry, I didn't know this before. Thanks.

Thanks for the response.This seems to be along the lines I am thinking(I am trying to use malloc) but need more expansion.
Here is a better explaination of what I am trying to do.

struct rec1{
           char id;
           char item_code[4];
           char amount[6];
           }

struct rec2{
           char id;
           char item_code[4];
           }

struct rec3{
           char id;
           char item_code[4];
           char company[10];
           char address[30];
           }

These are the records and the unsorted binary file, unsort.dat,contains say 200 records.These have to be read from this file, sorted in ascending item code order,and then written to a new binary file, sorted.dat, in this order. My main problem is how to manipulate the records(structures).
Thanks for any further help.

Hi cookre,
   I think this is what I am looking for. Let me try to interpret to see if I am understanding your explanation.

Open my file and determine the size.
Allocate block of memory which is sizeof file and let Filebuff point to it.
Loop
{
   CurrOff = Filebuff
   RecPtrs[RecCtr].RecOffset = CurrOff
   
   read the record from file.
   Strcpy(RecPtrs[RecCtr].ItemCode,item_code)
   Put the record in memory.(Filebuff has now moved to start of next record)
   
   RecCtr ++
}
until end of file.

This should of transferred the records into memory and set up an array of pointers to point to them.

Please let me know if this is right or wrong. For the moment I will try to code up to this point.
Thank you for your help.

ntdragon:Thanks for the comment.I have tried linked lists but only as one and not three.This may be another option.

cookre:I think I understand your idea now.I will try to code this coming week
to see if I can solve problem and will post comment.

Thanks for help.

Hi cookre,
  Have solved provlem - the key was constructing an array of pointers to the records in the buffer.
 Many thanks for your help.