Searching for string in char array of strings in C - c

Question

char names [MAX_CLASS_SIZE][MAX_NAME_SIZE+1]={"Julias Hoffman","Dianne Conner","Mitchell Cooper","Johnnie Greene","Johanna Mason","Kevin Adkins","Brandi Spencer","Marian Tyler","Chester Cross","Martin Lawrence","Jane Smith","Sara Jones"};
char specificName[]="";
int search(char names[][MAX_NAME_SIZE+1],char specificName[])
for(i=0;i<MAX_CLASS_SIZE;i++){
if (strcmp(names[i],specificName)==0)
{
printf("Found %s",names[i]);
return i;
}
}
This function receives an array of strings, called name and an array of characters that represents a specific name. This function searches through the array name for the specific name and returns the index of the specific name if it is found, -1 if it is not found.
In main() I ask the user for a name and store it in the specificName char array using scanf("%s",specificName);. Then in the search() function I am attempting to search the array of names for the user given name and return a certain value based on if the name is found. I have included the necessary libraries. I am trying to do this using strcmp, but search() doesn't find the matching name.

Answer 1

You could try the following approach:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include<string.h>
int search(char **names,char *specificName, size_t length){
size_t i,found=0;
for(i=0;i<length;i++){
if (strcmp(*(names + i),specificName)==0){
found = 1;
}
}
return found == 1 ? 0 : 1;
}
int main(void) {
size_t length;
char specificName[100];
char *names[12]={"Julias Hoffman","Dianne Conner","Mitchell Cooper","Johnnie Greene",
"Johanna Mason","Kevin Adkins","Brandi Spencer","Marian Tyler",
"Chester Cross","Martin Lawrence","Jane Smith","Sara Jones"};
length = sizeof names / sizeof *(names + 0);
printf("Type a name to be searched:> ");
if( fgets (specificName, 100, stdin) == NULL){
printf("Error!\n");
}
specificName[strcspn(specificName, "\n")] = 0;
if((search(names,specificName,length)) == 0){
printf("Found %s",specificName);
}else{
printf("There was no Record Found.\n");
}
return 0;
}
Output:
Type a name to be searched:> Sara Jones
Found Sara Jones

Answer 2

Took a quick look and it seems to work fine. Your i needs to be declared as an int but otherwise, the following works:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#define MAX_CLASS_SIZE 100
#define MAX_NAME_SIZE 100
int strcmp(const char *, const char *);
int main(int argc, const char * argv[]) {
char names [MAX_CLASS_SIZE][MAX_NAME_SIZE+1]={"Julias Hoffman","Dianne Conner","Mitchell Cooper","Johnnie Greene","Johanna Mason","Kevin Adkins","Brandi Spencer","Marian Tyler","Chester Cross","Martin Lawrence","Jane Smith","Sara Jones"};
char specificName[]="Brandi Spencer";
int search(char names[][MAX_NAME_SIZE+1],char specificName[]);
for(int i=0;i<MAX_CLASS_SIZE;i++){
if (strcmp(names[i],specificName)==0){
printf("Found %s",names[i]);
return i;
}
}
return 0;
}
Output
Found Brandi Spencer
My guess would be is that you are not passing the user input correctly. Check specificName[] prior to strcmp().