CS3050S06

CS 3050, Spring 2007
Programming Assignment 2
Due Monday, March 19, 2007

Handling Variable-Length Records and Formating Output

This lab is designed to help you learn how to manipulate records in a file with variable-length records. You will learn how to jump to a certain record (using its RRN) in order to read it; the records begin with a length indicator which should be used to skip through records sequentially. The first record has RRN=0, the second has RRN=1, and so on. In addition, you will learn how to use c++ formating methods to create a report. This lab is based on an assignment created by Lucia Moura and Jeff Souza at the University of Ottawa

C++ methods you may want to review

seekg
atoi
setw
setiosflags
substr

C/C++ reference: http://www.cppreference.com/

To help understand the seek commands, you can start with the following code as a basis for experimentation:

#include <fstream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
        fstream myfile;
        myfile.open("test.txt", ios::in|ios::out|ios::trunc);
        myfile << "Welcome to CS3050,\nFile Structures.";
        myfile.seekp(11,ios::beg);
        myfile <<'M'<<'a'<<'t'<<'h';
        myfile.seekp(4,ios::cur);
        myfile <<'T';
        myfile.seekp(-2,ios::end);
        myfile <<'Z';
        myfile.close();
        return 0;
}

For the part of the lab to be turned in:

Download the following files:

Task: Read the records of the file and write them into another file by using the specified report format

Include the code for the function readRecordbyRRN(int, istream&):

Your code should read the right record to a string according to the RRN

Include the code for the function writeRecord(string, ostream&):

Your code should write this record in the output file with the report format

Use Record Format and Report Format specifications described below in your implementation
Compile and run the project
Look at the newly created report file, it should look exactly as in Report Format

SPECIFICATIONS

Record Format

XX = record length
| = field separator

Example:
26Smith|James|Dec|17|1973|

Report Format

LAST NAME    FIRST NAME   MONTH DAY YEAR        <------- HEADER
------------ ------------ ----- --- ----         <------- HEADER
McDonald     Bill         Out   13 1978         <------- RECORD
Spellman     Sabrina      Feb   11 1970             .
Johnson      Ashley       Dec   30 1974             .
Joe          Billy        Nov   07 1966             .
Miller       Scott        Jun   28 1972
William      John         Dec   12 1973
Shelling     Anthony      May   29 1969
Elk          Ann          Mar   06 1976
Dupont       Michel       Feb   22 1970
Smith        James        Dec   17 1973         <------- RECORD

<----------> <----------> <---> <-> <-->
12 12 5 3 4 (lengths in output_lengths array)