Sorting function with output to a separate file - c++

Question

I need to sort the input text document and write it into another test document. so that lines with an even number of words delete every second word, and lines with an odd number of words remain unchanged. The sorting should be performed as a function, the first pointer to the input of the string and the second pointer to the output.
I did the input and output, tried to do a sorting to begin with without a function, but nothing worked. can you tell me what I did not do the rule?
Example:
Input.txt
I do not like to go to school or study
I like to play games
Output.txt
I not to to or
I like to play games
string in, out;
cin >> in;
cin >> out;
ifstream input(in);
string str;
ofstream output(out);
string st;
while (getline(input, str))
{
do
{
int i = count(str.cbegin(), str.cend(), ' ');
if (i % 2 == 0)
st.append(str);
else
st.append(" ");
i++;
}
while (input);
output << st << endl;
}

Answer 1

The std::stringstream will be your friend.
Read about it here and especially for the useful std::istringstream here.
What can we do with this thing? We can put a string into it and then use the extraction operator >> like with any other stream.
So, counting words will become very simple. We read a line from the file as a std::string and then put it into a std::istringstream, Then we extract dummy words and increase a counter until the reading fails. Then we have the number of words.
Example:
// We read one line. Count the number of words
// Put the string in a stringstream to easily extract words
std::istringstream iss(line);
// Counter for words
unsigned int wordCount{};
// Dummy word
std::string tempWord{};
// Do the counting
while (iss >> tempWord) ++wordCount;
The stream tries too read until it cannot read any more (the stream is empty) and then sets a failbit. The failure of any stream can be checked with its bool operator or the !-operator. The while loop expects a boolean. And the extraction operation iss >> tempWord will return a reference to the stream and then its bool operator will be called and used as condition.
OK, understood, we can now count words. Next step is to skip words.
This is similar simple. In case of even number of words in a string, we will read always 2 words in a loop and simply throw the second one away.
Like this
std::string usedWord{};
// Read 2 words, ignore the second
while (iss >> usedWord >> tempWord)
result += (usedWord + ' ');
There are of course many other possible ways to solve that, but maybe the below solution can give you an idea.
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <sstream>
#include <string>
int main() {
// First read the input filename
std::cout << "\nPlease enter the path for the input file:\n";
std::string inputFileName{};
std::getline(std::cin, inputFileName);
// next read the output filename
std::cout << "\nPlease enter the path for the output file:\n";
std::string outputFileName{};
std::getline(std::cin, outputFileName);
// Open now both files. If one file cannot be opened, then no need tocontinue
// Open input file and check, if it could be opened
std::ifstream inputFileStream(inputFileName);
if (inputFileStream) {
// Input file could be opened without error.
// Now open output file and check, if it could be opened
std::ofstream outputFileStream(outputFileName);
if (outputFileStream) {
// Now, both input and output file streams are open
// Read lines
std::string line{};
while (std::getline(inputFileStream, line)) {
// We read one line. Count the number of words
// Put the string in a stringstream to easily extract words
std::istringstream iss(line);
// Counter for words
unsigned int wordCount{};
// Dummy word
std::string tempWord{};
// Do the counting
while (iss >> tempWord) ++wordCount;
// if the number of words is even then
if ((wordCount % 2) == 0) {
// Rinitialize stringstream
iss.clear(), iss.str(line);
// Here we store the resulting sentence
std::string result{};
// Now extract the word that we will keep and the other one that we will throw away
std::string usedWord{};
// Read 2 words, ignore the second
while (iss >> usedWord >> tempWord)
result += (usedWord + ' ');
// Write result to output
outputFileStream << result << '\n';
}
else
outputFileStream << line << '\n';
}
}
else std::cerr << "\n*** Error: could not open output file '" << outputFileName << "'\n\n";
}
else std::cerr << "\n*** Error: could not open input file '" << inputFileName << "'\n\n";
}