C++: Find method - c++

Question

so if i were to enter patricia(don't worry im converting it toupper) that string would be loaded into my vector.
My question is about the find functions. i am counting down characters correct? so if i were to enter patricia and j would be on ABBOT, PATRICIA the value in comma would be 5. Ok im good so far, but what happens in my found variable?
bool NameSearch::findFirstNames(vector<string> &vsFirst, string name)
{
int j = 0;
bool bName = false;
vsFirst.clear();
while(j < total)
{
int comma;
comma = names[j].find(',');
//Confused here
int found = names[j].find(name, comma);
if(found > -1)
{
vsFirst.push_back(names[j]);
bName = true;
}
j++;
}
return bName;
}

Answer 1

The if (found > -1) test probably works on your platform but is technically dubious.
The return type of std::string::find() is std::string::size_type, and if the substring you're searching is not found, the returned value is std::string::npos (on the other hand, if the substring is found, the returned value is the character index of its first occurrence).
Now the std::string::npos value happens to be the greatest possible value of type std::string::size_type, and if that is unsigned int on your implementation, that means the comparison with the signed int -1 will yield true.
However, no assumptions can be made in general on the type of std::string::size_type Thus, I suggest to rewrite the test as:
if (found != std::string::npos)
{
...
}

Answer 2

This is misleading code. std::string::find() returns a size_t, not an int.
int comma;
comma = names[j].find(',');
This is misleading code. When std::string::find() fails, it returns std::string::npos, not -1. In your environment, it's equivalent to -1 by coincidence.
if(found > -1)
The if statement is effectively trying to check "if a result was found" by making sure it isn't std::string::npos.

Answer 3

There are two other answers, that point out what is wrong with this code, but I feel like none of them explains to you, what the author was doing, and that's the explanation you want. :)
Let's look at the following snippet first.
int comma;
comma = names[j].find(',');
As pointed out, it should be rewritten as:
size_t comma;
comma = names[j].find(',');
There are 4 overloads of the find method in the std::string
The code above uses this one:
size_t find (char c, size_t pos = 0) const;
It returns the index, at which the character passed as the first argument (in your case it's ',') appears in the string or std::string::npos if that character isn't found. Apparently the author is sure the ',' character must be present in the string names[j] and doesn't check the result.
In the line:
int found = names[j].find(name, comma);
which again should be rewritten as:
size_t found = names[j].find(name, comma);
the following overload of the find method is used:
size_t find (const string& str, size_t pos = 0) const;
This one searches the string names[j] for the first occurrence of the string passed as the first argument (in your case name) and returns the index at which the match starts if there is a match or std::string::npos otherwise.
As you can see, both mentioned overloads of the find method have a second parameter with default value of 0. This second parameter allows a user to specify, at what index to start the search in the searched string (in your case names[j])
The call:
comma = names[j].find(',');
is equivalent to the call:
comma = names[j].find(',', 0);
and it means: look for the character ',' int the string names[j] starting from the beginning and return the index of the first occurrence of that character or std::string::npos, if there is no such character in that string.
The call:
size_t found = names[j].find(name, comma);
means: look for the substring equal to name in the string names[j], but start from the position where the comma was found and return the index of the first occurrence of that substring or std::string::npos if there is no such substring in that string, after the comma.
Maybe comma_position instead of comma would have been a better name for the variable.