Simple C code with an error... uhh

[HarryW]

Hi all.

I'm having some trouble with some simple C code. It looks absolutely fine to me and a couple of other people I've asked, but the compiler is insisting there's something wrong with it.

Here's the code:

/* highlighter.c */

#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>


void printtofile(char data[128])
{
  FILE *f = fopen("high_log.log", "a");
  fprintf(f, data);
  fprintf(f, "\n");
  fclose(f);
}


/* function to highlight certain words in an HTML string */
char *highlight(char *htmlstring, char *word, char *highlightedstring)
{

  char datastring[128];
  sprintf(datastring, "string to highlight is '%s', word is '%s'", htmlstring, word);
  printtofile(datastring);
  char *currentchar = htmlstring;      //error is on this line
  int wordlen = strlen(word);
  char *htmlstringend = htmlstring + strlen(htmlstring);

  char *openbracket = strchr(currentchar, (int)'<');
  char *closebracket = strchr(openbracket, (int)'>');
  char *matchedword = strstr(currentchar, word);

  const char *highlighttagstart = "<font color=\"#FF0000\">";
  const char *highlighttagend   = "</font>";

  const int highlighttagslength = strlen(highlighttagstart) + strlen(highlighttagend);

  highlightedstring[0] = '\0';


  while( *currentchar && (currentchar < htmlstringend) )
  {
    if ( openbracket < matchedword )
    {
      currentchar = closebracket + 1;
      openbracket = strchr(currentchar, (int)'<');
      closebracket = strchr(openbracket, (int)'>');

      if ( closebracket > matchedword )
      {
        matchedword = strstr(currentchar, word);
      }
      continue;
    }
    /* at this point, we should have a match */

    strcat(highlightedstring, highlighttagstart);
    strncat(highlightedstring, currentchar, wordlen);
    strcat(highlightedstring, highlighttagend);

    currentchar+=4;

  };

  return( highlightedstring );
}

I get this error:

highlighter.c:24: parse error before `char'

I'm compiling this on Linux using gcc. I don't think that should be any problem.

Anybody see any syntax errors? The syntax errors go away if I remove the first 3 lines of the highlight() function (they are just for logging) but the reason I'm trying to use a log is because I'm getting run-time errors.

[N€o]

i think this the one?

char datastring[128];

=>

char * datastring[128];

I could not verify this, because i don't have the files that you refer to.
I think that is the error.

[jim mcnamara]

Harry I fed this code to my compiler at work.

Doesn't like the first three lines, and really hates the same char your compiler finds offensive.

If I turn off ansi c checks and some other stuff, it does compile with warnings.

Wha it doesn't like is that you are declaring a char pointer to htmlstring, all in one line. It does like:

char *currentstring;
currentstring = htmlstring;

it also likes
static char *currentstring = htmlstring;

FWIW - most compilers get upset with some kinds of initializers, especially after you have referenced a variable and then try to assign it to a variable in the declaration statement.

I had to separate almost all of your declarations out, move 'em to the top, then assign them later to get rid of warnings. a C++ compiler should like this a lot more.

[HarryW]

Thanks a lot Jim I guess I should have tried that, but I just assumed it would be clever enough to do it. I don't suppose you tested it out? I was writing this for a C Python module, since the native Python code doesn't seem to be doing the job fast enough. Any optimisation tips would be welcome too I know I have some useless variables declared in there; they're remnants from other code I was trying.

Thanks for the advice anyway, I'll get that fixed up at work tomorrow

[CornedBee]

jsut one question, if this is C, why does it accept variable declaration after real code?

[jim mcnamara]

That's what I had to change.